Gallery Extraña: Art & Experimental Film

++ Randy Colosky's Fiat Lux at MoCFA ++

2011-11-08T23:13:00.000-08:00

Our friend, and Musical Chairs participating artist, Randy Colosky opens his show at Museum of Craft and Folk Art in San Francisco, this Thursday, November 10th. I'm a big fan of Randy's elegant and formal, yet ruddy and accessible works. I love how Randy knows his materials intimately and manages to engage a dialogue between the form, the space, the physicality and the viewer, without seeming self-conscious or pedantic. In the interview excerpted below, Randy and curator Natasha Boas, discuss his use of and relationship to his materials, his intended economics of narrative, and how one of the pieces relates to (and is titled after) Axis Mundi, the axis that connects Heaven with Earth.

NB: You have some central themes in FIAT LUX—can you address some of them? Modular repetitions, tension, optical qualities of materials, use of empty space?

RC: Well, the elements in your list are for me poetic design tools to get at something more elusive. Fiat Lux is more an overall theme of the show, which directly translates to "Let light be made." This concept for me is my way of attempting to find ways of aligning myself with what I see is the larger creative force that is our existence-- and then exploring ways to share the inspiration I feel working on art. So utilizing concepts like iteration, fractals, quantum mechanics, chemistry, biology, physics, scale (and the list goes on and on) help me try to understand, in a more intimate way, the nature of what we are. By creating physical manifestations of these ideas, however awkwardly, helps me move toward this concept of Fiat Lux.

NB: There is a strong spiritual element to the work. Axis Mundi is a direct reference to the cosmic axis in religion or mythology, the connection between Heaven and Earth, the higher and lower realms. The image appears in art history in both religious and secular contexts. You have expressed to me that it is important that art engages spirituality as a central part, not in a religious way, but in the largest humanist way.

RC: Well first off, to be honest, I didn't know what Axis Mundi was when I was making the piece (laughs). The concept for the piece started around the idea of how rain falling for some can cause a catastrophic situation but for others rain falling can be a solution to a catastrophic situation --but in the end the rain is rain either way. The overall idea was based in Buddhism and how natural elements function in our world.

Read the full interview here & see you Thursday~

Shown above:Simpsons in the XYZ Axis, 2010
36" diameter 7" off wall
Simpson Foundation straps and steel

2011-10-20T20:53:00.000-07:00

San Francisco Collage Collective art opening tomorrow::

Month Year

WestSide Art House & Jazz Club

Art Opening & Live Jazz Party Friday Oct 21st 5pm-10pm

Exhibit by S.F. Collage Collective

"Ekstasis"

Live Music With WestSide Jazz Club

Free Admission

Drinks by Donation

Show Title "Ekstasis"

The San Francisco Collage Collective is a group of local collage artists who have been working together since 2006. It is a loose knit group of artists from a variety of disciplines and varying degrees of formal art training, who gather together to make collage works. The primary idea is to democratize art by inviting anyone to participate. Since 2006, over 50 artists have worked with the collective. This current show at the WestSide Art House is the collective's first show in San Francisco in 2 years. This show includes works by artists who have previously exhibited with the collective including Gustavo Rivera, Rob Reger, Kathryn Kain, Aimee Friberg, Aung Aung Taik, Chuck Gonzalez, Matt Sullivan, Matt Springman, Rod Ciferri, and Matt Gonzalez. Artists showing with the collective for the first time include Karen Imperial, Danielle Rathbun, Tony Hall, Gary Birnbaum, Mark van Proyen, Roberta Scott, and Joe Engler.

Some of the artists work with figurative elements, while others work purely abstractly. There are a variety of different methods employed to construct each piece. Some of the artists utilize magazines, album covers, found materials, and cardboard. Others use textile samples, paint chips, and painted pieces they themselves have created. Exhibition invites, original photographs, and colored paper are among the varied sources these artists employ.

To learn more visit our website at

http://sfcollagecollective.wordpress.com/

Aimee Friberg
Gustavo Rivera
Rob Reger
Danielle Rathbun
Karen Imperial
Matt Springman
Matt Sullivan
Mark Van Proyen
Kathryn Kain
Matt Gonzalez
Aung Aung Taik
Roberta Scott
Chuck Gonzalez
Gary Birnbaum
Jim Dorenkott
Rod Ciferri
Tony Hall
Joe Engler
Stephanie Vernier

-------------------------------

2011-10-04T21:40:00.000-07:00

Opening Reception: Thursday, Oct 6,

5pm till late

* sounds by Electroleum and Freemountain Pulsewave

Show runs from October 6 - 29

111 Minna Gallery

111 Minna Street (at Second)

San Francisco, CA 94105

Below, Rob describes his process of the three states of materiality that his collaged forms take in this show:

“Select areas of imagery are first dissected, then carefully brought back to life one connection at a time through the surgical practice known as collage. This life, as these frankensteined “originals,” is similar to childhood- finite in time that it exists, given the nature of the materials used. That childlike existence is then captured and brought into adulthood when I create a second life as these “characters” are re-imagined and printed and painted on wood. Finally, if their Creator is inspired enough by their previous existences, they make it into the spirit-world through film and animation. It is here they are finally allowed to move and have everlasting life. I am interested in taking these collages to a “larger than life” place by physically reproducing them on a large scale, and animating and projecting them. In the past, similar collage works have only been shown in small frames with a magnifying glass. Now the work will be accessible from anywhere in the room.”
-Rob Reger, artist

collage with Matt Gonzalez, view works by Schwitters

2011-07-31T22:26:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, Aug 14 the Berkeley Art Museum is hosting a collage making session with SF artist and progessive politician Matt Gonzalez. The collage session is in conjunction with their Kurt Schwitters exhibition which opens August 3. Various members of the San Francisco Collage Collective (including Gallery Extrana co-founder Rob Reger & myself) will join Matt and the public in a collage making session inside the lovely BAM galleries-- it's been a while since we've had an official SF Collage Collective public gathering -- I'm excited to see what materials everyone brings to work with : ) Come find us at 2pm in Gallery B! Also on display at the Berkeley Museum is our friend Desiree Holman's AMAZING show Heterotopias which investigates our fascination with real and fictional personas in fantasy play -- her avatars make me wanna dance!

XO: aimee friberg

Kurt Schwitters, Magic, Tate Collection, circa 1936-40

2011-07-21T17:11:00.000-07:00

greetings from comic con! we're here helping our friends Emily the Strange with a gallery next to their booth -- a little calm spot to hang and see art -- someone said we were a respite in the storm of the crowds and aggressive imagery --- we agree. : )

We are featuring Emily's creator Rob Reger's personal work and his Emily inspired fine art, along with Buzz Parker's detailed illustrations, work by cut-out artist Turo Scissorhands and Reger's collaborative prints with punk photographer Jenny Lens.
Our living room set up is much cozier thanks to our friends at Boomerang for Modern, a beautiful mid-century design store in San Diego's Little Italy. Thanks Boomerang! If you're at the con, come visit us! Booth #4637
XO

fave photo of the week.

2011-06-02T22:56:00.000-07:00

My favorite photograph of this week, perhaps this month is this image, Edifi by Argentine photographer, Fernando Maubecin. Fernando has been working on his Double Exposure Series for a decade now, and I've been consistently impressed and really taken aback by the luminosity, depth and resonance of the work.
I love how the gold buildings in the center seem to be a nucleus for the unfinished architectural shell that fills the frame. I can't help but think this is the soulful, light-as-god work of Andreas Gorsky's antagonist; the potential emotional side of Gorsky's twin psyche. Light. Structure. Texture. Form.

I don't know the story behind this image in particular, however, in his earlier series, I know he was interested in making a mini-narrative composite of time, space and the elements. This image, Luziwet was exposed as a full roll in Seattle of water images, then exposed again on the streets and interior public & private spaces of New York City. Can anyone recognize that light source?

Both of these 35mm images were shot on his Nikon F4 (the all metal parts, big ton of tool, single lens reflex) a camera that was introduced in 1988 and for anyone still shooting 35mm (Is Anyone Else?), it's still a totally amazing and capable camera. Obviously, Fernando is an old school, technical and yet intuitional photographer. He sees light. He plans for the composition in his mind. With this Double Exposure Series, he has two processes: one is to shoot a whole role of 35mm film often choosing to focus on texture and the materiality of light, then he re-exposes the film, frame by frame, keeping in mind the amount of light exposure that has already saturated the film in the first take. His other process, made possibly by the Nikon F4's exposure lock button, allows him to plan the image, shoot, and then re-shoot immediately. I can't tell you just how pleased I am that Fernando continues with this series. Take a look at what's come before and some of his recent work on his flickr site. And keep your fingers crossed that we'll be able to bring him from Valencia, Spain for a show.

XO,

gallery extraña

Edifi, Fernando Maubecin, 2011.
Luziwet, Fernando Maubecin, 2003-4

2011-04-07T20:26:00.000-07:00

Heat, Sarah Jane Lapp, Ink and Gouache, 2010

2011-03-18T18:36:00.000-07:00

I love this image by artist / photographer / designer Alia Penner. Her images evoke a surreal dreamland that is visually compelling and makes me want to get out my scissors and gluestick.

Time for collage night, I'm calling my friends ~

2011-03-18T15:05:00.000-07:00

Graduate students in the UCSC Digital Arts and New Media (DANM) program and the UCSC Arts + Physics Research Lab (APRL) have been working collaboratively with sonicSENSE to develop and create the design, content, and conceptual framework of the interactive art exhibition.

TRANSMUTATIONS: Opening Reception:
Date: March 26, 2011
Time: 7pm -12am
...
New GAFFTA Location:
998 Market Street @ Taylor St
San Francisco, CA 94102

Exhibition Open hours:
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4pm-7pm

Exhibition Description:
TRANSMUTATIONS by sonicSENSE at GAFFTA is a site-specific information ecology, consisting of a complex series of sound sculptures, machines, video projections and sensors. Two systems drive this project: user interaction and data visualizations. User interactivity produces a wide range of soundscapes, data projections and mechanical sounds that collect and distribute media into the exhibition space. Data content for TRANSMUTATIONS consists of, data parsed from auscultation libraries, audio from the California Library of Natural Sounds at the Oakland Museum of California, data collected from the UCSC Arts and Physics Lab and on-site data in the gallery space.

By taking data out of archives, pie charts and graphs and giving it a physical form through sculptural, audio and visual means, we aim to build a compelling experience synthesizing scientific research with new media as a method of engaging community participation. We believe in the concept of learning by doing, that material exploration is an important part of the understanding process and that explaining through tangible tools, where people can actually touch, explore and play with information, is essential to collaborative communication and visual thinking.

TRANSMUTATIONS is the most recent iteration of the sonicSENSE platform created by Barney Haynes and Jennifer Parker in collaboration with Mechatronics graduate students in the Digital Art New Media program and the Arts + Physics Lab at the University of California Santa Cruz.SonicSENSE created by Barney Haynes and Jennifer Parker in 2008, is an expandable and evolving site for art, culture, new technologies, digital media, collaboration, and participation. SonicSENSE uses the creative diversity of computational media and traditional visual art practices to cultivate space for sharing, questioning, and exploring interdisciplinary frameworks, methodologies, and experiences. Each exhibition of the platform is a new iteration consisting including artists, composers, scientists and programmers.

