General comment by AB: 'Tis the season for summer selections, aka "The Second Chance Salon," that special time of year when manifold gallerists festoon their walls and pedestals with back room retreads, gently chiding their clients to the rhyme of, "I thought it would sell-- You didn't agree-- Look again-- Maybe this time you'll see." Yet other establishments conscript the interlude to indulge their hunches, floating not-quite-primetime talent, and baiting the patronage to see who bites. The rest kowtow to the call of the dog days, close shop completely and jet off to their summer retreats, enticed by idylls of rambling verandas and hammocks swaying in the sweet balmy breeze-- sadly leaving their curators with nothing to curate, and the rest of us to writhe in the delerium of CPDD (creative product deficit disorder).

But wait. What's this I see among the mung? Fresh picked art? (Sniff. Sniff.) Sure smells fresh. Feels fresh too-- plump and juicy with just the right give. Kindly excuse me for a moment while I take a bite. Hmmm. Mmmm. By golly it is fresh! Don't believe me? Taste it yourself...

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Stephen Wirtz Gallery : CCA Alumni and Faculty Show.

Artists: Rachel (Weeks) Heath, Marc Katano, George Miyasaki, Laurie Reid, Raymond Saunders, Paul Sheik, Shawn Smith, Kathryn Van Dyke, Jim Goldberg, Todd Hido, Larry Sultan, others.

Review by Jessica Whiteside: The show definitely has some standout pieces with a captivating installation piece on one wall, and some dark photography in the main gallery. The show overall seems rather sparse for being a group show with such a large number of artists.

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Jack Fischer Gallery : Marlon Mullen.

Review by Jessica Whiteside: In this solo exhibit of works by Marlon Mullen, there is a refreshing childlike innocence to the work. The works are thickly painted acrylics on canvas, looking almost like plaster. Marlon is an autistic artist, and the show of his work is being presented in association with NIAD, the National Institute of Art & Disabilities .

Marlon's work is influenced by posters and advertisements in the media, and his paintings give an interesting perspective on the effect the media has on our subconscious mind, how it infiltrates our thoughts and ideas about the world. One painting is particularly cute, and says it all so simply with a red smiling face accompanied by the words, "Life, You."

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Robert Koch Gallery : Untitled - Summer Group Show.

Artists: Various.

Comment by AB: Summertime perhaps, but a pleasure nonetheless.

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Haines Gallery : On Paper.

Artists: Max Cole, Rob Craigie, Kota Ezawa, Max Gimblett, Andy Goldsworthy, David Klamen, Patsy Krebs, Tom Mueske, David Nash, Dennis Oppenheim, David Simpson, Jim Toia, Darren Waterston, Noah Wilson.

Review by Jessica Whiteside: This show is comprised of works on paper by gallery artists. Koto Ezawa's work stands out with his signature flat painting style, one piece simply an image of Earth from space, and another, an image of a colorful Polaroid camera. A very interesting blend of styles fills the gallery, some pieces were more exciting than others, but overall a nicely put together show.

Comment by AB: I gotta go with several watercolors, each composed of multiple miniature stand-alone watercolors, by David Klamen. Liked 'em before; like 'em now.

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Brian Gross Fine Art : Gallery Selections.

Artists: Peter Alexander, Karl Benjamin, Marco Casentini, Donald Feasel, Teo Gonzalez, Dale Kistemaker, Gary Lang, Ed Moses, Richard Pousette-Dart, Meridel Rubenstein, Robert Sagerman, Roy Thurston, Amy Trachtenberg

Comment by AB: A little of this and a little of that, all of it good.

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ARTworkSF: No idea; they won't let me in.

Comment by AB: A dude stops me at the door and says to wait in line (again). I say I take pictures for a local website (again). He tells me to wait in line (again). I politely thank him and leave. That does it. I give up. A circus like this does not belong at 49 Geary.

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Gallery Paule Anglim : Ala Ebtekar; Bull.Miletic.

Review by Jessica Whiteside: Ala Ebtekar is an Iranian-American artist whose work brings a modern twist to his Persian-influenced old world style of drawing. His figures are drawn like ancient statues with iconic style. Ala paints his figures on collaged pages from old Iranian religious texts he found in Iran. He raises interesting questions and commentary about modern society and issues we face with his inclusion of images such as bombs, angels and death, composed in a comparably classical manner to his statues.

He also shows figurative drawings based on antique photographs from Iran, particularly gymnasium poses, revitalizing the original images with a contemporary viewpoint, and inviting comparisons to today's hip hop culture and its idiomatic gestures and poses.

Ala received his B.A. from the San Francisco Art Institute and has been exhibiting his work in various locations around the world while finishing his MFA degree at Stanford University.

Comment by AB: In the annex, Bull.Miletic shows personal versions-- small cleanly framed flat panel displays-- of his panoramic videos shot from various rotating restaurants that sit atop buildings around the world (the large versions currently on exhibit at YBCA). Nice.

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George Krevsky Gallery : Ruth Gikow - About People.

Comment by AB: I was gonna mention that Ruth Gikow's social realist people-packed style reminds me an awful lot of Jack Levine , so then I'm perusing the prospectus and see that she was married to Jack Levine. Could be a clue.

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Togonon Gallery : Fan Lee Warren - Heart Talk While Soul Wanders.

Comment by AB: Fan Lee Warren presents an intense heartfelt assessment of the African-American experience from contemporary as well as historical perspectives. To point up the poignancy of how long all this has been going on, she incorporates antique elements into some of her works and also artificially ages a number of her compositions. Urban, rural, past, present, future, down home, downtown-- it's all ready and waiting for you to confront, ingest, and reflect upon. Like it. Go see.

