Fog Art & Design and Untitled were art fair highlights in SF this past weekend. What a dramatic departure from the experience we had at Miami Art Week (see my last blog post). Just being able to pop in for a couple of hours at my local shows was a real treat. Having one ticket for one price for multiple days of each show was something I enjoyed taking advantage of (although they required two tickets, one for each fair). I attended on a few different days and saw a couple of interesting art talks too.
There were also special art events taking place simultaneously at the Minnesota Street Project and the new, local East Cut Art Fair with a handful of participating galleries: Chandra Cerrito Contemporary (Oakland), George Lawson Gallery (San Francisco), Seager Gray Gallery (Mill Valley), and SLATE Contemporary (Oakland). I wanted to get to these shows (and parties!) too but I didn't make it. Do tell me what you thought if you got there!
Fort Mason is always such a beautiful venue. I love the light on the water. The new SFAI Graduate Art School that shares the Cowell Theatre Pier now is an exciting visual art addition here.
Here are a few of my personal top-notes from Fog and Untitled:
PEOPLE
People watching was very good (for SF). The crowd at Fog appeared to be more buyers where the crowd at Untitled appeared to be more artists.
DISPLAY
Display, especially at Fog, was beautiful.
SHUTTLES & PARKING
Things are picking up here. There were shuttles to take you to various art events! Free parking was easy to find, too.
COST
It’s still relatively expensive at $30 per ticket (just slightly less online). Tickets were good for multiple days but not multiple venues. Not much is free at Fog or Untitled except art and design publications so we all loaded up on them.
VENUES
Beautiful! But for newbies, the venues needed more directional signage.
FOG VS UNTITLED
The work was funkier at Untitled, slicker at Fog as was the crowd. Compared to Art Basel and Miami Art Week, there was far less figurative work (my area of particular interest).
And at Fog, there's that strong emphasis on design – especially hand-crafted and vintage home furnishings. More than last year? Next time (always thinking about that) - I’d love to see more shows come to SF to keep building our week out to a San Francisco Art Week! Let's bring in Form (sculpture and jewelry art), Design (separating design from art is not a bad thing), and the new all-women’s art fair: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/14/arts/design/an-all-woman-art-fair-during-art-basel-miami-beach.html?_r=
Speaking of women and art, the panel Women Rising (at Fog on Thursday), was quite strong and inspiring. Planning by YBCA in collaboration with SFMOMA for shows featuring living/working women artists include one of my personal mentors, Suzanne Lacy.
But the recent stats on numbers of women showing in galleries and institutions were disturbingly low and the Bay Area is as weak as the rest of the USA.
San Francisco's magical Palace of Fine Art - a fantastic art fair venue.
David Ireland performance art piece at Untitled.
An inspiring talk by Theaster Gates, Artist as Social Activists, was followed by an uninspiring panel discussion based loosely on the same topic.
Untitled SF reflects a local fashion flavor twist.
Untitled SF reflects a local art fashion sensibility.
By Chiharu Shiota, these ghostly large photographic images reach into gauzy floating panels from both sides at Untitled.
The video portion of this gallery-wide installation. All pieces are for sale individually. At Untitled in the Zilberman Gallery (Istanbul and Berlin) work by Burcak Bingol.
A thick layered ceramic chunk is part of the installation.
Individual elements are all related to the theme.
Don't miss THIS art SHOW
PARADISE LOST
An invitational group figure show
Back to the Picture, Valencia Street
But even if you missed the opening you can still see the show! It continues through the closing party (which will be another good one!) on
Feb. 24!
These are gem-like underwater-looking ceramic sculptures at Fog.
Here's a fun Fog booth filled with over-sized ceramic objects from another era.
Such creepy elegance in this glass snake candelabra. At Fog.
I saw these at Fog - I simply love these darkly humorous candle holder sculptures!
This Fog booth had a master collection of ceramics and furniture, plus someone I observed who knew just what they were doing when it comes to arranging objects in the most elegant way.
Ceramics and steel with a fantastic reflection. Each of these pieces was simply luscious. At Fog.
I know I was attracted this day to circles and pink. This piece feels just right to me. At Fog.
A painted pink dot wall makes for a delightful background for these perfect prints at Fog.
Here I am in pink, in the Starn bamboo furniture gallery show with a delightful gallerist at Fog Art & Design 2018.
At Fog you could see this huge and sumptuous diptych which is marbleized and "spread" onto canvas.
Geoffrey Pugen's work, called Wellness III, was shown at Untitled. There were several in this series that appealed to me - although I saw a great many collages - this monoprint technique is rougher and more painterly, yet digitally printed.
Seen at Untitled, this painting is composed of cut and scratched paint and canvas.
I enjoyed this painting (at Untitled) which is hard-edged perfectly wed with elements of light and softness. By Michael Boyd, Bijou, 1970, Eric Firestone Gallery.