With support from UCSC Arts Research Institute, UC Institute on Research in the Arts, California College of the Arts, The Oakland Museum of California, and UCSC OpenLab Network.See More

Review of Gallery Extraña artist / curator Aimee Friberg's show with Tabitha Soren at Branch Gallery

2011-03-17T12:10:00.000-07:00

Staff Pick

Dreamtime

The New Young, Aimee Friberg, 22 x 16, archival inkjet print, 2009

Through April 1

Originally, Dreamtime referred to Australian aborigines' notion of Creation: the descent of totemic beings from spiritual realms into plants, animals, and humans tasked with maintaining the cosmos through ritual song, dance, and art. East Bay photographers Aimée Friberg and Tabitha Soren explore a contemporary vision of art as dream with their fragmentary, softly focused views of poetic subject matter: cinematic images that hint at mysterious narratives à la Cindy Sherman and Ralph Gibson. Friberg's views of water and trees ("This Autumn I Swam"), foggy landscapes, horse's haunches ("The New Young"), and decollated factory worker ("Shipyard February [From Lost Film Stills]"), and Soren's nocturnes, either unpopulated ("You Come to Mind") or featuring enigmatic activities ("You Call That Dark?"), posit a universe that is radiantly beautiful even if no spiritual authority spills the esoteric beans for us. Dreamtime runs through April 1 at Branch Gallery (455 17th St., Oakland). 415-577-7537 or Branch.Bayvan.org.

— DeWitt Cheng

Branch Gallery

455 17th St. Ste #301

Call for submissions: Photo and Cinema

2011-03-03T15:00:00.000-08:00

Noorderlicht Photofestival 2011, The Netherlands

METROPOLIS, City Life in the Urban Age
Deadline: 31 March, 2011

11 September through 9 October 2011, Groningen
opening on 10 September

"On May 23, 2007 the world celebrated the beginning of the urban millennium. It was on this date that, worldwide, for the first time in history more people lived in cities than in the countryside: 3.3 billion people, on 3 percent of the earth's surface. This development has far-reaching implications. Is a decent, humane life possible in a modern megalopolis that is bursting at its seams? And how can the countryside survive the economic, demographic, cultural and ecological clear-fell that urbanisation brings with it?"

The main exhibition of the Noorderlicht Photofestival 2011, METROPOLIS, City Life in the Urban Age, deals with the role of the city as the nerve centre of modern global society.
It is the second part of a diptych, a follow-up to the 2010 theme LAND, Country Life in the Urban Age, which looked at the shrinking role of the countryside worldwide.
The city, as a phenomenon, has an almost schizophrenic character; its many personalities are constantly encountering one another. It is our intention that these multiple personalities will emerge in the structure of the exhibition, running the gamut from utopia to dystopia.

Call for submissions
Noorderlicht calls on photographers, curators and photo agencies to submit work or proposals for METROPOLIS, City Life in the Urban Age.
Deadline for submitting is 31 March, 2011. Please read our conditions and technical details first.- http://www.noorderlicht.com/en/photofestival/submitting-for-the-2011-photofestival/

We are looking for photo series that present a distinctive, even idiosyncratic vision on the character of the modern city. Economic, social or urban planning aspects can each play a role; the series may be literal or metaphorical. We are striving for a global picture; the group exhibition as a whole will be a journey through cities in all parts of the world.
The precise sub-themes will be set out in a following stage of the project. We list several possibilities as examples:

Symphony: The city as the effervescent economic and social nerve centre of modern society, a place for progress, interaction and infinite possibilities;
Mutability: Space that is the product of urban planning, with architectonic dreams of the good life for all the city's inhabitants; from old ideals of equality to modern technology and sustainability;
Expansion: The urge for unbridled expansion in the name of progress, creating new chances but also pushing the old into oblivion; a place of migration, on the way to a better future, even if that means a life in the chaos of the slums;
Seduction: Where massive economic differences exist and everyone is seduced by a mass media landscape to seek greater wealth, where millionaires live next to the homeless;
Fear: Places where the individual can be swamped in a mass of strangers; where the demands of the rat race for success stand in the way of authentic living; where criminality lurks, security demands control and Big Brother is always watching;
Home: Small societies, seeking a place of one’s own in the large, anonymous world around one, or the excessive separation from that wider world; the creation of suburbs where affluent urban life can again appear rural; the shift of the social environment from the real to the virtual world.

Deadline for submitting is 31 March, 2011. Please read our conditions and technical details first. - http://www.noorderlicht.com/en/photofestival/submitting-for-the-2011-photofestival/

Tips from colleagues are also very welcome. Do not however wait too long; the curatorial process begins as soon as work comes in.

We are using a special email address for submissions: pandora@noorderlicht.com. Our ftp server is also open at all times.

Correspondence regarding the theme can be sent directly to the curator Wim Melis, at his email address: wim@noorderlicht.com.

Noorderlicht Photography Akerkhof 12 9711 JB Groningen The Netherlands
http://www.noorderlicht.com/en/

2011-02-14T21:10:00.000-08:00

happy valentine's day!

Image by Sarah Jane Lapp

Dreamtime

2011-02-01T15:20:00.000-08:00

Tabitha Soren & myself have a two person show at Branch Gallery, starting on the 11th of this month-- for those of you who want a sneak preview, come by during Art Murmur from 6-9pm. Artist Reception is February 25th, show runs through April 1st.

www.branch.bayvan.org

Musical Shaman -- video premier of Golden Death Chant

2010-12-08T12:40:00.000-08:00

Austin resident, musical shaman Morgan Sorne performs tonight at the Magic Carpet pop-up gallery -- 720 Geary St (at Leavenworth) San Francisco, 7:30 pm

Here's the video premier of his GOLDEN DEATH CHANT (on vimeo).

Golden Death Chant from Morgan Sorne on Vimeo.

Details on the MUSICAL CHAIRS: ART THROUGH THE LENS OF SOUND AND MUSIC show at the Magic Carpet pop-up gallery here.

2010-12-02T17:33:00.000-08:00

hello all, we (Rob Reger & myself Aimee Friberg) have work in this new book, edited by David Earle & published by Mark Batty New York City. The launch party is at LACMA this Sunday, December 4th. Go pick up a book or get your cards read by the stars. You can also buy the book online here. A sampling of other artists included: Anna Oxygen, Miranda July, Fritz Haeg, Harrell Fletcher, Mark Warren Jacques, Maya Hayuk, Veronica de Jesus, Lulu Stewart and Nikki McClure.

Frankenstein’s Anti-Pop, Cultish Social Form: Bruce Conner

2010-11-12T14:39:00.000-08:00

Bringing attention to the Bruce Conner films now screening at Film Forum through 11/23, Stephanie Harris eulogies about Bruce Conner and his melancholic, physical, emotionally un-cool 'anti-film' filmmaking. Read her article on Idiom here.

(above title edited from Idiom)

Rob Reger solo show Nov 20 in Pasadena with Beno + Minnie

2010-11-08T22:40:00.000-08:00

New Characters Emerge from Emily the Strange Creator Rob Reger

November 8, 2010. Rob Reger, the force behind the iconic Emily the Strange character, opens a solo show at Switcheroo in Pasadena on November 20. The show titled: FACING STRANGE: the Characters of Rob Reger showcases Reger’s recent painting series of interlocking characters and whimsical design. The opening reception is from 7-10pm; Reger’s experimental band Beno + Minnie will play a short set that evening. The show runs through January 15 by appointment.

In this body of work, Reger’s trademark bold graphic design is repurposed and dosed with a colorful serving of psychedelia to reveal a world of new friends and beasts. Subtle narratives emerge, playfully tapping into mysticism, optical illusions, and hallucinations. In a similar vein as Reger’s love of word play, hidden messages, and backward masking, FACING STRANGE demonstrates a balance of opposing forces with characters and shapes all intended for viewing in multiple directions.

Switcheroo is run by artists Amanda Visell and Michelle Valigura. It’s located near the intersection of South Raymond and California, in Pasadena.

FACING STRANGE: the Characters of Rob Reger
Opening: Saturday, November 20th (7-10 PM)
November 21- January 15, by appointment

Switcheroo Workshop & Gallery
543-b S Raymond
Pasadena, CA 91105

www.myswitcheroo.com
Gallery contact: hi@myswitcheroo.com
---------

ROB REGER
Rob Reger is the founder, owner, creative director and president of Cosmic Debris - a design house based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Rob and Cosmic introduced the world to Emily the Strange, now an international icon for empowering young alternative girls. Rob has been designing Emily for over a decade and has generated millions of fans of the character. Emily’s voice and image can be found in at 37 countries, through the outlets of Chronicle books, series of Harper Collins novels, Dark Horse Comics, an Epiphone guitar, a clothing line, and an upcoming live action film with Universal Pictures and the Producer of the Hellboy series, 30 Days of Night, and The Mask.

Reger and Cosmic Debris grew out of the DIY punk and guerrilla art aesthetic of the eighties in Southern California, and a fondness for the surrealist art movement. He continues to mix bold graphic design with a pop culture sensibility. Reger holds a B.F.A. from the University of California at Santa Cruz and a M.F.A. in printmaking from the San Francisco Art Institute. His paintings, printmaking, watercolors, and collage have been shown in galleries around the world. Outside of Emily and art-making, Reger plays music with his fiancé Aimee Friberg in their experimental band Beno + Minnie.

2010-10-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

Chantal Claret (Morningwood) and James Euringer (Jimmy Urine of Mindless Self Indulgence) visited Gallery Extraña and the Emily the Strange headquarters this morning------after the My Summer Fantasy exhibit and Emily art tour, Emily had very little left to say...

anna oxygen inspires us

2010-09-29T21:34:00.000-07:00

and she's got a new site up! it's still got some in-progress areas but we love spying on whatever dreamy projects she's cooking up, and think you will too.

hearts,

extraña

2010-09-22T09:44:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendars for next Friday, October 1st when Strangerous, an exhibition in collaboration with Rob Reger opens at Creative Growth in Oakland. Reger is a Bay Area artist and the creative force behind illustrated heroine, Emily the Strange (he's also Gallery Extraña's co-founder). Strangerous features artwork by Creative Growth artists: Cedric Johnson, David Albertsen, Dinah Shapiro, Donald Mitchell, Franna Lusson, Gail Lewis, George Wilson, Jade Saren, John Martin, Juan Aguilera, Merritt Wallace, Nick Pagan andRodney Ridge . Also featuring Rob Reger’s own ‘rotating paintings.’ Exhibition is on view October 1 – November 12, 2010.

With an opening party, that will take place during Oakland’s monthly Art Murmur event, Strangerousis a marriage of the strange and the dangerous, a fitting Halloween-season-exhibition.

Curator, Rob Reger comes from a pop culture-neo-surrealist aesthetic in his personal artwork, and naturally gravitated toward the more abstract and peculiar side of Creative Growth artist’s work. Reger says about working with Creative Growth, “I'm blown away by what the artists here in the Studio do, how they approach art making, and their unique visions and explanations, (or not!) for their work. There is an absolute contagious creative spirit living at Creative Growth."

About Rob Reger: Reger’s local design house, Cosmic Debris—grew from a tangle of roots joining the DIY punk scene of the ‘eighties with guerilla art, surrealism, and the psychedelic explosion of the ‘sixties. Reger introduced the world to Emily the Strange—an icon of empowerment for young alternative girls and outsiders of all ages.

