With so many things to do in San Francisco, it's easy to miss the many fantastic art exhibits and shows that pass through smaller galleries, as opposed to big museum shows. While it's nearly impossible for even the most ardent art lover to see it all, we've once again curated a collection of must see exhibits currently (or soon to be) gracing the walls of San Francisco's finest art spaces. Plan accordingly.
"Is it April Fools, April Fool's or April Fools' Day?" by Brion Nuda Rosch, Et al. Gallery
What is IT at all? We have no idea, but the title of this San Francisco-based artist's April exhibit is too good not to explore. Brion Nuda Rosch is a local SF-based painter who recently completed an artist-in-residency at UC Berkeley in ceramics. He works with unique mediums (think sand and sawdust) to create abstract art. And really, what's more abstract that April Fool's Day? April 1-May 7, Et al. Gallery, 620 Kearny, SF.
"Hypertrophic Distress," Aggregate Space/Oakland
Do we fetishize violence, aggression, and post-coital bliss? These imposing sculptures seem to imply that we do. Aggregate Space's April show is a chaotic and sensual exploration of artist Alex Oslance's anxieties. It promises to be an intense experience. April 1-May 7, Aggregate Space/Oakland, 801 West Grand, Oakland.
"The Small Spaces in Between" by James Middlebrook, Gallery 16
California artist James Middlebrook will display twenty of his breath-taking "plank paintings" at Gallery 16 this month. Each of the abstract works is created on an internal slice of tree trunk from a local mill in Hudson, New York and is intended to take a close, complex look at man's adversarial relationship with nature. Through May 6, Gallery 16, 501 Third Street, SF.
"Rebus Schmebus" by Louise Leong, Rare Device
Finally, an artist has allowed the design and packaging of potato ships to inspire their work. Rare Device brings us another humorous exhibit, this one featuring tongue-in-cheek drawings from Santa Cruz-based artist Louise Leong. This playful show is appropriate for all ages (of potato chip lovers). April 1-May 3, Rare Device, 1845 Market Street, SF.
"IssuedID: Minority As Brand," Black & White Projects
When it comes to race, gender and class, being a minority in the art world impacts the artist and their art in countless ways. Rhiannon Evans MacFayden has curated the third installment in her series which examines how minority artists are type-cast, pigeonholed and forced to cater their work because of their state-issued ID status. Through April 30, Black & White Projects, 2830 20th Street, #105, SF.
"H20 (Water)," McLoughlin Gallery
We don't want to miss this all-female artist exhibition focused exclusively on water. Inspired in large part by both the California drought and the global water crisis, the exhibit's three artists dive (er, no pun intended) into the spiritual and conceptual facets of water. Through April 30, McLoughlin Gallery, 49 Geary Street, SF.