Engineer's Daughter

miscellany 02.25.13

Through March 2 - Dorothea Tanning: Unknown but Knowable States at Gallery Wendi Norris

Through April 30 - Pat Aveni: Fly Like a Spaceship to the Sky at CIIS

Model Model UN: Issues in Practice at CCA

Bam Bam at the Uptown

miscellany 02.21.13

PIKI at Swarm Gallery, part of the Sound Salon series

Through February 23 - Taraneh Hemami: Resistance at The Luggage Store

Bradford Nordeen, Chris E. Vargas, Mariah Garnett at SFMOMA, Dirty Looks NYC: Yesterday Once More film program

Dr. Yacine Badian Kouyate at Museum of the African Diaspora, The Manuscripts of Timbuktu film screening and discussion

Through February 24 - Alicia Escott: And the Crowd Rushed Together, Trying to Keep Warm at Interface Gallery

Pablo Helguera lecture at the San Francisco Art Institute

agenda 01.16.13

Thursday, January 17:

• Mission Community Market
• SJMADE Mini Mart at the San Jose Museum of Art
• Comedy Drawing School at Eli Ridgway Gallery
• Rene Hell, Jefre Cantu-Ledesma + Paul Clipson, Vallens at The Lab
• Dennis Parlante and Matt Gonzalez in Conversation at Meridian Gallery
• The Statues Walked -- What Really Happened on Easter Island, presented by Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo at the Cowell Theater
• End of the Reel: An Oddball Memoriam 2012 at Oddball Films

Friday, January 18:

• The Bensons: Jason Benson and Mark Benson at Royal NoneSuch Gallery
• Thinking Like the Universe at Hatch Gallery
• Taraneh Hemami at the Luggage Store Gallery
• Doron Fishman + Film and Video Selections at The Lab
• Pretty Blue Presents: HotTub DJ set, Unstoppable Death Machines, Laughters and Believe in Oakland
• TWO YEARS HERE: our 2nd Anniversary Group Show at Incline Gallery
• Exhibition: Remembering is Everything at Alter Space
• Artist Talk and Book Signing: Gabriele Stabile & Juliet Linderman, Refugee Hotel at Gallery Carte Blanche
• Portholes to the Past at Oddball Films
• The 13th Annual Edwardian Ball & World’s Faire presents “The Doubtful Guest” at the Regency Ballroom
• Ty Segall, White Fence, Nick Waterhouse at The Fillmore
• Tycho, Christopher Willits at The Independent

Saturday, January 19:

• Sasha Darling's and The BellJar Girls Trunk Show
• Lab Winter Benefit w/ Mike Donovan (Sic Alps), Waxy Tombs, Tainted Pussy, Rheal 'Tea + Dia Dear
• "The Witching Hour" Sequinsomnia Burlesque Show Premier
• Rednecks & Aztecs at 1:AM Gallery
• Claire Fontaine at Queen's Nails
• Punch Card at Catharine Clark Gallery
• Small Gems: Winter Group Show at Crown Point Press
• Periodic Calendar at Electric Works
• Yo La Tengo at Amoeba Records
• Pinback, Judgement Day at Bimbo's 365 Club
• Tycho, Doombird at The Independent
• Temple Saturdays featuring Revolvr

Sunday, January 20:

• Zach Watkins + A Magic Whistle + Protoghost at The Night Light

Monday, January 21:

• S.T.D.W.T.F., Straight Crimes, Surf Shit, John Brothers Piano Company & Exit Bag at RCA
• Quicksand, Title Fight at the Regency Ballroom

Tuesday, January 22:

• Slime City #16 at Radio

Wednesday, January 23:

• SIX: 2013 First Year MFA Exhibition at Worth Ryder Art Gallery
• Claire Fontaine in Conversation with Jason E. Smith at the Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts
• Are We There Yet? at The Rock Bar
• Mandebrot & Skyy, Matthew Dryhurst, Brandon Nickell, Paul Clipson at The Lab

agenda 12.12.12

Thursday, December 13:

• Women, Art, and Technology: An Uneasy Access? at the Performance Art Institute
• Kala “Artists’ Annual” Exhibition and Opening
• Thrill Jockey Records 20th Anniversary Show at The Independent

