The Best I've Ever Had June 28, 2008

"The Best I've Ever Had", a lavish, luxurious and sensorial exhibition of paintings by Alexandra Chowaniec and Kristen van Diggelen incites desire, memory and the experience of materiality. Sharing deeply held beliefs in rigorous mastery, Alexandra and Kristen engage the languages and histories of representational painting as contemporary female painters. Chowaniec investigates desire through the concept of the gaze, expressing the act of looking as separate from what is seen. Explorations of the potential of display within specific socio-cultural conditions by van Diggelen evoke psychological narratives. Their elucidation of fetish objects, both quotidian and sacred, fluctuates between internal and external visual landscapes.

ART ENGINE, 100 feet of floor-to-ceiling windows along Mission Street presents a program of quality one-person and group shows with a selection of large works for San Franciscans and visitors to enjoy. ART ENGINE is committed to make quality art more accessible to the community. At 1035 Mission Street, ART ENGINE has converted a vacant storefront commercial space between 6th and 7th streets into a cultural showcase that makes for engaging drive-by or walk-along experiences. Artist-Curator Yuri Psinakis, acting director of ART ENGINE, says, "I love that I can use the 1035 Mission Street space to provide visitors, pedestrians, and drivers alike with a 24-7 art experience." Then he adds, "It shines like a jewel-box at night."

Free and open to the public.

Official Website: http://www.artenginegalleries.com