Ever since Robert Rauschenberg built his legendary “combines” from cast-off junk sculptors have relied increasingly on found objects and industrial materials. Repurposed, they convey new meanings that go beyond associations we normally affix to them.
Archives for July 2010
Flatlanders @ Nelson Gallery, UCD
Contrary to Bay Area opinion, which holds that Sacramento is a backwater, “Flatlanders” stands as a smart rebuke. It not only serves as a showcase for emerging artists, but also spotlights artists who long ago established international reputations.
Jennifer Little & Mike Osborne @ Stanford
In 1861, photographer Felix Nadar captivated Parisians with his photos of the city’s catacombs and sewers. In “Excavating the Underground”, Jennifer Little and Mike Osborn, explore subterranean urban spaces in much the same spirit.
Local Treasures @ Berkeley Art Center
Katherine Sherwood, Robert Brady, Jim Melchert, Squeak Carnwath, Livia Stein and Gale Wagner would seem, at least on the surface, to have little in common. Look deeper are you find that each, in their own way, is committed to plumbing life’s mysteries.
Post-WWII Asian Modernists @ Togonon
Mixing works by Asian-American artists, both foreign and native-born, this show demonstrates how Zen, calligraphy and Automatism, as advocated by the Surrealists, combined to form one of the most influential movements of the 20th century.