Past Exhibitions

Vast and Undetectable explores space that is either so large or so small we cannot conceive of it with our known processes of sight and comprehension. We have to invent systems and vernaculars (from physics to astronomy to science fiction to visual art) to be able to talk about these spaces. The artists in Vast and Undetectable are creating work that runs the gamut from the most microscopic existence to the vastest reaches of space and time. They are creating objects, and forms of order to articulate these spaces and the shapes they might take. Through the use of photography, video, and installation, the work engages matter within these unfathomable spaces as both source material and subject matter.

SHIFT is an exhibition of newly commissioned solo projects by Bay Area artists Elizabeth Axtman, David Huffman, and Travis Somerville who, through their work, confront the concept of race in America. SHIFT pushes the public to think about our changing demographics and what role race plays in our post-millennial American circumstance. The SHIFT artists, of whom two are mixed race and one is white, are creating works that are extremely disparate from each other in terms of aesthetics. However, each attempts to illuminate the present by thrusting the past (recent and not so recent) and its varied legacies of prejudice, hate, and denial into today and the future. A catalogue accompanies this exhibition, made possible with support by the National Endowment of the Arts.

Partially as a response to the recent nuclear plant catastrophe in Japan and in consideration of the United States massive storage of over 65,000 metric tons of nuclear waste, Terry Berlier creates a site-specific installation that uses visual elements drawn from found web accessed photographs of spent nuclear storage facilities. The installation is not meant to be a literal representation of this imagery but rather a gestural interpretation of the confluence of “open secrets,” the cycles of man-made dependency and incapacity to fathom the time that is calculated when considering the storage of nuclear waste. The sculptural elements, including a dome frame created in reference to City Hall's dome located directly across the street, and a standard household light bulb moving on a suspended kinetic loop, act as a silent reminder of the cyclical nature of energy consumption, waste and invention.

Natural Reaction is an installation by Ernest Jolly created in response to recent disasters resulting from tsunamis and floodwaters. Jolly explains, “The coast has always been a place where I have sought refuge from internal and external noise. More often than not the coast is a reminder of transition and change. It is also a place where the abrupt violence of nature can all at once change lives forever and minutes later recede back into its self.” Taking full advantage of the space, Natural Reaction fills the 400 sq. ft. storefront with large sculptural elements that actively disrupt more serene installation components such as a shallow reflecting on a pool filled with water, and an expansive backlit scrim complete with whispy white clouds. Jolly worked with musician/sound artist Chris Evans to create a soundtrack that will catch the attention of passersby.