Emily Fromm employs a style reminiscent of vintage cartoons and comic books to illustrate the over-the-top yet seedy aesthetic of the American West. Her large-scale landscapes are rendered in flat, limited color palettes with bold hand-painted linework, and have centralized on subjects from forgotten corners of Los Angeles, seedy stops along highways in the Southwest, staples of downtown Las Vegas and of course, iconic locations in San Francisco. Her new series, No Vacancy, narrows her lens to focus on the unique qualities of the contemporary urban landscape, and the interaction between the city’s ever-changing physical construction and residents.
Through December 20thTerry Thompson lives and works in San Francisco. Born and raised in the South Bay, he received his MFA from San Jose State University after working for several years in the Silicon Valley as an equipment engineer for various high tech companies.
Through December 20thWILLIAM ARVIN | Show StatementI remember watching movies on my VCR as a kid and pausing particularly striking scenes. I would allow the image to linger for a time until I could fully ingest its properties, often having to fight through the VHS glitches that would obstruct different parts of the image. Interrupting the narrative thread, the image as well as the illusion were suspended while breaking the fourth wall in this way, a way which gave me a sense of participation in the work, an empowered viewer who could wield the medium, and the work itself, to his own liking. Shadows, bright lights, shimmering rain and neon soaked streets, figures in motion, gripping facial expressions, pivotal moments in the story, compositions both structured and spontaneous, all of these elements mystified the screen and gave it gravity, elevating the consumer electronic device to the realm of the sacred.
Through October 20th111 Minna Gallery is pleased to announce the following selection of artists to represent the culmination of its aesthetic over the past 25 years:Adam Feibelman, Alec Huxley, Alphonzo Solorzano, Amanda Lynn, Brad K Alder, Brett Amory, Brian Barneclo, Brian Brooks, Chor Boogie, D Young V, David Choong Lee, David Scott Mabry, Ferris Plock, Henry Lewis, Isabel Samaras, James Charles, Jason Mecier, Jennybird Alcantara, Jeremy Fish, John Waguespack, John Wentz, Josh Thurman, Justyna Kisielewicz, Katherine Brannock, Kelly Tunstall, Kim Cogan, Lee Harvey Roswell, Martin Olive, Melissa Arendt, Micah LeBrun , Michael Murphy, Michael Reedy, Mike Davis, Mike Giant, Nate Van Dyke, Nicomi Nix Turner, NoMe Edonna, Rob Reger, Robert Bowen, Rogelio Martinez, Romanowski, Ryan Malley, Sam Flores, Winston Smith
Through September 29th
Robert Bowen | Artist Statement
With this current body of work I am continuing to focus on my fascination with animal/machinery hybrids. There are so many unanswered questions I have about them. Is this a not so distant future reality? A terrible road we should never go down? If the bees continue to disappear, should we design a replacement to pick up where they left off? Or do we accept our fate and stop toying with Mother Nature since that is what got us into trouble in the first place. I’m continuing to play mad scientist in a laboratory that should never really exist. To juxtapose these prophetic tragedies, I have created a new series of creatures with a precious stone element to them, based on the idea that all people should covet nature and its fauna in the same way they covet their jewelry and trivial trinkets, because if you don’t… you end up with the former.
JOHN OSGOOD | Artist StatementSometimes the journey is more important than the destination. It’s the experiences along the way that provide us with valuable insights… sometimes those experiences are purposeful, sometimes they are arbitrary and sometimes they are “happy accidents”. How we learn from this journey and create memories from them, weaves the fabric of who we are. What do we chose to keep? What do we chose to cover up? My paintings are reflections of my journey in life and this body of work poignantly depicts my transition from the Pacific NW to the San Francisco Bay Area. I am a process-oriented artist. I begin paintings with large strokes of color and add texture as I go. I may have up to 20 paintings going through this process at any given time. Just like there are many choices we can make in life to change the outcome, I am in a constant state of flux with my pieces until the path becomes clear. I leave hints and cues with text and symbols in each painting leading the viewer to find their own interpretation of our shared human experience.
The Vaudevillian Chapter 2
BRETTCRAWFORD | Bio
Painter, metal sculptor, toy maker, street artist, printmaker and illustrator are only a few of the titles Brett Crawford holds up his sleeve. Not bound by any one specific skill, this multi-talented artists work can be seen on walls and in galleries across the country.
111 Minna Gallery proudly presents a group exhibition curated by long time friends, collaborators and partners in crime, Wonderland SF. Spearheaded by the founder and director, Irene Hernandez Feiks, Wonderland SF Gallery and Boutique open its doors in San Francisco’s Mission District in 2010. With the purpose of discovering and aiding Bay Area fashion designers and artists, they continue to maintain their goal of providing support to Bay Area creative’s of all kinds. For more information: www.wonderlandsf.com
Through May 26thSam Flores is an American visual artist, illustrator, and muralist, primarily creating urban- and graffiti-inspired modern art. He has worked with various mediums, including acrylics, pen and ink, and sculpture. Much of his early work focused on developing designs for skateboarding and clothing companies. He has displayed in the United States, Canada, Singapore, Japan and throughout Europe.