Featuring music by the all girl, middle-school- rock-band: Poison Apple Pie and Bar by ERA, Oakland

Also on view: Artwork from the students of Summer Scholarship Program 2010. Check out and collect the visionary work made by high-school aged artists with disabilities who have participated in the Creative Growth studio during Summer 2010.

About Creative Growth: Creative Growth Art Center serves adult artists with developmental, mental and physical disabilities, providing a stimulating environment for artistic instruction, gallery promotion and personal expression. Artwork fostered in this unique environment is included in prominent collections and museums worldwide.

WHAT: Strangerous: An exhibition curated by Bay Area artist Rob Reger.

WHEN: Exhibition and opening event during Oakland Art Murmur, Friday, October 1, 2010 from 5:00-9:00pm. Gallery event is free and open to the public. Also open Saturday, October 2, 11am-4pm. On view from October 1 to November 12, 2010.

WHERE: Creative Growth Art Center Gallery, 355 24th St., Oakland, CA 94612, (near 19th St. BART).

PUBLIC INFO: For more information call 510/836-2340 ext.15

PRESS PREVIEW: September 30, by appointment

IMAGES UPON REQUEST:jennifer@creativegrowth.org

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jennifer O’Neal, Curator / Gallery Manager:

jennifer@creativegrowth.org

Tom di Maria, Director:

tom@creativegrowth.org

Website: http://www.creativegrowth.org/

Heat Waves in the Swamp

2010-08-31T11:34:00.000-07:00

It's not exactly a swamp day in Berkeley, but warm nonetheless--- today, Charles Burchfield show at the Whitney is on my mind. After last night's reception with artist & experimental animator Sarah Jane Lapp, today I have an appetite for the ethereal, especially as figurative works on paper.

Charles Burchfield, Glory of Spring (Radiant Spring), 1950. Watercolor on paper, 401⁄8 x 293⁄4 in. (101.6 × 73.7 cm). Parrish Art Museum, Southampton, New York. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Corning Clark, 1959.

2010-08-27T15:51:00.000-07:00

We like the idea of seeing your work in the Brooklyn Art Library--
25 bucks signs you up on the sketchbook tour, they send you a moleskin, and you fill it by Jan 2011 -- sweet!

2010-08-19T16:04:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week, Obi Kaufmann (artist/ curator & Swee(t)Art blogger) came by for a sneak peak at the artwork in the SHOW & TELL: My Summer Fantasy show and did an interview with Gallery Extraña Director/Founder Aimee Friberg (me).

Read his thoughts and the interview here:

Obi also runs and curates a very cool drawing gallery adjacent to the Compound art collective and gallery space (address below).

http://oaklandsweetart.wordpress.com/

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Swee(t)art Drawing Gallery opened in August of 2009 in North Oakland. Its present location is 1167 65th Street, just off San Pablo.

2010-08-17T00:20:00.000-07:00

SHOW & TELL: My Summer Fantasy contributing artist, Sarah Jane Lapp will be gracing the bay area with her presence in the next week-- come see her painting Gravlax at the gallery, then go catch the animated screening series at ATA next week, where her short Bedtime Stories (2009) will screen.

Gravlax, Sarah Jane Lapp, gouache on paper,22 x 30 inches, 2010

Still from Bedtime Stories, Dir: Sarah Jane Lapp, Animation, 2009;

Lawrence Jordan discusses the art of the Personal Film, CineSource interview

2010-08-17T00:11:00.000-07:00

Read the article here

new show opens next Friday!

2010-08-11T02:11:00.000-07:00

Gallery Extraña & Cosmic Debris present:

SHOW & TELL: My Summer Fantasy
an eclectic melange of desire and daydream by 20 West Coast artists

August 20 - September 23, 2010

Opening Reception Friday, August 20, 7- 10 pm
with equatorial beats by DJ FELINA

Tim Biskup
David Bornfriend
Lon C. Clark
Veronica de Jesus
Brian de Roo
Steve Ferrera
Aimee Friberg
Matt Gonzalez
Jake Huffman
Sarah Jane Lapp
Brian Lucas
Masako Miki
Emily Nathan
Rob Reger
Emilio Santoyo
Gareth Spor
Brian Strang
Tallulah Terryll
Emily Wick
David Wien

www.gallery-extrana.com

above detail: Tim Biskup, Summer Vacation, cell vinyl acrylic on watercolor paper, 2010

... & some press

2010-06-03T23:02:00.000-07:00

Long Division

Culture and nature, reconciled.

By DeWitt Cheng for the East Bay Express

The metaphysical poet Robert Herrick compared artists to amphibians, since they both live in dual realms, wet/dry and real/imagined. In recent years, art theorists diagnosed our schizophrenic condition as a split between nature and culture (no doubt due to Original Sin), and most artists found the new, exciting media frontier infinitely more fascinating than tired old nature, already done to death in more ways than one. Then things unraveled. Nowadays, socially engaged art practices are lauded, and even though 1930s-style social realism is still scorned, opining that art can be more than flippant nihilism no longer causes sighs and rolling eyes.

Gina Borg and Bryan de Roo are former Boston University classmates who are showing their paintings under the umbrella title, Temples of Transition, which some might construe as endorsing critic Suzi Gablik's goal of "re-enchanting" and re-sacralizing a fallen art world. Both construct fields of repeated (but varied) abstract marks that explore pattern, structure and growth; both create in order to explore process, but their paintings become metaphors for psychic integration — not exactly the Prime Directive of capitalist or postmodernist sophisticates.

Borg's nearly monochromatic paintings call for and foster a becalmed meditative state. Their carefully modulated tessellated brushstrokes suggest lustrous tapestries and embroidered brocades, subtly changing in texture and sheen, and natural structures like waves, tree bark, and field grasses — or scientific specimens, magnified. She describes her paintings as "process-driven experiments in color, light and the power of incremental change ... [created by] mutating the tones and temperatures of just a few colors ... the nuanced, physical remnants of ... slowing down ... perception." "Big Pink," "Floe," "White Mountain, "Berg," and "Balm" are minimalist nature paintings that ask the viewer to perceive change in the changeless, and vice versa.

While Borg's ethereal works seem to have been breathed into existence, de Roo's indeterminate structures suggest improvisation and evolution. Borg discerns "UFOs, architecture, crabs, robots and insects"; others might discover road maps, origami papers, botanical and biological slides, engineering diagrams, circuit charts, and plan views of archaeological sites. The ambiguity is deliberate: de Roos says he seeks "a pregnancy, a fecundity, like this could be so many things." What his twelve "Thought Bubble — Crystal Mesh" paintings depict is more elusive and abstract: how painting and thinking operate "by way of crystallization and interweaving." They're portraits of the creative process. Temples of Transition runs through June 19 at Gallery Extraña (2912 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley). 510-845-3645 X217 or Gallery-Extrana.com

Reposted from:

http://www.eastbayexpress.com/gyrobase/long-division/Content?oid=1792120&mode=print

En performs at Temples of Transition opening

2010-05-14T18:11:00.000-07:00

En, a relatively new duo comprised of San Francisco musicians Maxwell August Croy (Root Strata) & James Devane (Bremsstrahlung) caressed us with a lovely drone 'scape on the evening of Bryan de Roo & Gina Borg's opening for Temples of Transition.

Pics from Temples of Transitions Opening - Friday, May 7

2010-05-14T16:58:00.000-07:00

frontroom - salon/performance space

Artist Bryan de Roo with Julia Shirar

Deborah Kirklin and Robert Poplack

Dominic East, Emily Nathan, Jake Huffman

Gallery owner/director Aimee Friberg with Susan Hollander

Aimee, Barbara Schertel and Trevor Montgomery

Mirissa Neff
Aimee, Christian, Rob Reger

Artist Gina Borg with Gallery Extrana co-owner Rob Reger

2010-05-07T14:59:00.000-07:00

Matt Gonzalez's blog AS IT OUGHT TO BE features an interview with Bryan de Roo & Gina Borg:

{ Click above for full text }

Bryan de Roo, Thought Bubble - Crystal Mesh, 22 x 28”, oil on linen

Gina Borg, Thicket 1, 12 x 17.5", ink & graphite on paper

2010-04-22T12:46:00.000-07:00

Temples of Transition: Bryan de Roo & Gina Borg opens on May 7th ---

May 7 – June 19, 2010

Artist Reception – Friday, May 7, 7-10 pm

Performance by En at 8 pm

Gallery Extraña is pleased to announce Temples of Transition, the upcoming exhibition, of new paintings by Bryan de Roo & Gina Borg on view from May 7 through June 19. Geometric abstractions, studies of light and color, and investigations in process, the works of de Roo and Borg have much in common and resonant strongly with each other. The opening will feature music by San Francisco delicate drone duo, En.

PRESS RELEASE HERE

Mother of Thousands track by En:

Mother of Thousandsbybrokendisk

2010-04-09T15:38:00.000-07:00

SF Cinematheque presents CROSSROADS FESTIVAL OPENING NIGHT

Lawrence Jordan's COSMIC ALCHEMY

& MOMENTS OF ILLUMINATION, a documentary about Jordan's work and the making of COSMIC ALCHEMY by Kathryn Golden and Ashley James

Friday, April 16, 2010 -- 8pm

Victoria Theater

2961 16th Street

San Francisco, CA 94103

(415) 863 7576

Co-sponsored by the San Francisco Film Society.

[Tickets:members: $5 / non-members: $10]

Order advance tickets here.

[Festival Pass: members: $30/ non-members: $50]

Festival Pass provides a single admission to every screening in Crossroads

Order the Festival Pass here.

"This film set on ancient star maps takes the viewer into the world of cosmic imagination." (Jordan)

The opening night of Crossroads presents the opportunity for a pair of firsts: the “sneak preview” of Kathryn Golden and Ashley James’ Moments of Illumination, a fascinating documentary about legendary filmmaker Lawrence Jordan. The film is followed by the premiere of Lawrence Jordan's stunning, just-completed animated film, Cosmic Alchemy!. with a soundtrack by John Davis. All four artists will be in attendance for Q&A.

Crossroads opening night reception will follow at the Victoria with live sonic experiences by sound artist Dale Lloyd.

"...Lloyd is reaching deep into his psyche to offer something not unlike a pearl in his very own shell... more a choreographer of the elements than a straight shot musician...a daydream inducing headtrip...a sensual meditation, cleansing your mind, eradicating the incidental; drenching it, quenching it." --Igloo

2010-03-26T23:25:00.000-07:00

Have you checked out the Emily concept store yet (inside the gallery salon space)? We're open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 1-6pm. J0in us for Beno + Minnie performance at 3pm tomorrow at the gallery.

2010-03-22T15:04:00.000-07:00

Rachell Sumpter's Brothers In Sport caught our eye today. See more of Rachell's work here and at Jen Bekman's 20x200.