Friday, December 14:

• Marine Hugonnier and Taha Belal "Disrupt" Opening Reception at Highlight Gallery
• SF Cinematheque Year End Party Fundraiser + Auction at Incline Gallery and the Roxie
• Points of Departure: Trivial Pursuit: A nomadic talk series curated by Zoë Taleporos and Pablo Guardiola at Royal Nonesuch Gallery
• The Mountain Goats at The Fillmore
• Psychic TV, Lumerians, King Dude, Youth Code at the Uptown

Saturday, December 15:

• Record Weasels Record $wap at Brownstar Studios
• Small Art Show at Warehouse 416
• Chris Ballantyne, Michael Light at Hosfelt Gallery
• Artist Talk with Colpa Press’s Luca Antonucci & Carissa Potter at Kala
• Art Hack Day: Lethal Software Exhibit & Holiday Party at GAFFTA
• Mago with Dohee Lee at Meridian Gallery
• Psychic TV, Lumerians, King Dude, Youth Code at the Uptown
• No Way Back with Optimo, Conor, and Solar at Monarch

Sunday, December 16:

• Flowers at Artists' Television Access

Monday, December 17:

• Dee Dee and Brandon play songs from Dum Dum Girls and The Crocodiles at the Rickshaw Stop
• KMEL Holiday House of Soul with The Weeknd at the Warfield

Tuesday, December 18:

• There's a Song In My Heart: a Holiday Party for Visual Aid at Varnish Fine Art
• Sunn O))) at Mezzanine

Wednesday, December 19:

• Fuzz with Ty Segall & Charlie Mootheart at the Hemlock Tavern
• Psychic Ills, Wymond Miles at Bottom of the Hill

agenda 12.05.12

Thursday, December 6:

• Publication Studio Printing On-Demand at The Popular Workshop
• To Be Determined #2 at new nothing cinema
• Poolside, Blackbird Blackbird, DJ Kele of Bloc Party at the Rickshaw Stop

Friday, December 7:

• Dis/Order: Juried Annual 2013 at Pro Arts
• MFA in Event Planning at Rise Above Graphics
• Mission Holiday Block Party
• MacArthur B Arthur's Final Exhibition: The Home Show
• TALKIES Holiday Show at Lost Weekend Video
• Destroy// 11 dancers + Ava Mendoza, Dominic Cramp, Mike Guarino, Leyya Tawil at Joe Goode Performance Group
• Point of No Return at Southern Exposure
• Cathy Cunningham-Little and Amy M. Ho at Chandra Cerrito Contemporary
• RE@DS: Sam Sax at the Berkeley Art Museum
• Quartet San Francisco Plays the Music of Raymond Scott at the Berkeley Art Museum
• MadC at 1:AM Gallery
• Jack White, The Shins, Metric, Two Door Cinema Club, Of Monsters and Men, The Gaslight Anthem at the Oakland Arena
• White Lung, Turbo Fruits, CCR Headcleaner at Bottom of the Hill
• Low End Theory SF at 1015 Folsom

Saturday, December 8:

• PrettyBluePresents: ReligiousGirls, MTNS (Seattle), Laughters, Believe at Purple Haus
• Everything Is Terrible Holiday Special West at ABCO Art Space
• Misfit Toy Factory at Root Division
• M83, Passion Pit, Tegan and Sara, The Killers, Grouplove, Imagine Dragons at the Oakland Arena
• The Polyphonic Spree at Slim's
• John Prine, Justin Townes Earle at the Warfield
• Dispirit//Thrones//Bädr Vogu//Crypt Keeper at 1530 E. 12th St.

