SAN FRANCISCO ART GALLERIES OPENINGS
FIRST THURSDAY; 07.02.09
(with assistance from RWM and Kathryn Arnold )

General comment by AB: You would think the impending Fourth of July holiday weekend would herald a pretty skimpy Thursday in terms of art opening options, but nooooo. Not here in that nexus of high refinement, blustery fog-addled Ess Eff, as our local art palaces trot out no less than two dozen new shows. Yes my artful darlings-- circumstances necessitate a brief hiatus from burgers, beer and cherry bombs in order to grease the air foils on my zippiest brogues, perform sundry ablutions and purification rituals, and otherwise gird my loins for this exciting episode's looming profusion of visual delights. Care to tag along and chock those creative jowls? OK...

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Caldwell Snyder Gallery : Roberto Santo - Passage of Time.

Review by RWM: Impressive sculptures in the grand classical style, but somehow still modern. The work is imposing but evokes traditional styles and concerns. The larger than life sculptures remind of a long gone era, but somehow still worth remembering. The past is looking upon us.

Comment by AB: Striking, heroic, technically accomplished, and worth a visit. Like 'em.

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Robert Koch Gallery : Jerry Burchard, Debbie Fleming Caffery and Linda Foard Roberts.

Comment by AB: Somber moody introspective black and white imagery for the most part. I'm partial to Linda Foard Roberts' ovals, particularly the pile of ashes.

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Gregory Lind Gallery : Chris Gentile - Reincarnation Blues.

Comment by AB: Controlled deliberate meticulous compulsion energizes New York artist Chris Gentile to create and then photograph fascinating constructions made with materials such as small cut squares of cardboard, black tape, Maraschino Cherries, constuction paper and masking tape.

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Elins Eagles-Smith Gallery : Kenjilo Nanao - Recent Paintings.

Comment by AB: Appealing abstractions by Bay Area artist Kenjilo Nanao, actively painting, printmaking and exhibiting since the early 1970s.

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Brian Gross Fine Art : Paper / Mylar / Vellum.

Artists: Joe Amrhein, Lewis deSoto, Josh Dov, Donald Feasél, Linda Fleming, Robert Jack, Stephen Sollins, Nellie King Solomon, Andrea Way.

Review by RWM: One will find their eyes dancing around the images of this mixed media show. The work is somehow not original and original at the same time, i.e. new takes on things that have been done before. The movement in the images is joyful providing exercise for the eyes. For example, one wonders whether they are observing the colorful spirals depicted or the spirals are observing them.

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Toomey Tourell Fine Art : Marilyn Levin - Unnatural Nature.  

Comment by AB: According to the management, Marilyn Levin's nonrepresentational paintings address environmental matters and the relentless pollution of the planet, the gold and silver pigments in her art representing the gradual seepage of toxic metals into the soil and water. And seeing this sort of pollution firsthand growing up near industrial Cleveland Ohio, her compositions are not that far off the mark.

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Steven Wolf Fine Arts : Jacob Dahlgren - Sharks, Lions and Ships; James Tantum - Tomorrow, A Curatorial Project.

Comment by AB: Swedish artist Jacob Dahlgren paints up a peck of paintings in the style of 20th century Swedish hard-edge modernist Olle Baertling (1911-1981), then kind of turns 'em into protest posters by attaching them to wooden sticks. Then he gets a bunch of friends and acquaintances together, each one grabs a poster, and they stage a march through the Marin Headlands. The show consists of the signs themselves and the video of the march. Kinda kicky. As for James Tantum's "curatorial project," it lines the walls of the side gallery. You can take it from there.

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Mark Wolfe Contemporary Art : Dennis McNulty - 1981 Pervert.

Comment by AB: Dennis McNulty tells me his digital images combine aspects of early 80s pop kitsch decor and cheesecake pics from vintage men's magazines. He adds that as a young boy in the early 80s, reading Playboy would help him get to sleep. If you have any questions regarding procedural matters on that, you'll have to ask him yourself.

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Micaela Gallery : COLD+HOT 2009.

Artists: Peter Bremers, Eric Franklin, Grant Garmezy, Phillip Hua, Michelle Knox, Weston Lambert, John Lewis, Susan Longini, Greg Nangle, Nancy Otto, Lorraine Peltz, Stig Persson, Chantal Royant, Thomas Scoon, Carmen Spera, Jennifer Umphress, Kristiina Uslar, Dana Zed, Sasha Zhitneva.

Comment by AB: Micaela Gallery's annual glass art extravaganza presents a quality selection of works by top contemporary glass artists from the Bay Area and beyond. I gotta go wth the "skeletal" neon glass sculptures by Eric Franklin in the darkened side room, though it's all worthy. But uh oh-- gaff time. The press release attempts to rebut some critic who had a problem with a previous COLD+HOT show. Helpful art hint #3942, paragraph 2, clause B: Never exhume negative reviews no matter how irked you were about 'em, especially when introducing a brand new show. It's a 100% losing proposition. See how a mere mention of a negative review here blunts the impact of a good one and worst yet, diverts attention away from the art?