2010-03-09T14:55:00.000-08:00

The opening for the Art of Emily show and new Emily the Strange concept shop was a blast-- Here's a couple snaps and check out more images from the party at the link below...

a sneak peek from the windows...pre-party--here's the space

pics of the opening here : http://www.emilystrange.com/blog/index.cfm/2010/3/8/Art-Of-Emily-Art-Show-Opening-Night-Pics

Art of Emily... coming in March

2010-02-11T13:30:00.000-08:00

The Art of Emily: A Strange Collection, an exhibition of paintings, original cut-outs, limited edition prints and other mixed media by Emily the Strange artists opens March 5 at Gallery Extraña

March 5th- 29th, 2010

Artist's Reception- Friday, March 5th, 6:00 – 10:00 pm

Gallery Extraña
2912 Telegraph Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94705
http://galleryextrana.blogspot.com/

On the heels of the release of The Art of Emily the Strange published by Dark Horse Books this month, Gallery Extraña presents The Art of Emily: A Strange Collection; the exhibit opens on Friday, March 5 from 6-10 pm. Emily the Strange creator Rob Reger and fellow Emily artists Buzz Parker, Brian Brooks, Nicomi ‘Nix’ Turner and Justin Barry will be present. The opening reception will feature DJ sets by Emily novel co-author Jessica Gruner, She-Bible co-founder Stacy Rodgers and Amedee Ito—all SF local ladies who have played crucial roles in shaping Emily the Strange.

The exhibition will feature previously un-exhibited original artwork, limited edition prints and many rarely seen treasures from the archives of Emily the Strange and her kitties. Signed copies of The Art of Emily the Strange will be available for purchase. “We’re thrilled to present the first Emily show in the Bay Area in over two years at Gallery Extraña, our home base head-quarters and gallery,” says Rob Reger. The Art of Emily: A Strange Collection highlights the art and design that has put Emily the Strange on the map as an international icon for Strange.

The Art of Emily: A Strange Collection runs through March 29th. Limited Emily the Strange merchandise, including t-shirts, apparel, accessories and the new Oddisee Talking BoardTM will be available for sale during the run of the show. The gallery is open on Thursday, Friday & Saturday from 1 -6 pm for the duration of the show. For more info see http://galleryextrana.blogspot.com. Gallery Extraña is located at 2912 Telegraph Avenue (1 block north of Ashby Avenue) in Berkeley, California.

ABOUT EMILY THE STRANGE
Created by Rob Reger and his company Cosmic Debris in 1993, Emily the Strange has become an internationally known icon for individualism, female empowerment, and do-it-yourself style. Born from the San Francisco graphic arts community, Emily graces a full, rock-influenced fashion clothing and accessory line, including everything from T-shirts, dresses, and underwear to toys, guitars, and school supplies. She is the featured character in a series of comic books from Dark Horse Comics, four hardbound graphic novellas for Chronicle Books, and a series of young adult novels from Harper Collins. For more information about Emily the Strange, visit http://www.emilystrange.com or for press related inquiries contact Jennifer Sullivan jennifer.sullivan@gatorgroup.com.

ABOUT GALLERY EXTRAÑA

Gallery Extraña was founded by Emily the Strange creator Rob Reger and artist, curator, and filmmaker Aimee Friberg in the spring of 2008. Its mission is to showcase contemporary work by emerging, mid-career and established artists primarily from the Bay Area. In addition to exhibiting eccentric, “strange”, and off-center work, Gallery Extraña is an alternative screening and performance space. Located in the Cosmic Debris Design House, the open gallery hours are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 1-6 pm. For more information, visit http://galleryextrana.blogspot.com/ or contact the gallery: galleryextrana@gmail.com.

2010-02-03T12:46:00.000-08:00

very cool to see how two guys are utilizing a failing economy, foreclosed homes and sub-freezing temperatures for social change -- impacting the community in a positive (and warm) way.

from their own words: "Ice House Detroit is an architectural installation and social change project currently taking place in Detroit. Photographer Gregory Holm and architect Matthew Radune will use one of 20,000 abandoned houses and freeze it in solid ice, referencing the contemporary urban conditions in the city and beyond."

Ice House Detroit blog-

Read the NPR article here:

2010-01-26T00:29:00.000-08:00

details on Lawrence Jordan's new film --Cosmic Alchemy --coming soon.... (!)

2010-01-25T15:23:00.000-08:00

it's a lovely day for spying through the looking glass of the web for new artist introductions--
here's my favorite click-through find of the afternoon--

Photos by Swedish photographer Lina Jaros -- thanks booooooom for turning us on to her!

2010-01-20T15:34:00.000-08:00

i like that Maya Wild cuts, pastes and illustrates with a palette that evokes a trip down memory lane with the favorite colors from the scrapbook of my youth. yum.

Work by Maya Wild. Her blog is here.

Art of Emily...

2010-01-11T22:48:00.000-08:00

Those of you you that have visited us in our physical space know that we are housed in the same building as the D.I.Y. trouble-maker and trendsetter, international icon --Emily the Strange. We're thrilled that the creators / designers of Emily's have a new 'Art of' book out by Dark Horse Publications. So, happy new year everyone and for those of you listening upstairs--Congrats, Emily team! ... rumor has it an art of Emily show is brewing.... mmm, more on that and other upcoming shows very soon!

Says Joy Fleishhacker of the School Library Journal, "Dark Horse also recently published The Art of Emily the Strange (December 2009), a handsome hardcover volume packed full of images rendered by Emily’s creators as well as other contributors. In his introduction, artist Winston Smith appropriately calls the book “a compendium of vivid visions and fantastic worlds.” Emily enthusiasts will certainly be intrigued by the variety of artistic styles, mediums, and interpretations, which range from stickers to large-size psychedelic paintings to the “Lichtenstrange”-patterned endpapers. YAs (and librarians) can visit Dark Horse’s Emily-dedicated Web site for more information and the latest chat. Oh, and keep an eye peeled for
an Emily feature film that is in the works from Dark Horse and Universal for 2010."
Full article here:

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6713543.html?nid=4302&source=link&rid=17606675&

LIVE celluloid improv projection w/ lovely gloom-folk vocals?

2009-11-04T22:37:00.000-08:00

Lawrence Jordan fans kick up your heels! Lawrence will perform his short Ein Traum der liebenden (A Dream of Lovers) to Pale Hoarse's wispy moon gazing ballads at the SF Film Society's Kickoff Party for their Animation festival-- Wednesday, Nov 11.

"SFIAF kicks off with this very special celebration of live music and animation. First, American underground avant-garde legend Lawrence Jordan will present live animation for the first time in his 50-plus-year career. Manning a 16mm analytic projector, Jordan will improvise the frame rate and rhythm to his cutout short film Ein Traum der liebenden (A Dream of Lovers), based on the live, plaintive musical accompaniment of local duo Pale Hoarse. This historic performance will be followed by 2 Blessed 2 Be Stressed, a collaboration between Paper Rad founding member Jacob Ciocci and musician David Wightman. Ciocci and Wightman have collaborated on a number of projects, including the musical group Extreme Animals. For this performance, Ciocci will present a mix of original videos and animations and his new performance I Let My Nightmares Go, employing video projection and dance moves to grapple with mental demons, Web 2.0, 21st-century breakdown, real lies, fake truths, cartoon violence and awareness bracelets. Wightman will join in on the fun, then perform solo as Fortress of Amplitude, a guitar-wielding minstrel from another time and place. Accompanied by a beat-blasting drum machine, he will execute a musical composition focusing on fantasy, repetition and ecstasy." SFFS

Buy tickets here:
http://www.sffs.org/content.aspx?pageid=1388

Singing Workshop with Alejandra Ortiz of Lulacruza

2009-10-30T17:56:00.000-07:00

Embodied Voice, Circular Singing
Sunday, November 8
3-7pm

Gallery Extrana
2912 Telegraph Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94705

$45 advance registration / $55 after Nov 5

Embodied Voice, Circular Singing
In this experiential workshop Alejandra will guide you through breathing, movement and imagery techniques to unlock the authentic sound of your voice. In this intimate group setting you will learn to trust your body’s natural ability to express and respond musically. We will explore the mechanics of voice production, as well as the relationship between body alignment and singing.

Photo: Aimee Friberg 2009

* Experience ways to connect to the vital creative source and express yourself more freely, feeling confident and receptive.

* Discover simple and fun tools to develop mind/body awareness, and become more resonant and present.

* Unlock the resonance, color, and flexibility of your individual voice, and engage in a non-judgmental singing practice.

No previous singing experience is needed -- all levels are welcome.

About Alejandra Ortiz

Alejandra is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and teacher from Bogotá, Colombia. She graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, and the Sound, Voice and Music Healing program at CIIS in San Francisco, CA.
She teaches groups and individuals of all ages how to connect to their own body and voice, with a series of techniques that combine breath work, movement, imagery and singing. She guides students on freeing their authentic voice for pleasure, inner knowing and transformation.
Alejandra has toured many countries performing her original music, which is inspired in ancient traditions of the Americas, songwriting, sound art and electronic music. Alejandra is one-half of the South American Electronic Folk duo Lulacruza, and also performs her original material with the Italian composer Laura Inserra.

"Alejandra offers a beautiful and deep approach to singing. She taught me the importance of connecting to one's own source in order to be able to sing with confidence and to express oneself through the voice. Her art and inspiring voice motivates her students to want to sing, as she offers great wisdom to improve one's singing practice. She taught me and still teaches me the art of singing effortlessly." Maria Fernanda Pulido

"Alejandra is AMAZING! I was a new person at the end of her healing sound workshop; she gave me real tools to help my stagnated emotions to come out and circulate with beautiful sounds, she has the knowledge to convert your pain in beautiful flowing music! Thanks for all your love and your music." Ana Maria M

www.lulacruza.com

Email galleryextrana (at) gmail (dot) com to register
or call 415-238-7385 for more info

2009-10-28T14:32:00.000-07:00

Hello friends! Our last event 350:WORKS! live art + music gathering (with 350.org) produced so much wonderful art we are currently taking the time to put together a show that will be open for public viewing on November 25. All artworks produced at 350:WORKS! on October 24th will be for sale at the show on December 4 at affordable, recession-friendly, holiday prices and all proceeds will benefit Southeast Asian relief aid efforts with Migrante International. The event will include life music performances. Stay tuned here on the blog for all exciting things happening behind closed doors! Gallery viewings by appointment are welcome. Contact galleryextrana@gmail.com or 415-238-7385 to arrange.

Happy autumn!

Love,
Gallery Extraña

2009-10-22T12:13:00.000-07:00

350:WORKS! -- a LIVE works on paper show promoting Global Climate awareness and ACTION

Calling all glue-schticks, writers, spencilinas, paper DIYers!

350:WORKS! is an exhibition and happening of LIVE art + craft-making taking place at Gallery Extraña on October 24th. On Saturday, from 3-7 pm artists, poets, musicians and individuals ready to ACT / MAKE / SHARE will gather at Gallery Extrana. The afternoon will include live art & crafts on paper, live music and other acts of participation on the theme of climate change & its global impact. Proceeds from artwork sold on the 24th will benefit Philippine Rescue Aid through MIGRANTE International.

350:WORKS! is an ACTION event registered with Bill McKibben’s 350.org movement which aims to bring awareness to the pressing issue of Global Climate Change. Why 350? Scientists say that 350 parts per million (ppm) CO2 in the atmosphere is the safe limit for humanity. We currently have 385 ppm CO2 in our atmosphere. In December 2009, world leaders (delegates, non-governmental organizations, and businesses from every nation) will gather at the UN summit in Copenhagen to finalize a new global climate change agreement. Visit 350.org for a list of events in 170 countries (and counting) on this day of worldwide ACTION! Register to participate & save yourself a space or just come and enjoy the spectacle!