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Variety Preview Room : Steven Hight - Paintings.

Review by Jessica Whiteside: An unlikely location to find an art show. The Preview Room's entrance is lit with neon lights; the two-room facility includes a general meeting room with a nice cozy bar and seating area with lounge chairs, and a plush intimate theater in an adjacent room for films, events, screenings, and parties.

The artwork by abstract painter Steven Hight hangs all around the main room. He works in a traditional abstract expressionist style with muted earthy colors, and chunky paint strokes. The show announcement describes the work as "Abstract Tonalist Paintings"

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Academy of Art University , 79 New Montgomery gallery: The New Realists.

Artists: David McDermott, Shelly Monahan, John Wentz, Ho Jun Lee, Ryan Grossman, Josh Finken, Tara Flores, Mark Elliot, Rachel Rendon.

Comment by AB: Artist/teacher Kevin Moore curates a mixed bag show, competent to commendable, of paintings by some of his most promising past students, the common thread being that their art manifests varying degrees of realism. Seeing as I've never covered an official Acadamy of Art University show until now, I go to their website to have a look around and notice, among other things, that they present themselves as "The Art School of Art Schools." I'd be curious to hear the reasoning on this.

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111 Minna Galllery : Fecal Face Dot Com 7.5 Year Anniversary Artistic Expression.

Artists: Andrew Schoultz, Alexis Mackenzie, Brendan Monroe, Chris Pew, Chris Von Szombathy, Christofer Chin, Cody Hudson, Corey Arnold, Edward Woodley, Ferris Plock, Gregory Euclide, Jay Howell, Jeremy Fish, John Casey, John Copeland, Keith Shore, Kelly Tunstall, Kelsey Brookes, Kill Pixie, Kyle Ranson, Lukas Geronimas, Mars, Mat O'Brien, Matt Furie, Maya Hayuk, Maxwell Loren Holyoke-Hirsch, Mel Kadel, Michael Sieben, Michelle Blade, Mike Giant, Mike Maxwell, Monica Canilao, Niall Mcclelland, Paul Schiek, Paul Urich, Robin Williams, Sam Flores, Saelee Oh, Tessar Lo, Travis Millard.

Review by Jessica Whiteside: Fecal Face Dot Com has been and continues to be a mainstay of support for Bay Area emerging artists, this show featuring a number of the area's brightest urban and lowbrow art stars. If you arrived early enough you could actually get an up-close and personal view of this extensive group show. After about 7pm the space was filled to the brim with what became a massive overflow turnout in support of this annual exhibition.

Most of the work speaks for itself, but some pieces stand out among this talented bunch as really amazing. Andrew Schoultz's mural size painting is an explosion of oranges and reds that has to be studied up close to be truly appreciated. Tessar Lo's unique Japanese style paintings are hauntingly beautiful and masterfully drawn. Jeremy Fish contributes two of his signature paintings with images of morphing skulls and collaged backgrounds of bright orange. Some of the other works that leap out in my mind are pieces by Mike Giant and Kelly Tunstall. Overall, this exhibition highlights the work of some of the most talented young artists in the Bay Area, and from around the world. The Dodos played at 9pm to ring the remainder of the evening.

This was a night not to be missed, but in case you did, the show will be up through August with a closing party planned for August 31, 2007.

Andrew Schoultz detail (this dude is one of the few artists who make works on paper that compete with-- or better yet-- blow away oils and acrylics).

***

SomArts Main Gallery : Prophecy - Healing Time.

Artists: Richard Akers, Chema Gonzalez, Robert Hernandez, Roberta Loach, Carlos Loarca, Diana Marto, Irving Norman, Alfredo Paz, Clayton Thiel.

Comment by AB: Art focused on various dimensions of past, present, and potential future global crises including war, oppression, imperialism, environmental degradation, and their myriad catastrophic consequences. The "Prophecy" part refers to a Mayan vision of their civilization's ultimate destruction; the "Healing Time" part refers to the fact that we still have time, and better get busy rehabilitating our current sad state of affairs before it's too late. Potent show; inspiring art. Viewing recommended.

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Fifty24SF Gallery : N8 Van Dyke - Premeditated Insanity; Usugrow - Learn of Light by Defining a Shadow. ?

Comment by AB: Fifty24SF journeys profoundly ominous and macabre with the raging ape-in-your-face imagery of N8 Van Dyke and the memento mori black ink cranials of Usugrow. If you like daisies, puppies, cuddling, cafe latte, quiet strolls along the beach, or curling up by the fire with a good book, do not see this show.

***

Hayes Valley Market (AgeSong Gallery), 580 Hayes St., San Francisco, CA 94102: The 5th Annual Altered Barbie Show 2007.

Comment by AB: This utterly over-the-top Barbie slice-and-dice has to be one of San Francisco's most eminently entertaining art events of the year, the best part being that there's no commercial overtones to putrefy the perversity of it all. Sure, stuff's for sale, but that's way not the point. Anyway, this year's exciting episode careens further beyond the outer limits of the art-o-sphere than any of its predecessors, featuring the usual m?lange of moronic preposterousness, ranging from hilarious to revolting, but special added bonus-- we now have social and political commentary too. Who would have ever thought that Barbie, that icon of anorexia, could stump for world peace, crusade for a cleaner environment, and become an official spokesdoll for for everything from GLBT Pride to the War on Terror.

What does it all mean? Pick of First Thursday. Yo! Check it out.

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Addendum:

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Click here for exoneration.

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First Thursday; July 5, 2007

First Thursday; June 7, 2007