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Room for Painting Room for Paper Gallery : Alan Ebnother - Recent Paintings; Rachael Jablo - Under a Circus Sky, Recent Photographs.

Review by RWM: Rachel Jablo captures the wonder, but also the empty and sometimes quiet behind the scenes life of the circus. The circus is empty and under construction in her photographic images, but one can still dream of the joyous times ahead. The big top set-ups are pictured with color and enticement. The outsides of tents pitched to the ground, these images remind, even without people, that unconstrained wonders are yet to come.

Comment by AB: Rich monochrome impasto paintings by Santa Fe/Liepzig artist Alan Ebnother round out the fare.

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Rena Bransten Gallery : Decline and Fall.

Artists: Doug Hall, Candida Hofer, Martin Klimas, Ian McDonald, Andrew Moore, Vik Muniz, Joseph Park, Deborah Oropallo, Marci Washington, John Waters, Fred Wilson, Bing Wright.

Review by Kathryn Arnold: Typically one might hear the phrase "Rise and Fall" connoting a brief sense of optimism but this title "Decline and Fall" creates a sense of pessimism. I hope it is not a mirror to our time and place! The works in the exhibition have many qualities that set them apart with one of the first being the technological savvy and incredible skill in manipulation of images and/or materials. The objects and believable images (many are digitally generated prints) shine with some sort of pristine glow denying any aspect of decline or decay.

I take another look. Many of the artworks appropriate history and past art. They combine new media with works and images from across the board-- ancient Egypt, Northern European Renaissance, 18th century, 17th century-- I even believe I recognize Copley's squirrel in Deborah Oropallo's 'Maid with Squirrel.' A section of Rubenís Rape of the Sabine Women and even Breugal's Tower of Babel show up here, each handled in a variety of ways from reinterpretations to kitsch (jigsaw puzzle form) and recreated into mixes of art and historical styles (i.e. cubism). Among this exciting frenzy of racing thoughts are placed, almost poetically, works that are understood just as they are. A pause amid interpretation. I walk away loving this exhibition for its play of contrasts and mental exhilaration it provides along with the truly gorgeous (decadent?) art.

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Togonon Gallery : Ted Lincoln - Plural Notions; Adrianne Watson - Tricking Out.

Review by Kathryn Arnold: Two solo exhibitions open tonight and the artists are here; I love that! And they're here all the way from Florida and Nebraska. Ted Lincoln's "Plural Notions" and Adrianne Watson's "Tricking Out" are the respective titles. Ted's work stems from sumi ink painting-- subtle, almost landscape-like images all about this organic natural process. One experiences "Nature" with a capital "N" here as he captures the subtle flowing of medium, truncating it as it reaches the edge of his surface. I find it quite similar to a video of a flower in the process of blooming. Adrianne's work is almost the polar opposite of Lincoln's with brilliant plays of color and materials in both 2D and sculptural forms. One sculpture appears to have been developed from a carousel horse, harnessed and laden with all manners of miscellaneous trappings.

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Patricia Sweetow Gallery : From the Celestial Latitude of 45 degrees, Ending at Longitude 60 Degrees.

Artists: Gale Antokal, Joachim Bandau, Jonathan Burstein, Robin Carnes, Robert Hudson, David Huffman, Ernest Jolly, Katie Lewis, Markus Linnenbrink, Jefferson Pinder, Cornelia Schulz, Jina Valentine, Jamie Vasta, Jenny Zito.

Review by Kathryn Arnold: This group exhibition presents is a wide assortment of works ranging in scope and including sculpture, assemblage, 2D and more. They are difficult for me to grasp, except in a superficial reading, with my time allotment, but the grouping and selection of works coalesce to create very nice looking exhibition. I come upon the lamp in the corner of the second room (with what appears to be origami around it), and I find the engagement of discovering a functional piece to my liking.

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Dolby Chadwick Gallery : Louise LeBourgeois - Many Truths About Space; Hunt Rettig - New Work.

Review by RWM: The Artful Players will appreciate these depictions of open space and the sea. Louise LeBourgeois attempts to recreate the experience of the wild, making for wonderful reminders of our experiences there. There is the magic of the ocean horizon in the mystery of the fog, and also pleasant green fields.

Comment by AB: Hunt Rettig's three-dimensional "paintings," created out of paperboard, plastic, wood, metal and silicone, and then covers with semi-transparent film, impart a mystifying opalescent appearance. For those of you scoring at home, Chicago artists Louise LeBourgeois tells me her misty dreamy open-water paintings are of Lake Michigan. Makes sense. Good show on both counts, and definitely worth a drive by.

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NOMA Gallery : Erica Wheelock & Nathat Watson - Shades of Grey. Curated by Marcella Faustini.

