Review of Art Market San Francisco 2015 (part 2)

Will Yackulic at Gregory Lind Gallery (Photo by Greg Flood)

Seth Koen at Gregory Lind Gallery (Photo by Greg Flood)

Karla Wozniak at Gregory Lind Gallery (Photo by Greg Flood)

Walking farther down the corridor, I came upon the booth for Gregory Lind Gallery. Standouts this year include a large painting by Karla Wozniak, small sculptures of wood and knitted thread by Seth Koen, and a drawing by Will Yackulic made with a typewriter and graphite on typewriter embossed paper. Yackulic also has a small ceramic sculpture on view too that bears close inspection.

Jay Kelly at Jack Fischer Gallery (Photo by Greg Flood)

Heather Wilcoxon at Jack Fischer Gallery (Photo by Greg Flood)

Lauren DiCioccio at Jack Fischer Gallery (Photo by Greg Flood)

At this point one has hit the main lounge area, so traffic congestion becomes an issue. To get around this difficulty, I circumvented the crowd along its edge and found Jack Fischer Gallery on the far side. Since its move to the Potrero Hill cluster of galleries the gallery has shaken up is program and added a number of new artists to its roster. Among them is Jay Kelly, who creates alluring small scale sculptures that draw our continued attention. Two other standouts in the booth are long time gallery artists Lauren DiCioccio and Heather Wilcoxon. DiCioccio’s newest series of abstract sewn sculptures draw on the best of 20th century modernist sculpture, while adding layers of depth, texture, and meaning through her use of textiles, threads, wood, and wire. (see the review here) Wilcoxon is represented chiefly by a large painting with a pallet primarily of bright crimson. The warmth of this work draws one in from across the booth.

Randy Colosky at Chandra Cerrito Contemporary (Photo by Greg Flood)

Sabine Reckewell at Chandra Cerrito Contemporary (Photo by Greg Flood)

Continuing my route around the edge, I discovered Chandra Cerrito Contemporary to have a well curated booth. The big standout this year is an installation/sculpture by Sabine Reckewell taking up an entire corner of the booth. Made simply from ribbons and nails, the artist creates complex geometric forms through the repeated use of linear elements. Another major presence is a selection of sculptures by Randy Colosky. Created from carved honeycomb ceramic blocks, these display both the use of an uncommon industrial material as a medium and the utilization of optical elements created by the see-through nature of the material.

Hung Liu at Nancy Hoffman Gallery (Photo by Greg Flood)

Michele Pred at Nancy Hoffman Gallery (Photo by Greg Flood)

Viola Frey at Nancy Hoffman Gallery (Photo by Greg Flood)

Michael Gregory at Nancy Hoffman Gallery (Photo by Greg Flood)

Nancy Hoffman Gallery this year brought an excellent selection from its home in New York City. There was a small grouping of conceptual/political works by artist Michele Pred, including a small attaché case with neon lighting spelling out the word choice. Above this was a set of hand mirrors, each in the theme of women’s reproductive rights and liberty. Elsewhere are examples of Pred’s handbags which debuted at last year’s fair and have been extremely popular with collectors around the country. Guarding the side entrance to the booth is a multi-figured medium sized ceramic sculpture by Viola Frey and along one of the walls are a pair new works by Hung Liu and a couple of paintings by Michael Gregory.

Pat Steir at Meyerovich Gallery (Photo by Greg Flood)

Manuel Neri at Meyerovich Gallery (Photo by Greg Flood)

Frank Stella at Meyerovich Gallery (Photo by Greg Flood)

Another San Francisco gallery that brought out the big guns this year is Meyerovich Gallery. With works by Donald Sultan, Frank Stella, Guy Dill, Manual Neri, among others, it is blue chip all around. The real standouts though, are three works by abstract painter Pat Steir. Though small by Steir’s standards for scale, these three display the same virtuosity that her larger works have. I have been thinking about them since I left the booth that night.

Guy Overfelt at SFAQ (Photo by Greg Flood)

Guy Overfelt at Evergold Gallery (Photo by Greg Flood)

Guy Overfelt at SFAQ (Photo by Greg Flood)

GLalla Essaydi at Jenkins Johnson Gallery (Photo by Greg Flood)

Walter Robinson in the Battery Lounge, via Catharine Clark Gallery (Courtesy of Catharine Clark Gallery)

Craig Dorety at Johansson Projects (Photo by Greg Flood)

Douglas Schneider at Caldwell Snyder Gallery (Photo by Greg Flood)

Justyn Zolli at Gallery Sam (Photo by Greg Flood)

Dave Eggers at SF Electric Works (Photo by Greg Flood)

Eric Tillinghast at Richard Levy Gallery (Photo by Greg Flood)

Heading through the rest of the fair, required only a fairly quick stroll on my part. Here are some highlights from various booths. The drawings by Dave Eggers at SF Electric Works always bring a chuckle through their wry texts paired with comical drawings. Lalla Essaydi has a large photographic tryptich at Jenkins Johnson Gallery showing her further investigation of the female in Muslim countries. Douglas Schneider has a new painting at Caldwell Snyder Gallery that is a home run. Richard Levy Gallery has small painted vintage postcard works by Eric Tillinghast that focus on the swimming pool culture born in post-war Los Angeles. Guy Overfelt has a selection of works at both the SFAQ and Evergold Gallery booths, with his series of ‘Picasso Bongs’ taking a master of modern art and turning him entirely on his head. Justyn Zolli has a large painting at Gallery Sam that draws inspiration from his recent trip to India. Craig Dorety has a select space in Johansson Projects (just off the entrance to the fair) that allows viewers to experience his custom lighted wall sculptures in a more secluded atmosphere. Finally, hiding up in The Battery Lounge at the back of the venue is a large scale sculpture by Walter Robinson that is not to be missed.

Iwajlla Klinke at Transarte Brazil (Photo by Greg Flood)

Gordon Parks at Jenkins Johnson Gallery (Photo by Greg Flood)

In terms of surprises at an art fair, some years are better than others. This year the standouts are a selection of photographs by Berlin based Iwajla Klinke of young men, which explore ritual and the sacred in relation to the body. These can be found at Transarte Brazil, booth #205. The other surprise was a set of period color photographs by Gordon Parks I discovered at Jenkins Johnson Gallery’ both. These images document the segregated South of the 1950s-1960s, and could not be timelier given the recent events surrounding the treatment of African American men by law enforcement around the United States. They show us that while some things have changed a great deal in the US, recent events have revealed that there is plenty of work left to be done in achieving equal treatment by law enforcement.

Correction: This article previously stated that Meyerovich Gallery was from New York. The gallery is in fact located at 251 Post St. in San Francisco and has been in the city for over 25 years. The author apologizes to the readers for his error in reporting.