MUSEUM OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA - YBCA - LUGGAGE STORE

SILVERMAN - VELVET DA VINCI - RARE DEVICE

LIVE WORMS - MEDICINE AGENCY - 63 BLUXOME

03.19.10

(with assistance from Anneliese Vobis , DeWitt Cheng, Harry J. Johnson and RWM)

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Museum of the African Diaspora : African Continuum, Sacred Ceremonies and Rituals - Bryan Wiley.

Comment by AB: Photographer Bryan Wiley documents altars and ritual practices among descendants of former African slave populations currently living in Brazil, Haiti, Cuba, South Carolina and New Orleans. A fascinating investigation of traditional beliefs and customs which remain in place today. Also on exhibition are contemporary examples of altars that have evolved from the Akan, Bakongo, Fon, Ejagham, Mande and Yoruba of West and Central Africa.

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Yerba Buena Center for the Arts : Marco Rios and Kara Tanaka - Death's Boutique.

Comment by AB: Death's Boutique, an installation with video by Los Angeles artists Marco Rios and Kara Tanaka, examines the motivations of people who intervene in the natural progression of their own lives in order to influence, plan, control or play active roles in their instants of demise. The pink cake-like sculptures look and smell like they're made of sugar.

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The Luggage Store Gallery : Dustin Fosnot - New Work.

Review by RWM: Unconventional use of materials, sends a message about our throwaway society and seeks to address the slowly improving consciousness about wastage. There are artificial structures made of styrofoam, pins, string, clay, brick, cardboard, newspapers, and glass. These materials are reborn to comment on a world that discards some incredible creations. One can imagine a future where wars are fought to reclaim our garbage dumps. All manner of recreations, like those on display here, are possible.

Comment by AB: Some of the more ingenious applications of litter, debris and waste materials that I've had the pleasure to experience-- including sculptures made of shattered auto glass from smash-and-grab car thefts (don't think I've ever seen that medium anywhere). This is a very intelligent show. Highly recommended.

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Silverman Gallery : Christopher Badger - Rain Shadow Cross Section.

Review by Anneliese Vobis: In his first solo exhibition at Silverman Gallery, the artist Christopher Badger shares with the visitor his recordings from a trip to Death Valley in mapping, writing, sculpture and sound installation. Especially the sound installation transforms the given high and low mapping points in similar tone values. On this conceptual high level the audience is lead through the installation.

Comment by AB: I don't know about Death Valley, but the large heptagonal wood and epoxy sculpture in the center of the gallery, priced at $8000, is commendably well done and certainly seems worth the price not only in terms of time and labor necessary to produce it and the quality of materials, but also with respect to overall dramatic impact and visually symmetric appeal. I mean where can you get a one-of-a-kind sculpture like this for 8 grand these days? Badger tells me it's made from wood scraps acquired at a door factory. Good art. Stop on by.

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Velvet Da Vinci : Chased & Repousse, curated by Nancy Megan Corwin; Rob Jackson - The Eloquent Nail.

Review and images by Anneliese Vobis: "Chased & Repousse includes works of twenty-one contemporary artists from the metalworking field. The high levels of craftsmanship combined with contemporary styles encourage viewers to learn more about the ancient techniques of chasing and repousse. Every shown piece is a unique approach of timeless beauty and extraordinary love for details.

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Rare Device : Andrea Heimer - Flight! and a group show, Fault Lines.

Fault Lines artists: Amy Tavern, Molly McGrath, Martha McQuade, Carol Gilbert.

Review by Harry J. Johnson: Rare Device is an eclectic designer-item boutique and gallery on upper Market Street in San Francisco. The current show which opens tonight includes the work of five artists.

Andrea Heimer is showing her latest work, mostly watercolor on paper, with a few acrylics on canvas. Each piece is about 9 inches by 12 inches and under $200. She unfortunately can't attend her opening due to a recent mishap-- a broken arm. Originally from Montana, Andrea came west to Washington State in 2004, where she lives today. She's a self-taught artist-- as a child she learned to draw by tracing figures found in various printed media, including old coloring books. She's exhibited her work in other cities including Seattle, Los Angeles and Cleveland.

Martha McQuade is showing the spring/summer collection of her Uniform Natural clothing line, SHIFT. Martha works as an architect and also teaches architecture at the University of Minnesota. On the side she designs clothing, making scarves, dresses, ponchos and tops. "The clothing is meant fill the space and flow to the shape of the wearer," she says. She likes to work with cotton fabric with paper fiber and her clothing has "proportionate volume" and "volumetric qualities."

A customer at Rare Device, Krista McCurdy of Oakland, purchases one of McQuade's tops ($120), which she models here. Krista tells me she is familiar with McQuade's work and follows her online.

Review by Anneliese Vobis: Andrea's images reflect on the theme of fight in the medium of drawing and painting. The little fight stories blend harmonically into the cozy gallery setting. In the project space of the Rare Device gallery four artists exhibit "Fault Lines"-- a multimedia approach in wood, metal, photos and fiber. The concepts of line in design and craft are the subject of the Fault Lines exhibition. Small but very powerful show.

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Live Worms : Celestial Navigation - An Exhibition of Found Object Sculpture.

Artists: Paul Baker, Chris Angell, Lynn Friedman.

Review and images by DeWitt Cheng: Three artists use collage and assemblage to explore the themes of journeys, along with navigation and astronomy-- hence the dim International Klein Blue lighting (or is it Joseph Cornell Blue?), not optimal for photography, but, hey, it's Grant Avenue on a warm Friday night. Wall pieces are by Chris Angell and Lynn Friedman. Tabletop sculptures by Paul Baker. Nice work.

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Medicine Agency : Everything is Everything - by Kelly Allen.

Review by Anneliese Vobis: Kelly Allen's paintings and collages combine the worlds of abstraction and photorealism. Vibrant colors and an endless variety of motifs create a powerful presence in the gallery space. The sheer abundance of imagery imparts a feeling of growth; extraordinary delicacy can only be captured with the use magnifying glasses (which the gallery graciously provides). The gorgeous shadows and reflections create a wonderful 3D effect and invite viewers to explore the allegorical narrative content. This show is really worth seeing.

Review by RWM: All sorts of emotions fly out in this exploration of everything. One finds sources of aversion and danger. But there are also connections and beauty. Relationships between the iconographic images are also presented. One cannot help but notice the pain of the Zoo creatures in mid roar. The images, silhouetted in white and seeming to combine all colors, are astounding. The details are fine.

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63 Bluxome Street Gallery : Ditto! - Michael Fleming & Roque Ballesteros.

Comment by AB: Ebullient illustration and painted toy art by Alameda artist Michael Fleming, and Roque Ballesteros, director and co-founder of Bay Area animation studio, Ghostbot.

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