Comment by AB: Don't forget to use the magnifying glass when studying Erica Wheelock's intricate pen and ink drawings. They've got all kinds of fascinating stuff going on in 'em that you can't possibly see by naked eye alone. Also on exhibit are minimalist dimensional works by Nathat Watson.

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Hangart Gallery : Every 1.

Artists: Jose Arenas, Jenny E. Balisle, Olivia Brown, Ed Calhoun, Jimmy Chen, Ann Eby, Lea Feinstein, Nicole Hayden, Phillip Hua, Bryan Ida, Philippe Jestin, Andrzej Michael Karwacki, Ines Kramer, David Lippenberger, Jeanne Lydon, Jessica Martin, Liz Maxwell, Anthony May, Carolyn Meyer, Hang Nguyen, Mark Oberlin, Tjasa Owen, Addie Shevlin, Angela Simione, Piero Spadaro, Ann West, Michael Shankman, Ivy Jacobsen, Tim Yankosky, Catherine Saiki, Marty McCutcheon.

Review and images by Kathryn Arnold: My final stop tonight is Hang Gallery, not too far of a walking distance from 77 Geary Street. This group exhibition titled "Every 1" includes one piece from each of the participating artists. There isn't a theme and there are multiple styles, subject matters, and mediums displayed about this one large space. I note that much of the work could be classified as painting.

The gallery website is a great resource to view additional works by the artists in the exhibition. For example, at the show I appreciate the waterish effects in "Dryad" by Phillip Hua, created on newsprint, and the ecological / symbiotic relationship it contains within itself-- medium is the message. Then I go to the gallery website and see that this is just one of a series, making it all the more interesting as I discover nuances of colors and compositional treatments not seen in just the one piece.

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111 Minna Gallery : Hamburger Eyes - Exodus, A Photographic Transmogrification.

Photographers: David Potes, Alexander Martinez, Dobrin, Heather Renee Russ, Jai Tanju, Jason Roberts, Michael Jang, Oscar Medoza, Patrick Griffin, Dennis McGrath, Ray Potes, Ryan Furtado, Ted Pushinsky.

Comment by AB: Another frontal assault on unmasked reality courtesy of San Francisco's conspicuously vanguard photography collective Hamburger Eyes. And it's not just new stuff either. From vintage images by Michael Jang and Ted Pushinsky to today's down and dirty street corner smack, the in your face attitude manifests the notion of as-is, rather than as we'd like it to be. It's not always pretty, but it's definitely an experience. Go see.

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Exposure Gallery : SF - Street Level.

Photographers: Ray Potes, Ted Pushinsky, Mike Kepka.

Comment by AB: Documentary photos straight off the San Francisco Streets.

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David Cunningham Projects : Terrance Graven - TEMPVS; Lukas Beyeler - Selected Works.

Comment by AB: Unfortunately, I just miss Terrance Graven's performance piece where, among other cathectic acts, he eviscerates an ominously involved preternatural thingamabob, convoluted with outgrowths, that's suspended from the ceiling. It's guts hang motionless over the floor, dripping what remains of a damp dusty rust-colored substance that must have once pulsed through its innards. Gallery patrons appear to be in the process of recovering from the affair. While there-- and I do recommend sidling by-- don't forget the visit the rear sector where you'll enjoy three rather absorbing videos by Swiss artist Lukas Beyeler-- "Versailles no bara" (2005), "Nugase ! Panik Mahjong" (2003). and "Hit Machine" (2003. Like it.

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Needles & Pens : Ocean + Beach - A Group of Artists Who Thrive in and Around the Coastal Zone. Curated by Serena Mitnik-Miller.

Artists: Charlie Callahan, Jeff Canham, Misha Capecchi, Alberto Cuadros, Amy Jo Diaz, Kyle Field, Christopher Gentile, Rachel Kaye, Jeffrey Manson, Aaron Mason, John McCambridge, Serena Mitnik-Miller, Dave Muller, Jay Nelson, Lana Porcello, Nathaniel Russell, Orion Shepherd, Mason St. Peter, Augustus Thompson, Isabell Weberbauer.

Comment by AB: Surf and ocean inspired art, just like the title says, and it's got an indubitably distinct appearance and feel, kinda lulling you like waves lapping a sandy beach on a balmy summer night. You can take the art away from the ocean, but you can't take the ocean away from the art.

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Fifty24SF : Word To Mother - Young Mind, Old Soul.

Comment by AB: According to UK artist Word to Mother, "'Young Mind and an Old Soul' is about retaining the freedom of youth, the creative and unrestricted energy to continue to question things and to educate yourself, whilst living with a respect and understanding of the past." He advances that agenda with a salient array of painting, sculpture and installation fashioned entirely from other people's trash and discards. Like it. Worth a sojourn.

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Addendum:

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Hello there .

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First Thursday - June 4, 2009

First Thursday - May 7, 2009

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