Sunday, December 9:

• Points of Departure: Trivial Pursuit at Royal Nonesuch Gallery
• Meshell Ndegeocello, Con Brio at the Great American Music Hall

Monday, December 10:

• Tom Grrrl / Bitter Fruit / Pig DNA / S.B.S.M. at Menage Twat
• White Cloud + Freak Heat Waves + Means Streets + Chief at The Hidden Temple
• David Bazan, Stagnant Pools at the Independent

Tuesday, December 11:

• Jaberi & Deutsch, the Spencer Owen Consortium, Makeunder at the Night Light

Wednesday, December 12:

• Take Off: Kota Ezawa, Kenneth Goldsmith at Kadist SF

agenda 11.28.12

My picks for the next week:

Thursday, November 29:

• Artist Talk & Reading for A WELL STIRS
• First Look Dinner at Headlands Center for the Arts
• Somewhere in the Fold at The Popular Workshop
• Lecture by David Goldblatt at SFMOMA
• Strange Sinema 58: Bizarre Cinema Histories at Oddball Films
• Mission Creek Oakland Presents: Believe, Teenage Sweater, and LESSONS! at the Uptown

Friday, November 30:

• Queer Punks in Conversation at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
• Happy Hour/Closing Reception for X Libris at Root Division
• 2012 Annual Holiday Sale at Creativity Explored
• Fairy Tale Frenzy at Oddball Films
• Duane Pitre, Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, Jesse Sparhawk, and Zachary James Watkins at The Lab

Saturday, December 1:

• Mark Baugh-Sasaki artist talk at Krowswork
• Matt Connors :: Ian McDonald :: Gregory Lind at [ 2nd floor projects ]
• Come Out & Play SF Festival at SOMArts
• Johansson Projects presents Rachel Kaye and Opal Dust featuring Casey Watson
• Taro Hattori, James Sansing at Swarm Gallery
• The Bay Brewed at Public Works
• Simian Mobile Disco at Mezzanine

Sunday, December 2:

• E@RLY: Ikue Mori with Ken Ueno at the Berkeley Art Museum
• Koinonia Experimental Music Festival at the Subterranean Arthouse
• Jonathan Richman at the Great American Music Hall

Monday, December 3:

• No Babies , Ni-Hao! (Japan) and T.I.T.S. + DJ Paul Paul at the Knockout
• Death Grips at Slim's

Tuesday, December 4:

• Werner Herzog at CCA
• The News at SOMArts

Wednesday, December 5:

• The Babies, Twin Steps, Younger Lovers, Wet Spots at 1-2-3-4 Go! Records
• San Francisco Olympians Festival III: Titans vs. Olympians
• Opening Reception for In Formation at the Berkeley Central Arts Passage
• Sufjan Stevens at the Great American Music Hall

What did I miss?  Let me know in the comments!

miscellany 08.10.12

This week is brought to you by this postcard I received of a giant cat in Michigan's Sleeping Bear Dunes.  Thank you, Logan and JD!

• Nate Boyce has two of his wonderfully strange constructions that combine video and sculpted metal installed on the third floor of Japantown's New People building.  See them before the show closes tomorrow.
• Anne McGuire was predictably amazing at SFMOMA last weekend performing alongside electronic musician Wobbly and a video doppelganger of herself.  The museum's Stage Presence live series continues to blow me away, and Cliff Hengst's performances this weekend are not to be missed either.
• The Headlands talk about creating social space last weekend started late and so I was only able to stay for John Bela's and Yukiko Bowman's portions of it, but I'm sure Matilde Cassani was equally as fascinating as those first two based on what I've seen of her work.  Now I'm very much looking forward to Sandra Ono's drop-in workshop on Sunday.  Bioforms ahoy!
• This week I finally made it to the Contemporary Jewish Museum's small-but-mighty group exhibition Do Not Destroy, worth seeing for Zadok Ben David's enchanting Blackfield installation alone.  The show is themed around trees and has many other sublime moments too.  It closes on September 9.
• Meanwhile over in Oakland an old house at 1506 Peralta is currently filled top-to-bottom with art installations for the appropriately-named House Show.  Many artists I like a whole lot are involved, including Facundo Argañaraz, Sarah Bernat, The Center For Tactical Magic, Matthew Draving, Aaron Harbour and Jackie Im, Cybele Lyle, and Zachary Royer Scholz.  To say anything more would ruin some of the site-specific surprises, but do try to visit before the show closes next weekend and at night if you can. 