JOINING US:
Artists: Lawrence (Larry) Jordan, Matt Gonzalez, Masako Miki, Chris Russell, Jeffrey Manson, Brian Lucas, Kaliisa Conlon, Sarah Jane Lapp, Rob Reger and more!

Music by Charles Gonzalez and Jeffrey Manson

galleryextrana (at) gmail (dot) com

xo,
extraña

JOIN US on facebook!

350:WORKS ----Participating ARTISTS/MUSICIANS

2009-10-19T13:53:00.000-07:00

JOINING US:
Artists: Lawrence (Larry) Jordan, Matt Gonzalez, Masako Miki, Jeffrey Manson, Brian Lucas,
Kaliisa Conlon, Sarah Jane Lapp, and more!

Music by Chuck Gonzalez, Jeffrey Manson and Marie Abe

xo

extraña

2009-10-15T17:05:00.000-07:00

Gallery CLOSED from Oct 16 - Oct 23

come join us on Sat, Oct 24 from 3-7 pm for 350:Works! a LIVE works on paper show!
details below.

Thursday--last day of Masako Miki & Chris Russell show!

2009-10-15T15:22:00.001-07:00

Today is the last day of MASAKO MIKI and CHRIS RUSSELL's show Contemplating her Infinite Disguise. While we're bummed to see the show come down tomorrow morning, we are thrilled to share that we'll be retaining several pieces from both artists in our performance space-- ++ Chris' The Big Happy will keep setting the mood for our live performances. om.

Chris Russell in front of The Big Happy, October, 2009

2009-10-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

2009-10-09T18:00:00.000-07:00

350:WORKS! -- a LIVE works on paper show promoting Global Climate awareness and ACTION

Calling all glue-schticks, writers, spencilinas, paper DIYers!

350:WORKS! is an exhibition and happening of LIVE art + craft-making taking place at Gallery Extraña on October 24th. On Saturday, from 3-7 pm artists, poets, musicians and individuals ready to ACT / MAKE / SHARE will gather at Gallery Extrana. The afternoon will include live art & crafts on paper, live music and other acts of participation on the theme of climate change & its global impact. Proceeds from artwork sold on the 24th will benefit Philippine Rescue Aid through MIGRANTE International.

350:WORKS! is an ACTION event registered with Bill McKibben’s 350.org movement which aims to bring awareness to the pressing issue of Global Climate Change. Why 350? Scientists say that 350 parts per million (ppm) CO2 in the atmosphere is the safe limit for humanity. We currently have 385 ppm CO2 in our atmosphere. In December 2009, world leaders (delegates, non-governmental organizations, and businesses from every nation) will gather at the UN summit in Copenhagen to finalize a new global climate change agreement. Visit 350.org for a list of events in 141 countries on this day of worldwide ACTION! Register to participate & save yourself a space or just come and enjoy the spectacle!

stay tuned for more details !

galleryextrana (at) gmail (dot) com

xo,
extraña

2009-10-01T11:39:00.000-07:00

Contemplating Her Infinite Disguise, an exhibition of paintings and collaged mixed media by Masako Miki and Chris Russell, will continue through October 16 at Gallery Extraña

++ EXTENDED THROUGH OCTOBER 16

++ OPEN UNTIL 6:30 PM ON FIRST FRIDAY (Oct 2)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 28, 2009 – Berkeley, CA

August 21- October 16, 2009
http://galleryextrana.blogspot.com/
2912 Telegraph Avenue (1 Block North of Ashby), Berkeley 94705

Contemplating Her Infinite Disguise is an exhibition of painting, drawing and mixed media works on paper by Masako Miki and Chris Russell, that explore our connections and incongruities with the natural world.

Chris Russell’s landscape paintings and drawings evoke the subtle and sublime forces present in the cycles of nature. Evoking a reverence for natural phenomena, Russell uses geometric shapes and a bright color palette to reflect on our perceptions, illusions and disconnections with our natural environment. Masako Miki’s compositions of carefully perched doe balancing on towers of colorfully wrapped boxes explore notions of synthesis, incongruity and assimilation. Manipulating spatial elements through the integration of collage and painting, Miki’s compositions suggest a whimsical narrative, tipped slightly on its side.

In Contemplating Her Infinite Disguise both Miki and Russell allude to a personal or collective equilibrium possible through reconciliation with the natural world. The show ha been extended through October 16. Gallery Extraña is located at 2912 Telegraph Avenue (1 block north of Ashby Avenue) in Berkeley.

For more info and artist bios, visit:

www.galleryextrana.blogspot.com
www.chrisrussellart.com
www.masakomiki.com

closing party pics---

2009-09-27T23:04:00.000-07:00

2009-09-25T12:49:00.000-07:00

CLOSING PARTY this Friday!

2009-09-23T17:02:00.000-07:00

CLOSING PARTY Contemplating Her Infinite Disguise -- Masako Miki and Chris Russell
Friday, September 25 7-10pm
(Gallery also open for normal hours noon-6)
with THE SAREES (members of Hannah & Mariah Dancing, Whysp, The Sunshine Rains, God's Eye, Skygreen Leopards...)
http://www.myspace.com/thesarees

AND, fluxus performance by music*yoga

"My choices consist in choosing what questions to ask"
~John Cage

interview•yoga

Open the folding table and place the objects on it.
Wear the battery powered amp using the belt clip.
Use the microphone for interviews.
Wind up and start the metronome at a very slow rate.
Set the timer to 20 minutes, or whatever overall length is desired.
Ring the bell to start a "round".
Throw the three dice.

(http://www.musicyoga.org)

au voir!

2009-09-17T16:37:00.000-07:00

CLOSING PARTY for Contemplating Her Infinite Design

Masako Miki and Chris Russell

Friday, September 25 7-10pm

Gallery Extraña || 2912 Telegraph Avenue || Berkeley 94705

music + fluxus performance + art discounts!

Masako, Chris and Aimee on Art in the Afternoon with Gregory Scharpen on KALX

2009-09-16T19:24:00.000-07:00

01 Art talk KALX Miki & Russell by galleryextrana

Artist Interview on KALX Berkeley Radio with artists Masako Miki and Chris Russell and Gallery Extraña curator/gallery director Aimee Friberg. 30 minutes. Recorded live on September 3, 2009.

we HEART film + live music

2009-09-16T15:56:00.000-07:00

and Cinematheque!
check out this mash up of post punk group Savage Republic to José Antonio Sistiaga's hand painted film. /// see you there.

“Basque abstract artist José Antonio Sistiaga painted directly onto film with homemade inks to create this silent 1970 feature. But Sistiaga’s strangely titled work… is different from the films of Stan Brakhage, who didn’t come to film from painting and had his own rhythm. […] [I]ts combination of color and 35-millimeter ‘scope (with about half an hour in black and white) yields the kind of spectacle one associates with musicals and [science fiction] epics.” -- Jonathan Rosenbaum

A hand-painted masterpiece of the 1970s; a legendary band of the 1980s. Sistiaga’s rarely-screened ere erera baleibu icik subua aruaren is a work of uncompromising beauty that absolutely deserves a wider appreciation. Savage Republic, one of the unrecognized godfathers of post-rock, formed roughly three decades ago in the midst of the Los Angeles punk rock scene and abruptly disbanded in 1989. In recent years, they’ve reformed and their unique sound (akin to a Middle Eastern surf band backed by the rhythm section from Joy Division) is as compelling and inexorable as ever. For San Francisco Cinematheque’s season opener, Savage Republic -- original members Ethan Port and Thom Fuhrmann joined by Alan Waddington and Kerry Dowling -- performs a newly commissioned score to Sistiaga’s prodigious work, presented in a stunning 35mm print from Paris. (Jonathan Marlow)

more info here:
http://www.sfcinematheque.org/#/calendar/200909200/

contemplating her infinite disguise -- installed

2009-08-19T16:19:00.001-07:00

here's a sneak peak into the masako miki and chris russell show-- opens friday, aug 21
reception from 7-10 pm. more details below. x

Masako Miki and Chris Russell

2009-08-14T10:31:00.000-07:00

We start installing the show this weekend, look back for install pics in the next day or so!

Deer Contemplating Plan B, Masako Miki

Inside the Universe, Chris Russell

2009-08-13T23:04:00.001-07:00

Contemplating Her Infinite Disguise, an exhibition of paintings and collaged mixed media by Masako Miki and Chris Russell, opens August 21 at Gallery Extraña

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 13, 2009 – Berkeley, CA

August 21- September 25, 2009
Artist's Reception- Friday, August 21, 7-10 pm
Performance by Loudmouth Yank 8 pm
http://galleryextrana.blogspot.com/

Contemplating Her Infinite Disguise is an exhibition of painting, drawing and mixed media works by Masako Miki and Chris Russell, that explore our connections and incongruities with the natural world. The opening reception is on Friday, August 21 from 7 – 10 pm. Graham Patzner of Loudmouth Yank will perform an intimate set at 8pm on the night of the opening.

Chris Russell’s landscape paintings and drawings evoke the subtle and sublime forces present in the cycles of nature. Evoking a reverence for natural phenomena, Russell uses geometric shapes and a bright color palette to reflect on our perceptions, illusions and disconnections with our natural environment. Masako Miki’s art explores notions of synthesis, incongruity and assimilation. Manipulating spatial elements through the integration of collage and painting, Miki’s compositions suggest a whimsical narrative, tipped slightly on its side.

In Contemplating Her Infinite Disguise both Miki and Russell allude to a personal or collective equilibrium possible through reconciliation with the natural world. The show runs through September 25. Gallery Extraña is located at 2912 Telegraph Avenue (1 block north of Ashby Avenue) in Berkeley.

www.chrisrussellart.com
www.masakomiki.com
www.myspace.com/grahampatzner

CHRIS RUSSELL was born in Boulder Colorado in 1983. He moved to Oakland to study painting at California College of the Arts. While a student at CCA, Christopher exhibited in numerous group shows including The Drawing Show at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, and Awesome: The Contemporary Sublime at PlaySpace. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with "High Distinction" in painting and drawing from CCA in the spring of 2006. After school, he has continued to live and paint in the bay area drawing inspiration from the Pacific Northwest landscape. His time spent outside--whether it be backpacking, bicycle touring or traveling abroad has become an indivisible part on his studio practice. Since school, he has put together two solo shows and participated in various group shows. He currently lives and works in the East Bay as part of the artists' collective Paper Mill Studios.

MASAKO MIKI lives and works in Berkeley. She received her MFA from San Jose State University. She has exhibited throughout the Bay Area, including Kearny Street Workshop in San Francisco, Pro Arts Gallery in Oakland, Stanford Art Spaces in Stanford University, the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, and the Creative Art Center in Saratoga. Her work is also available at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Artists Gallery. Recently she has finished artist residency program at Contemporary Artists Center in Troy, New York. Currently, her work is also on exhibit at Root Division Gallery, San Francisco and Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley. She has taught at De Anza College, Santa Rasa Junior College, Evergreen Valley Collage, Ohlone College, City College of San Jose, Mission College, San Jose State University, and University of California in Davis.

ABOUT GALLERY EXTRAÑA
Gallery Extraña was founded by Emily the Strange creator Rob Reger and artist, curator, and filmmaker Aimee Friberg in the spring of 2008. Its first show in July of the 2008 turned the heads of national press with the elegant illustrations of Nicomi Nix Turner. Its mission is to showcase contemporary, emerging, and mid-career artists primarily from the Bay Area. In addition to exhibiting eccentric, “strange”, and off-center work, Gallery Extraña is an alternative screening and performance space. Located in the Cosmic Debris Design house, the open gallery hours are Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 12-6pm. Call 510-845-3645 *290 or email galleryextrana@gmail.com for more information.

2009-08-13T20:33:00.000-07:00

Loudmouth Yank, aka Graham Patzner, will be playing an intimate set at the Masako Miki and Chris Russell opening on Friday, August 21. Rumors have it, there'll be soulful, dirty folk ballads on the piano and ... honestly, I think you'll be counting your lucky stars you had the good fortune to happen upon this charming Oakland talent. Opening is from 7-10pm, Graham plays at 8.

"Graham Patzner is a singer/songwriter from Oakland, California. Musicianship is in his bloodline, but it became apparent at a young age that this skill did not transfer via genes. Graham began befriending imaginary people who began the laborious process of teaching him violin, guitar, piano, trumpet, and the batanjo. Frito, the wood-sphinx, described Graham's music as "bottom of the barrel, top-o-the-morning wispy autumn ballads meets Michael Bolton." The Berkeley Darners Monthly rated Patzner's "Nine Songs in the Key of Patzner" a C-, but a C+ for effort. His music can be heard at http://www.myspace.com/grahampatzner."

2009-08-12T15:33:00.000-07:00

2009-07-31T16:24:00.000-07:00

new treats to oogle over... masako miki and chris russell opening at gallery extraña on
friday, august 21, 7-10 pm.

more details soon!

we made it!

2009-06-18T15:18:00.000-07:00

we made it! Filmmaker Lawrence Jordan and projectionists John Davis and Brecht Andersch make it through the 12 hour premier of CIRCUS SAVAGE. Sat, June 13th - Gallery Extraña "projection room."

2009-06-18T15:11:00.000-07:00

Lawrence brought this quote by Algernon Blackwood to my attention the day before the marathon screening of CIRCUS SAVAGE.

"The Screen flashes into light and with the picture consciousness passes across the world. The lie of the stationary photography is corrected, time is denied, partially at least, and space is unable to boast and swagger as it loves to do. The cinema frees and extends the consciousness, restores the past, and sets distance close beneath the eyes. Only the watching self remains, pregnant symbol in the darkness." Algernon Blackwood

2009-06-10T12:45:00.000-07:00

2009-06-02T18:27:00.000-07:00

I'm installing Lawrence Jordan's mini retrospective - the collages - colorful, the dioramas - delightful.

The show opens Friday, 7-10 pm. Come wish the artist a happy 75th birthday!

scroll down for more info...

Friday is last day of Kristine Reano's BATHING IN THE CRYSTAL LIGHT

2009-05-28T17:55:00.001-07:00

Here's a few sneak peaks from BATHING IN THE CRYSTAL LIGHT ---

Gleaming Crystals in the Sky, watercolor, ink, bark, fabric, 2009 ($350)

Hand crafted wooden eggs with lace cozies, (Large $55, Small $25)

Magical next inside the Summer Inuit home

2009-05-21T15:34:00.001-07:00

This month, leading up to the Lawrence Jordan show, we want to feature a few collage artists we dig--- the first one being Brighton based Jon Howe who I met at the University of Washington 8 or so years ago. This series featured are collage mail posts sent to friends of the very endearing Mr JON.

here's a peak:

Jon Howe is a British artist living in Brighton, East Sussex. He graduated with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art from the University of Reading, U.K., in 1997 and an MFA in Sculpture from the School of Art, University of Washington, Seattle, U.S.A., in 2001. His work can also been seen at 'The Most-Wanted fine art gallery' in Pittsburgh, P.A., U.S.A. <> & at: <>

These images are from a large series of mixed-media collage postcards made between 1999 and 2009 (a mail-art project, sent through the postal service). I have been sending postcards since I was a child, especially when I was away on holiday. I continually collect collage materials, images on paper, posters, newspaper, packaging labels, stickers etc. My collage postcard series is based around a lose narrative, through the images & the ideas of colour / composition, packaging design / instructional advertising & the popular culture of international media / ethnicity / travel / tourism.) Also, I have started to translate them into paintings on canvas & as hand-coloured photolithographs.

.....

thanks Jon!

Mystic Transformations, an exhibition of film still prints and dioramas by LAWRENCE JORDAN opens June 5 at Gallery Extraña

2009-05-20T16:28:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2009 – Berkeley, CA

June 5 – June 28, 2009
Artist's Reception- Friday, June 5, 7-10 pm
Premier of CIRCUS SAVAGE – June 13, 11 am-11pm
http://galleryextrana.blogspot.com/

Mystic Transformations is an exhibition of film still prints and dioramas by artist and filmmaker Lawrence Jordan that opens on June 5 and runs through June 28 at Gallery Extraña. The reception and 75th birthday party for the artist will be on Friday, June 5 from 7-10 pm and will feature live music and a preview of the documentary film Lawrence Jordan. On Saturday, June 13, Jordan will present the premier of his12 hour film, CIRCUS SAVAGE. The 16 mm screening will be from 11 am -11 pm, with an open door to guests to come any time. As the film is non-linear, there are many entry points and it is not necessary to be there for the duration to appreciate the poetic lyricism, depth and charm of the film.

Jordan’s film still prints and dioramas are playful juxtapositions of two and three dimensions, creating strangely seductive narratives and intimate compositions. Jordan’s style is a delightful departure from collage maestro and famous recluse Joseph Cornell, with whom he worked with in the 1960s in New York. Most of the pieces in the show have never been exhibited and were created between the 1984 and 2004, the last year the artist made a two dimensional collage of this sort. The documentary that will screen at the opening Lawrence Jordan is a work-in-progress film about the artist, produced by filmmakers (and former San Francisco Art Institute students) Ashley James, Kathryn Golden and by Babeth Van Loo. It is a co-production of Searchlight Films, Berkeley, CA and Boeddhistsche Omroep Stichting (BOS) of the Public Broadcasting System in the Netherlands.

Jordan’s new work, CIRCUS SAVAGE is essentially a visual autobiography in which Jordan has culled footage from outtakes spanning his 56 years of filmmaking. Jordan has been highly prolific in his career, working in both his signature cut-out collage animation style and in live action in which the lives of his artist and poet friends weave lyrically in front of the camera. And, as P. Adams Sitney shared in his recent Art Forum feature on Jordan, he is one of only three living filmmakers whose work wears the “mask of the mystic”, a genre once prevalent in American avant-garde cinema. Lawrence is one of the most important innovators in the history of avant-garde animation. His meticulous and bizarre filmic assemblages have inspired generations of experimental filmmaking. A bookend to the premier will be a live scoring of one reel of CIRCUS SAVAGE by the experimental band Beno + Minnie. Gallery Extraña is located at 2912 Telegraph Avenue (1 block north of Ashby Avenue) in Berkeley.

www.galleryextrana.blogspot.com
www.searchlightfilms.org
www.buddhistmedia.com.

ABOUT GALLERY EXTRAÑA
Gallery Extraña was founded by Emily the Strange creator Rob Reger and artist, curator, and filmmaker Aimee Friberg in the spring of 2008. Its first show in July of the 2008 turned the heads of national press with the elegant illustrations of Nicomi Nix Turner. Its mission is to showcase contemporary, emerging, and mid-career artists primarily from the Bay Area, with a special focus on talent from the East Bay, where the gallery is situated. Gallery Extraña is committed to exhibiting eccentric, “strange”, and off-center work, and seeks to promote local and underrepresented talent. Located in the Cosmic Debris Design house, Gallery Extraña hours are Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 12-6pm. Call 415-238-7385 or email galleryextrana@gmail.com for more information.

For press materials or gallery information contact Aimee Friberg, Gallery Extraña/Emily the Strange 415-238-7385 galleryextrana@gmail.com 2912 Telegraph Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94702

2009-05-15T17:18:00.000-07:00

Lawrence Jordan mini-retrospective coming in June, reception and artist's 75 bday June 5, 7-10,
and premier of Circus Savage (12 hour 16mm marathon) on June 13, 11am- 11pm!

Lulacruza at Bathing in the Crystal Light opening May 1

2009-05-09T00:44:00.000-07:00

Kristine Reano installing Bathing in the Crytal Light

2009-04-30T00:29:00.000-07:00

2009-04-24T14:29:00.000-07:00

a sneak peak from Kristine Reano's Bathing In the Crystal Light show -- Opens May 1

2009-04-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

this Sunday evening curator Jan Van Woensel brings CCA graduate students together to present their 'last day of magic' ritual documentation at the gallery's front room--- a little ritual magic will be happening in the back gallery simultaneously as Kristine Reano installs 'bathing in the crystal light' -- come make magic with us.

Last Day of Magic

Sung-Hee Chang, Emily Hoover, Amy Keefer, Dustin Kelly, Christine Kesler, Stephanie Lagarde, Elyse Mallouk, Amy Martin, Josh Martinez, Lynne McCabe, Piero Passacantando, Brindalyn Webster

Curated by Jan Van Woensel

Orange Alley Project
Saturday April 25th, 2009, from 6 to 9PM

Orange Alley (between 25th and 26th St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
http://orangealleyproject.com/

Last Day of Magic was a one-day closed performance of rituals about departure and transformation that took place on March 28th, 2009. The rituals are designed with a personal significance and shamanic purpose. They examine the artist’s interpersonal experiences with belief, sacrifice, loss, disappearance, and memory.

At Orange Alley Project, twelve volunteers reenact the rituals and create their own last day of magic experience.

The video of Last Day of Magic will be screened at Gallery Extrana on Sunday April 26th, at 7:30PM, 2912 Telegraph Ave (between Ashby Ave and Howe St) Berkeley, CA 94705. http://galleryextrana.blogspot.com/

Last Day of Magic will participate to Markers VII at the 53rd Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy. June 5th, 2009.

Last Day of Magic is a project initiated, organized and curated by Jan Van Woensel in the framework of his 2009 cross-departmental class at California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA. http://www.last--day--of--magic.blogspot.com Jan Van Woensel is an independent curator based in New York City and the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of New York Magazine of Contemporary Art and Theory http://www.ny-magazine.org

KRISTINE REANO with LULACRUZA

2009-04-15T00:48:00.000-07:00

que contenta estoy~! super pleased to announce that LULACRUZA (lulacruza.com) will perform at KRISTINE REANO's bathing in the crystal light opening reception on MAY 1ST. If you haven't yet seen Kristine's work, you're in for a *super* treat. The reception is from 7-10pm at the gallery. We're also adding semi-'regular' hours (yes, thankyou for asking, we feel the love) --- starting in May we'll be open Weds, Thrs and Fri from 12-6pm.

