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Bye Bye Kitty!!! Between Heaven and Hell in Contemporary Japanese Art Exhibition at Japan Society In a densely urbanized, highly stratified society situated in the heart of an earthquake zone, the fear that the worst could easily happen lies at the back of many minds. ~David Elliott, Independent Curator The past week has been a sobering reminder of nature’s uncontrollable force. As much as we would like to understand it, whether it be through science or art; the fact still remains…
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With touch screen technology, social media, and high definition television, the traditional artist must find ways to captivate an audience in a digital age. Kenney Mencher‘s, Renovated Reputations: Paintings and Fiction inspired by Vintage Portrait Photographs, forthcoming exhibition at the ArtHaus gallery is, certainly, a show that piques my interest. In reviewing his work, there is definitely a progression in both style and content. The Renovated Reputations should be a treat to individuals not familiar with his work and impressive to those…
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GALLERY : ARTWORK (A) Museum : Canonical Art (B) Biennale : Artists (C) Art school : Art Students (D) Hot Dog Stand : Ideas (E) Who gives : a sh*t? Art is to…ah, nevermind. Analogies probably should stay in the deep recesses of the mind never to be dug up again but I couldn’t resist. Did you know that the revised GRE General Test will no longer have antonyms or analogies? Art and hot dogs? Yes. There’s a point.…
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On good days, I look at art. On bad days, I look at art. It’s safe to assume, I look at art (all the time). That said, I am one of those individuals that actually notices art in office buildings. For goodness sake, there’s a reason why it’s there! Might as well look at it, right? Then again, there is a specific reason for public and corporate art. The San Francisco Art Commission (SFAC) has an ordinance that states the…
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Art writer, Christopher Knight wrote an entry for his Los Angeles Times blog, Culture Monster, about artist Trevor Paglen last September. His work has been unforgettable since then. Chronicles of satellites and planes doing reconnaissance work in the night sky play an intriguing yet integral part in our collective understanding of our (militaristic) history. Paglen’s work is allegorical and shows how modern technology can affect our understanding of topics such as politics, economics, and the act of seeing. I find myself much more engaged with history than ever before through his illuminating (pun intended)…
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True nostalgia is an ephemeral composition of disjointed memories. ~ Florence King, Novelist Having seen Kenneth Lo’s show at the Southern Exposure Gallery this past week, it’s got me thinking about the way we preserve our memories or what we even perceive as memory. To think something is utterly sublime and beautiful one moment can be gone within a second. Lo’s work has stuck with me, really stuck with me since I saw it. Yeah, sure, I have art crushes (lots of them, quite frankly) yet there was…
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Is it possible to have an art crush on two gallerists? My answer: Yes James Bacchi and Annette Schutz opened ArtHaus in 1996 and have since created a fostering gallery environment for their stable of artists and connected with the San Francisco community in so many ways (i.e., philanthropic work with many charity organizations is just one example). After meeting the pair, their passion is remarkable. Along with their love for the Arts, the artists they have represented over the past 15 years serve as…
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An incredible weekend to do an urban hike through the San Francisco streets! Today was one of the best days and our hiking group worked up a sweat walking up and down the hills surrounding Koit Tower. Fortunately, we didn’t ascend the stairs that would bring us to the landmark but we were able to catch glimpses of the urban landscape walking along the downtown San Francisco streets. Now, since it is Valentine’s day weekend, I wanted to focus on yet another aspect of…
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One day, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it’s worth watching. ~Unknown
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writer | artist | scholar
Dorothy R. Santos, Ph.D. 