diego rivera and the mexican mural movement

The San Francisco Art Institute is one of my very favorite spots in the city for its courtyard fountain and the resident fat koi, for its amazing views across the entire Bay, and for its massive Diego Rivera fresco tucked away in a side gallery.  Last Thursday I was able to attend the second day of a symposium organized by SFAI and the Consulate General of Mexico in San Francisco that examined Rivera and other Mexican muralists with an eye to modern views about art and activism.  Sara Daleiden did not talk about Rivera specifically but instead shared documentation from the brilliant How Many Billboards? project she co-organized down in Los Angeles, where since 2002 it has been illegal to paint a mural on private property due to a confusion about what constitutes art or signage.  For a couple months in 2010 the MAK Center took over 21 LA billboards and installed specially-commissioned work by contemporary artists, further enriching the dialogue about art versus commerce.  Daleiden's talk was meant to be followed by one by artist Ala Ebtekar, but in an eerily appropriate twist Ebtekar had missed his flight back from LA because he had been in court due to charges stemming from one of his public art projects.  Julio César Morales stood in and presented Ebtekar's talk about the dangers of being a muralist in the public sphere after Universidad Iberoamericana professor Karen Cordero Reiman gave a paper entitled "Whose Body?  Corporeal Discourse in Muralism and Contemporary Art" that contrasted historical images by Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros with more recent work by Silvia Gruner and Gerardo Suter.  The evening wrapped with a roundtable discussion involving all the symposium participants, newly inspiring me to seek out the other three Diego murals in the Bay Area (at the SF City Club, at City College, at Cal).  I also once again have deep appreciation for our own rich street art culture, where murals are often as much about community-building as they are about artistic expression.

See also:

• How Many Billboards?
• Ala Ebtekar
• Karen Cordero Reiman
• Diego Rivera murals in the Bay Area

animals are people too

Laurel Braitman

 

If I couldn't be up with my friends in Quincy for our recent solar eclipse, Headlands was also a pretty darn great place to observe the celestial phenomenon.  Partly because it was sheer delight to watch all the artists-in-residence freak out over the eclipse, but also because earlier in the afternoon in a completely unrelated public program Laurel Braitman and Rachel Mayeri each gave fascinating presentations about their work with animals.  Braitman has just finished writing a book entitled Animal Madness exploring the history of mental health issues in the non-human set, and she also talked about her experimental "Music For Animals" series in which she tries to pair musicians with animal audiences she think will appreciate their tunes.  I would have paid money to watch Grass Widow perform for the gorillas at the Franklin Park Zoo, I tell you what.  Meanwhile Mayeri, she of the amazing Miracles and Disasters in Renaissance and Baroque Theater Mechanics installation at the Museum of Jurassic Technology, showed bits and pieces of her Primate Cinema project including footage of how zoo apes reacted when shown video of humans dressed up like monkeys.  Both women play with ideas about the ways we anthropomorphize animals, but they are also genuinely interested in the ways we different species interact with and influence each other.

See also:

• Headlands Center for the Arts
• Laurel Braitman
• Rachel Mayeri

an evening with holland cotter

San Francisco's first Asian Contemporary Art Week (ACAW-SF) is officially wrapped up now, but I managed to squeeze in another of its many events Tuesday night when I went to go hear art critic Holland Cotter speak at the Asian Art Museum in conjunction with their opening-week celebrations for Phantoms of Asia.  Cotter has long been committed to covering art from other countries, especially from those outside the so-called western world, and his criticism in the New York Times is exactly the sort of engaged and unpretentious writing I strive to accomplish even in my short pieces.  His talk at the Asian inspired me all over again, especially when he spoke of bringing passion and an attitude of generosity to the acts of art-viewing and art-writing.  As for ACAW-SF, even if you missed the fun this week there's still the most excellent Phantoms show to see as well as exhibitions at Frey Norris, Haines, the Art Institute, and Yerba Buena (to name just a few).  We are never lacking in options 'round these here parts.

See also:

• Holland Cotter's An Art Critic in Africa series
• Phantoms of Asia at the Asian Art Museum
• Tomokazu Matsuyama and Jagannath Panda at Frey Norris Contemporary and Modern
• Zhan Wang, Ai Weiwei, Yoshitomo Saito, Tokihiro Sato, Xing Danwen, and Rong Rong at Haines Gallery
• Lin Yilin at SFAI
• John-Mark Ikeda and Wang Qingsong at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts