“Don’t Give Up the Ship”

Description: This installation depicts an underwater Market Street filled with deep sea divers, kelp forests, and shipwrecks. Part utopian and part post-apocalyptic, the aquatic theme references the current economic situation that has resulted in so many vacant storefronts (“underwater homeowners,” “loan sharks,” “drowning in debt”) as well as the specter of climate change and rising sea levels in a coastal city. The title refers to a historic flag that flies in nearby Civic Center; the idea of perseverance in the face of an onslaught seems fitting for both the neighborhood and the times we live in.

Artist: Alexis Amann’s paintings and installations contain layers of worlds populated by girls, fish, whales, zombies, rabbits, houses, boats, demons, harpies, bearded ladies, and other flora and fauna driven by the forces of love and water. Her work has been shown at New Image Art Gallery in Los Angeles, Dust Gallery in Las Vegas, and Johansson Projects in Oakland, as well as in San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Miami, and New York.

Jonathan Burstein is a San Francisco-based visual artist and teacher who creates mixed-media portraits and figures from a wide range of materials, including contemporary art magazines, found photographs, museum recycling, and Xeroxed currency. He also works with community groups and the public to create site-specific, collaborative murals and temporary installations. He is currently at work on a Kiosk Poster Series for San Francisco Art Commission’s Art on Market Street Program.

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