2009-04-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

save the date! Kristine Reano's bathing in the crystal light opens on Friday May 1st. more details soon. xo gallery extraña

we love cat lauigan

2009-03-25T21:12:00.000-07:00

We love Cat Lauigan's work. We heart our neighbor Oakland. We're stoked that Cat is from Oakland and hopes that means she's back visiting this coast soon!
++We recommend you spend some time here: http://catlauigan.com

William Kentridge's RETURN OF ULYSSES at Project Artaud

2009-03-25T17:49:00.000-07:00

If the drawings, short films and theatrical installations of William Kentridge have left you un-satiated and longing for more, perhaps you'll consider attending his multi-media opera The Return of Ulysses (yes there's puppets), presented by SFMOMA at Project Artaud Theater this week. I attended the preview last night. Here's a few sneak peaks--

THE RETURN OF ULYSSES
An opera by Claudio Monteverdi
Directed by William Kentridge
Revival directed by Luc de Wit; produced by Pacific Operaworks, Seattle; musical direction by Stephen Stubbs; featuring the Handspring Puppet Company of South Africa

All shows are SOLD OUT except for tonight's benefit: Wednesday, March 25th 5:30-10 PM
visit www.sfmoma.org/kentridgeopera

Also, the exceptional and profound exhibit WILLIAM KENTRIDGE: FIVE THEMES is on display through May 31st at SFMOMA. http://www.sfmoma.org/pages/exhib_events

all photos copyright Aimee Friberg 2009

Rob Reger unveils Change of Strange at Varnish Gallery in SF

2009-02-04T16:48:00.000-08:00

we're back from much romping and stomping to tell you that we're stoked about this:

PRESS RELEASE – February 2, 2008

Varnish Fine Art presents: Rob Reger: Change of Strange
February 17 – March 28, 2009
Opening Reception Friday February 20, 7-10pm

[press contact below]

Change of Strange emerges from Emily the Strange creator Rob Reger

San Francisco, CA, February 2, 2009. This dynamic and interactive solo painting exhibition of interlocking characters and whimsical design opens at Varnish Fine Art on February 20 from 7 – 10 pm. The opening party will feature a wee bit of ‘Vampa White’ spectacle with a secret special guest directing the 360 degree rotation of the paintings. On the heels of opening an Emily store in Greece and completing the first novel for his character Emily the Strange, this is Reger’s first solo painting show without Emily in five years. Change of Strange demonstrates a change of heart. The show will run through March 27, 2009.

In this new body of work, Reger strays from Emily’s palette of red, white and black with bright, uninhibited colors. His trademark bold yet whimsical design is repurposed to reveal a world of new friends and beasts. Subtle narratives emerge, playfully tapping into mysticism, optical illusions, and hallucinations of the heart. Coming from the love of word play, hidden messages, and backward masking, Reger utilizes a yin yang approach with this work. He demonstrates a balance of many opposing forces, in order to show us that for every evil there is good around the corner.

With a tip of the hat to MC Escher and his interlocking beasts and a nod to Dr. Seuss, parallels are also drawn with the vibrant geometric shapes and bold folk art colors of Alexander Girard’s design. There is truly no such thing as upside-down in Change of Strange --- incorporating a patent-pending device designed for this show, the artwork is viewable 2-ways without removal from the wall. In this rotation new characters emerge, continuing the narrative and psychedelic fantasy.

---------

ROB REGER
Rob Reger is the founder, owner, creative director and president of Cosmic Debris - a design house based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Rob and Cosmic introduced the world to Emily the Strange, now the international icon for empowering young alternative girls. Rob has been designing Emily for over a decade and has generated millions of fans of the character. Emily’s voice and image can be found in at least 26 countries, through the outlets of Chronicle books, a series of Dark Horse comics, a limited edition of Jones Soda, an Epiphone guitar, a line of Manic Panic hair products, an upcoming Harper Collins novel, and an upcoming Emily the Strange film from the producer of the Hell Boy series, 30 Days of Night, and The Mask.

Reger and Cosmic Debris grew out of the DIY punk and guerrilla art aesthetic of the eighties, and a fondness for the surrealist art movement. He continues to mix sophisticatedly simple graphic design with a pop culture surrealist sensibility. Reger has an extensive fine arts background, with a B.F.A from the University of California at Santa Cruz and a M.F.A in printmaking from the San Francisco Art Institute. His oil paintings, printmaking, watercolors, and collage have been shown in galleries around the world: Tokyo, Paris, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berlin, Milan, Hong Kong, Sydney, and Santa Cruz.

Outside of Emily and painting, Reger plays music with bands Beno + Minnie and This Isn’t It and co-directs Gallery Extraña, which exhibits contemporary eccentric artwork, located in the Emily the Strange headquarters in Berkeley, California.

VARNISH
Gallery Directors Jennifer Rogers and Kerri Stephens opened Varnish Fine Art on April 19, 2003. Beginning with the remains of a brewery built just after the 1906 earthquake, Rogers and Stephens designed and rebuilt the space, including a main gallery, mezzanine gallery and wine bar, combining gallery with community.

VARNISH Fine Art Press Contact:
Jennifer Rogers
415-222-6131
q@varnishfineart.com
77 Natoma Street, San Francisco, CA 94105

2009-01-13T18:40:00.000-08:00

It's nearly a month now since I embarked on my first journey to Habana, Cuba, and so of late, I've been reflecting on the art of film appreciation in post-revolutionary lands ... and wondering how the world of film and art is doing abroad during this economic slumpy slump.

In Havana, I presented my short film MATHEMATICS FOR PLANTS at the International Festival for Latin American Film (read, aka: the Habana Film Festival) which was in it's 30th year. 30 years, hmm---not bad i thought. But just how steeped in film can a 3rd world country be, you ask? I was tickled to encounter a general public audience, more versed in visual language than many western, well at least American, grad students... it was interesting to attend a festival in a culture where film is abolutely regarded as art, filmmaking and artmaking are exaulted above the sciences and medicine, and the tradition of film-making is serious and deeply part of the cultural identity. Apparently it was not unusual or out of place for all the screenings to be at capacity and for the 13 year-old couple in front of me to making out to the flicker of the latest Carlos Sorin film. (Cuba's has a devoted audience to South American films.) I loved every minute it.

So, here's some lofi images from the festival:

The Lobby at Cinecitta
a fraction of the line at La Rampa Cinema

of course, Benicio del Toro was present for the Cuban premier of Soderbergh's Che

http://www.habanafilmfestival.com/

experimental film shorts travel to la ciudad de habana, cuba

2008-12-01T22:16:00.000-08:00

film stills above: Lick of Fury, Matty Sidle; Hold On Twice, Francois Merry: Peace Offering, Lisa Darms and Wait for Me, Noel Paul;

IMAGINING NOW program at Habana International Festival --
December 11, 4:30 p.m.
Centro Cultural Cinematográfico ICAIC
Tel.: 833 9278
Calle 23 e/ 10 y 12, Vedado, Habana, CUBA
habanafilmfestival.com

IMAGINING NOW is a program of experimental films that showcase a range of contemporary uses of low and high fidelity video, and film for dramatic and sensual affect. A collection of light studies, relational investigations and very loose narratives, these films posit investigations on the here and now and represent a new generation working on the periphery of filmmaking. Imagining Now is programmed by Aimee Friberg; total running time is 70 minutes.

Peace Offering, Lisa Darms & Growing (Brooklyn, USA), 2006, digital video, sound, 6:20 min.

Muto, Blu & Andrea Martignoni (Bologna, Italy), 2007, digital video, sound, 7:26 min.

Chronicles of a Professional Eulogist, Sarah Jane Lapp (Seattle, USA), 2006, HDcam, sound, 6:33 min.

Inperception, David W. Halsell (Seattle, USA), 2003, digital video, sound, 4:19 min.

Mathematics for Plants II, Aimee Friberg (San Francisco, USA), 2008, digital video, sound, 11 min.

A Clear Story, Katherin McInnis (New York, USA), 2007, digital video, sound, 6 min.

Wait For Me, Noel Paul (Seattle, USA), 2005, miniDV & PXL2000, sound, 12 min.

Lick of Fury, Matty Sidle (San Francisco, USA), 1995, 16mm, 15 min.

Hold on Twice, Francois Marry (Glasgow, Scotland), 2007, 2:10 min

Gallery Extraña's Defiant Optimism opening party -- Friday, Nov 7

2008-11-10T11:23:00.000-08:00

gallery co-directors Rob Reger and Aimee Friberg and David Sloane (center)

Bay area legend Winston Smith

artist/filmmaker Lawrence Jordan and Defiant Optimism curator Aimee Friberg
Lawrence with friends (and former students) Katherine and Ashley James.
Matt Gonzalez

Matt Waters and Emily the Strange writer Jessica Gruner

Reger on piano!

a few more photos here:
http://flickr.com/photos/nenalandia/sets/72157608835216973/

Group Collage Show and animation screening -- Friday, November 7!

2008-10-26T18:23:00.001-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For gallery or artist information contact Aimee Friberg, Gallery Extraña, aimee (at) emilystrange (dot) org
For press materials contact Jill Beaverson, Gallery Extraña/Emily the Strange, 510-845-0340 ext 220, jill (at) emilystrange (dot) com

Defiant Optimism: New Works from the San Francisco Collage Collective
November 7 - December 20, 2008
Artist's Reception- Friday, November 7, 6-10 pm
***
8pm -- Screening of early films of master animator, film compositor Lawrence (Larry) Jordan with live piano accompaniment by Rob Reger (Thuja, Beno + Minnie, This Isn’t It)
***

Collage is the thread that brings together this cast of talented, respected Bay Area figures for the first show of its kind in many years. Included are Winston Smith, the artist who gave punk a graphic prowess with stunning high contrast designs, such as the Dead Kennedy's logo, and witty montage compositions that have graced publications internationally. Another treat for the eyes are the colorful surreal narrative collages of Bay Area film icon Lawrence or "Larry" Jordan, whose style is a delightful departure from collage maestro and famous recluse Joseph Cornell, with whom Jordan worked with in the 60s in New York. 3 previously un-exhibited collages from Jordan will debut in this exhibit and the opening will feature a screening of several early silent films set to live piano accompaniment by internationally renowned artist and Emily the Strange creator, Rob Reger. Reger will also debut work that revisits his surreal and absurdly figurative RED SERIES. Local abstract collage artist and vice-presidential independent candidate Matt Gonzalez will also debut new work in the show. Also featured are collages by Francis Mill, Robin Savinar, Rance Brown, Albert Herter, Bernice Yeung, Javier Arbona, David Sloane, Esteban Ortega Brown, Richard Stutting, and Matt Sullivan. The show is curated and produced by fellow collage collective member Aimee Friberg, who also is exhibiting in the show.
Defiant Optimism: New Works from the San Francisco Collage Collective is an exhibit of contemporary collage and montage in which the appropriation of the ordinary and everyday is expressed through the integration (cutting and pasting) of found materials and objects. “Cutting and pasting, shifting and merging; can collaging bring change? You might say it’s a curious idea… can recycling and appropriating visual imagery ignite hope? Maybe we find ourselves hoping for a better composition or for cleaner air. Hoping our color scheme is effective and how it’d be nice to have a stable economy. You might ask ‘where is optimism gleaned in these dark times?’ Is it in the quirky, the mundane, the found, the scattered? In art-making, friend-making? Conversation? And how can we affect change? Scavenging, cutting and pasting make sense to us and in this collective show we hope to call attention to little moments of bliss found in the process of making. We hope to delight and maybe even inspire you to pick up pair of scissors.” SFCC

About the San Francisco Collage Collective

The San Francisco collage collective is loose-knit group of artists from a variety of disciplines and with varying degrees of formal art training, who occasionally gather together to make collage works. The collective was formed in 2006 when Matt Gonzalez, Robin Savinar and Albert Herter began cutting and pasting together. The primary idea is to democratize art by inviting anyone interested to participate.

