January Shows January 7, 2010

Artists John Yoyogi Fortes, Jessalyn Haggenjos and Mike Narciso present their most recent work in individual one-person shows in the main gallery. Upstairs in the gallery’s loft space artists show work on the theme of human rights in the show, “Tip of the Blade.” Both shows are celebrated with a reception for the artists on Thursday,January 7 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Both shows continue thru January 29.

Recently featured in the Museum of the African Diaspora’s exhibition Decoding Identity: I Do It for My People, the art of John Yoyogi Fortes reads like a subconscious amalgam of popular imagery and street
art. The work exudes the same energy as graffiti or political murals that are created quickly and
surreptitiously. Fortes truly shines when working large (six-foot-plus canvases), where the physical
involvement with the painting pays off in terms of dynamism and resolve.

In a series of work about the world’s most formidable land formations (Utah’s Lake Powell, the continental
lithosphere, Alaska’s Matanuska Glacier), Jessalyn Haggenjos lets opaque, viscose enamel paint mimic
the movements of magma and silt, permitting the paint to move along its own course.

Mike Narciso shows a photo series that looks at details of an abandoned place (the Mare Island
Shipyard in Vallejo) and discovers a plethora of formal possibilities. In Six Drawn Tarps, the viewer is asked to look at the same subject repeatedly only to realize that it is not the same. Everything the camera records — the light, the shapes and compositions — is slightly different.

Tip of the Blade is new show curated by Renée de Cossio highlighting the work of three contemporary
artists.

In remembrance of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, photographers Pamela Belknap and Jason
Winshell and multimedia painter George Pfau present three distinctive bodies of work dedicated to the
theme of civil and human rights. Belknap shares a sampling of the twenty five hundred images she
photographed at San Francisco City Hall between June and November 2008, when same sex marriage
was legal. Winshell’s poignant documentary photographs portray a sense of immediacy as they engage the viewer and offer insights into today’s American social fabric. Pfau explores concepts of recognition, identity, category, and stereotype through his visually complex, multidimensional paintings that reference the human body in both physical and virtual space.

Representing Northern California artists, the SFMOMA Artists Gallery offers a diverse selection of original
artwork for sale and rent.

Located on the top floor of the Artists Gallery, the loft gallery is a new exhibition space devoted to
artworks not typically found in our rental inventory, such as installations, unframed works on paper, and
wall and floor sculptures. Similar to a "project room," this space welcomes exploration and
experimentation.

The SFMOMA Artists Gallery is located in Building A at Fort Mason Center. Gallery hours are 11:30 a.m. to
5:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Admission to gallery exhibitions is free of charge.

Visit our website at www.sfmoma.org/artists_gallery or call 415/441-4777 for more information. Become a fan of the Gallery on Facebook and follow us on twitter.

Official Website: http://www.sfmoma.org/artists_gallery