SOMA Open Studios

Over the course of the past 7 or 8 years, I have been participating in Open Studios every year with mixed results. I have held it in my home and at various art studios/spaces which I've rented. Doing it on your own is difficult since many visitors seek a group venue, and moving around from year to year makes it hard to grow a "following". Finally two years ago I opened Clara Street Studios, found several talented and motivated individuals to share my vision with, and was able to create a venue that finally fulfilled my dream of creating an artist community of my own.

This weekend was SOMA Open Studios. We held it at our studio on Clara Street for the second year in a row and had an amazing turnout. We have been very fortunate to get 5 very talented artists together, as well as a huge gallery space for hanging our work. Even with the state of the economy what it is, there were twice as many people as we had last year, and I heard such positive feedback from our guests. It was so inspiring to finally have an impact and become a sought after venue in the South of Market community.

To everyone who made it out to support our work, the arts, our community and Open Studios, my sincerest thanks go out to you.

Migration

The show I wanted to see in Chelsea was Doug Aitken's Migration show at 303 Gallery. And so happy we made it, it was definitely the high point of the trip. Migration is a video installation projected on 3 large plasma screens. The imagery was so vivid and surreal, it was totally compelling to watch.

Aitken takes scenes from modern roadside hotels, which appear to be completely abandoned and vacant, and shows North American migratory animals transposed in the spaces. What follows is some amazing cinematography showing anything from owls, to horses to bison in these rooms, and even better - what these creatures will do in such a space when left alone. While sounding a bit strange, the film is beautifully and artfully put together with an almost voyerestic approach to watchcing a lion playfully tearing the blankets off a bed in slow motion, or a beaver taking a hot bath.

a look at the large video screens

mid-west

Ernesto NETO

During a visit to Tanya Bonakdar Gallery in Chelsea, I stumbled upon a show by Ernesto Neto that I found really interesting. Neto constructs organic sculptures from interlocking materials such as wood, steel and acrylic. A lycra "skin" is sewn around the entire structure, and makes an almost vertebrate structure, creating a feeling as if you are walking through a large animals stomach. What I enjoyed was the scale, and social interactive nature of the sculpture, where viewers can walk through and experience the work themselves.

The New Museum NYC

During a recent visit to New York I was finally able to check out the New Museum on Bowery, designed by Tokyo-based architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa/SANAA. A simple facade makes for a nice clean design. Unfortunately the work inside was my least favorite thing about it. I highly discourage visiting the Elizabeth Peyton show!

San Francisco Bay

Just an interesting look at some clouds the other day while crusing along the Embarcadero

vines

Bali Bliss

Spending two and a half weeks in Bali really opened my eyes. A culture that bases it's religion around karma is one that we can all learn something from. In a third world country, where the majority of it's residents are poor and making close to nothing, they seem like a pretty happy and content group. I've never been a tourist anywhere (let alone living in my own city of San Francisco) where I've felt as safe and welcomed by the residents. With no locks on the doors, open air restaurants and shops, there appears to be no theft and little crime, which is such a completely foreign concept for me.

The Balinese practice Hindu Dharma, which is a blend of Hinduism, Buddhism and Animism (ancestor worship). Indigenous beliefs are clearly seen in the belief of natural elements and of the ancestors. Nature is viewed as "power" itself and each of its elements is thought to be subjected to spirits. These must be taken care of, provided with a shrine, fed with various offerings made from agricultural products and given respect. There are few societies in the world where religion plays a role such as it does in Bali, and it is apparent through the incredible beauty and color that accompanies the rituals and offerings, which seem to be ever occurring.

Frida Kahlo

I just made it to the closing day of the Frida Kahlo exhibit at the SFMOMA. While of course the show was fantastic - It was also a pretty great retrospective on her life - I didn't actually know Frida had such strong links to San Francisco. She and Diego Rivera were actually married at City Hall in SF. These are a few of my favorites...