More information and work here:
http://sfcollagecollective.wordpress.com

Individual Bios:
WINSTON SMITH
Winston Smith is an artist armed with razor blade and a fiendish wit. His modus operandi since the 1970's has been to kidnap "innocent" images from the pages of vintage magazines and then to diabolically glue them into compromising or politically revealing positions in his surreal collage landscapes. "Perhaps the most vibrant collage maestro since Max Ernst," wrote popular underground artist Frank Kozik, who goes on to credit Winston with being "single-handedly responsible for an entire generation's graphic style." After studying in Italy, Smith moved to San Francisco in the 1970s, working primarily in the road crews of Bay-area rock bands such as Santana and The Tubes. In the mid-70's Smith, along with fellow artist Jayed Scotti, wrote, illustrated and published a satirical magazine titled "Fallout", while also producing and posting flyers for non-existant gigs in San Francisco.

Since then Smith, once known only to DK fans and the punk underground cognoscenti, has been gaining popularity in mainstream culture. He's had one-man shows in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, London and Rome. His debut book, "Act Like Nothing's Wrong", was published in 1994 by Last Gasp of San Francisco was favorably reviewed a wide variety of regional and national magazines. His eighteen month (1995-97) sojourn as illustrator for SPIN magazine's Topspin political page further brought his work to national attention as did his award for "Best Cover Illustration" from the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies in 1997. On the musical front, his bizarre "Insomniac" alum cover for the popular neo-punk band Green Day was voted a favorite in a 1996 readers poll in Rolling Stone Magazine. His works have also appeared in New Yorker magazine, Playboy, Wired, Spin, Utne Reader, and many other punk-related publications. The growing demand for Winston's humorous and controversial collage illustrations prompted the release of his second and third books, "Artcrime" and "All Riot on the Western Front", and the production of his first-ever series of collectible archival prints. The jumbo scale and fine quality of this new print series hugely expands the already powerful visual impact of Winston's work. We have arrived at the threshold of the twenty first century. It's time to call off the art police. The work of mischievous art-criminal Winston Smith is finally being brought to full color justice.

LAWRENCE JORDAN
Lawrence (Larry) Jordan is an independent filmmaker and artist, who has been working in the Bay Area since 1955, and making films and collages since 1952. He has produced some 40 experimental and animation films, and three feature-length dramatic films. He meticulously combines 19th-century engravings, modern imagery and common symbols to construct unmistakable dream-like narratives. He is most widely known for his animated collage films and his diorama boxes. In 1970 he received a Guggenheim award to make SACRED ART OF TIBET. His animation have screened internationally and nationally including institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art –NY and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Jordan is one of the founding directors of Canyon Cinema Cooperative. As former chairman of the film department at the San Francisco Art Institute, Jordan’s impact on the art and film community in the Bay Area is paramount. Fortunate for the general public, Facets Multimedia has just released a four disc dvd set chronicling many of the works from Jordan’s ouvre.

"Jordan is one of the most prolific and accomplished stalwarts of the Bay Area independent film community. He takes full advantage of the tendency of disparate objects to take on new meaning, and form new relationships when they are brought into close proximity or when their usual context is changed. While these film collages link together a myriad of symbolic forms in new combination, the smooth, lyrical progression of the work results in a powerful sense of wholeness and totality." - Hal Aigner, San Francisco Chronicle "One thing: If I'd have to name one dozen really creative artists in the independent (avant-garde) film area, I'd name Larry Jordan as one. His animated (collage) films are among the most beautiful short films made today. They are surrounded with love and poetry. His content is subtle, his technique is perfect, his personal style unmistakable." - Jonas Mekas

MATT GONZALEZ
Matt Gonzalez is a native of Texas, who in addition to making collages, is a political activist who is currently serving as Ralph Nader's running mate.
Exhibitions include: a.Muse Gallery (two-person show); Lincart Gallery (two-person show); McAllen Art House (group show); Adobe Books Backroom Gallery (solo show); Soap Gallery (solo show); Johansson Projects (group show); In vitro Gallery (solo show).

ROB REGER
Rob Reger is the founder, owner, creative director and president of Cosmic Debris - a design house based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Rob and Cosmic introduced the world to Emily the Strange, now the international icon for empowering young alternative girls. Rob has been designing Emily for over a decade and has generated millions of fans of the character. Reger and Cosmic Debris grew out of the DIY punk and guerrilla art aesthetic of the eighties, and a fondness for the surrealist art movement. He continues to mix sophisticatedly simple graphic design with a pop culture surrealist sensibility. Reger has an extensive fine arts background, with a B.F.A from the University of California at Santa Cruz and a M.F.A in printmaking from the San Francisco Art Institute. His oil paintings, printmaking, watercolors, and collage have been shown in galleries around the world: Tokyo, Paris, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berlin, Milan, Hong Kong, Sydney, and Santa Cruz.

Away from the company, Reger draws and creates everyday, and spends much of his off time as a musician recording and performing with his bands
Thuja,This Isn't It and Beno + Minnie. Reger loves eating his home grown veggies and spending time with his kitties.

FRANCIS MILL
Francis Mill is presently a director at the Hackett-Freedman Gallery in San Francisco. At the University of California, Berkeley, he received his undergraduate degree in architectural design in 1989 and followed by a masters degree in fine arts painting in 1990. Francis began teaching painting and drawing in 1991 at the Academy of Art College and was the dean of graduate studies from 1995-1999. He exhibited throughout the 1990s at the Ebert Gallery in San Francisco and was included in the biennial at the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento in 1993. Today, Francis is exploring the integration of his interest in architecture and the fine arts.

DAVID SLOANE
San Fransisco-based David Sloane combines images of interest that he finds through out his wanderings in the city. When asked why collage, he states, “there is elation of coming upon an old print of a Buddha or a Chacmool or a curious anonymous face from another era or culture. It may just be a quizzical expression on a face, an invitation in the eyes. Whatever. I am drawn to this process and inspired to create a collage or montage with this key piece.”

BERNICE YEUNG
Bernice Yeung is a San Francisco-based journalist. Some of her earlier collage and graphic design work has appeared in her now-defunct zine, option 8.

RANCE BROWN
The four-eyed son of a printmaker/art teacher mother and audiophile father, Rance has been eating paste since his formative years in Western Massachusetts. Beginning his design career at a monument (gravestone) design firm in the 12th grade, he later graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Art Direction. He's since earned his lunch money producing much less morbid art for boy-band CDs, breath mint packaging, video game sleeves, and a slew advertisements that you'll never, ever see.

ROBIN SAVINAR
Robin began making collage in 2006. She has done more than 125 works including miniature landscapes, figurative representations and light, ordered abstractions. Prior to collage Robin worked in art forms including paper maché, oil painting, writing, translating, dancing and roller derby. She resides in her birthplace, San Francisco, and has lived in Los Angeles, CA, Santiago (Chile) and Madrid.

JAVIER ARBONA
Javier Arbona was trained as an architect and now studies urban geography at UC Berkeley. He often tries to explore city form in his collage work.

RICHARD STUTTING
Twenty-seven years ago, Richard Stutting rode a punk-influenced wave onto a chiaroscuro island. No one was creating work quite like his – the photographic collages played contrasts like Miles Davis blowing out a sweet, dark tone. Typography had personality; images moved without budging and there must have been some artistic epiphanies, because now that edgy style is being emulated in many more places. And Richard Stutting has been refining and perfecting it for twenty-seven years.

Cutting-edge, surreal, texturally rich: terms we often use to describe the photo/collage technique that is the hallmark of Richard Stutting's imagery. His photo-collage designs have appeared on numerous CD covers, book jackets, editorial features and private commissions. This award-winning artist combines traditional collage with new digital techniques to bring edgy post-modern visions to life - rock & roll you can touch.

ALBERT HERTER
Albert Herter attended the San Francisco Art Institute where he studied conceptual art though his work has consisted primarily of painting. He recently moved back to his hometown of New York and started the New York Chapter of the Collage Collective. He has been greatly influenced by the cut-ups up of Henri Matisse and work of Jean Arp. His latest work consists in laying down specifically cut pieces of paper on a scanner arbitrarily. This makes the work entirely ephemeral and speeds up the process greatly. He is also interested in the play between negative and positive space in his collages.

AIMEE FRIBERG
Aimee Friberg has exhibited, performed and screened her short films in Oregon, Washington, Pennsylvania, New York , California, Texas and Mexico; she resides in Berkeley. She is passionate about being curious, living simply, laughter as medicine and trusting the now. She works in a variety of media including photography, tactile installation, video/film-making, sound, electronics, performance, drawing and most recently -- collage. Seeking the sublime in the mundane, her artwork illuminates the subtle forces at play in our daily interactions. With this new collage work, Friberg pays tribute to the white on the page and the fruit of looking, then looking again.

Aimee received her B.A. at the University of Washington Seattle (UW) and served as a Teaching Assistant for DXARTS while at UW. Until recently she co-programmed and produced performance, film and lectures at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA); Aimee is co-director of Gallery Extraña, works as a freelance photographer and is presently curating an experimental film series for the Havana International Festival of Latin American Art in Cuba. She enjoys singing and playing percussion in her band Beno + Minnie and tending to her veggie garden.
Aimee has exhibited or performed at The Kitchen Center for Media (NY), Jack straw's New Media Gallery (Seattle), Artist’s Television Access (SF), The Lab (SF), Secluded Alley Works (Seattle), Jacob Lawrence Gallery (Seattle), Henry Art Gallery (Seattle), Blue Sky Gallery (Portland), Sand Point Naval Base (Seattle), and the Portland Institute of Contemporary Art.

ABOUT GALLERY EXTRAÑA
Gallery Extraña was founded by Emily the Strange creator Rob Reger and artist, curator, and filmmaker Aimee Friberg in the spring of 2008. Its first show in July of the 2008 turned the heads of national press with the elegant illustrations of Nicomi Nix Turner. Its mission is to showcase contemporary, emerging, and mid-career artists primarily from the Bay Area, with a special focus on talent from the East Bay, where the gallery is situated. Gallery Extraña is committed to exhibiting eccentric, “strange”, and off-center work, and seeks to promote local and underrepresented talent. Outside of featured shows, Gallery Extraña hours are by appointment only. Call 415-238-7385 or write aimee@emilystrange.org to schedule a viewing.

Image credits: post front-- Genetic Sport, Winston Smith, 2008; post back-- Duo Concertantes (film still detail), Lawrence Jordan, 1961-64.

2008-07-30T22:26:00.000-07:00

We're pleased to present Emily the Strange's beloved senior illustrator Nicomi 'Nix' Turner's new series IN VEIN --- here's work from the show which was on view at the gallery from July 11 to August 30, 2008.

Pictured: The Wise Die First

Pictured: The Little Birds Lied

Pictured: Arsenic

Pictured: All I Know is All I'm Told

Pictured: Sights Deceptions

"I have a skull collection that I base a lot of my work on – I’ve got bobcats, birds and foxes. I really see the beauty in a perfectly formed skull," says Nix Turner.