Creep Machine Magazine – Contemporary Art & Culture

Category: reviews

of shows, art & collectibles

  • Review: Skinner – The Fragile Art of Existence @ Shooting Gallery SF

    Just over a month ago, the latest solo exhibition from Sacramento based artist Skinner opened at the Shooting Gallery in San Francisco. Entitled “The Fragile Art of Existence”, this new show featured work that was created with a different mindset, one with less pressure, less expectations, and more experimentation. There is a great video that has Skinner talking about this series in lead up to the show (Here). I stopped by the show reception night, took some photos and a video. This video tour idea is working out pretty well, let me know if anyone has any ideas or ways I can make them better. On to the review!

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  • Review: The Blab! Show @ Roq La Rue Gallery

    On August 12th Roq La Rue in Seattle, WA opened the latest Blab! Show group invitational, with a specific theme of the Krampus as inspiration. For those not familiar with the Krampus, he is a pre-christian demon like creature that accompanied St Nick during Christmas and punished the bad children. The exhibition features work by Ryan Heshka, Nicoletta Ceccoli, Erik Mark Sandberg, Yoko d’Holbachie, Travis Louie, Travis Lampe, Martin Wittfooth, Ana Bagayan, Owen Smith, Chris Buzelli, Shag, Brian Despain, Mark Garro, Marc Burkhardt, Laurie Hogin, Andy Kehoe, Derek Nobbs, Alex Kuno, Andrew S. Arconi, Julianna Swaney, Jason Holley, and Fred Stonehouse. The folks over at Loved To Death, made their way from San Francisco to Seattle to check out the show. Brennan was nice enough to write a review for the Creep and share some photos as well. Take it away Brennan, after the jump.


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  • Review: Shawn Barber “Youth of Today” @ Fecal Face Dot Gallery

    Now that I live in San Francisco, the idea is to go to as many shows as possible and continue writing reviews, and filming new videos for the shows that are most inspiring. I don’t often get to see the shows on the reception night, but I do manage to see them before they are taken down. Shawn Barber’s latest solo show, “Youth of Today” at Fecal Face Dot Gallery is a good example, as I saw this show during the last week it was up. Shawn is no longer located in San Francisco, and this is his latest solo show in SF since he moved to Los Angeles. This new exhibition featured 4 large scale painting that ran in a series, and 7 smaller paintings on the opposite wall. The work in this show continues Shawn’s “Doll Series”, which are all inspired by his concern of a world becoming more enthralled with pop culture. Click the more link for a video, and the full review.


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  • Review: Jonathan Darby @ White Walls SF

    During the weekend that I visited the Shooting Gallery to check out the latest solo show from Aaron Nagel (reviewed), I also stopped by White Walls Gallery right next door to see what they had going on. The front portion of the gallery featured new works by Adam Caldwell, and while these works were worth checking out the installations and mixed media paintings from Jonathan Darby stole the show. Click the jump link to read the rest of the review and a video of the installation.

    The entire back of the White Walls gallery had been transformed into a Favela, otherwise known as a shanty town in Brazil. Darby has shown his Favela inspired works in previous galleries such as the Signal Gallery. As you step inside the massive installation, the gallery is literally transformed into a slum that many of the children featured in the paintings live in day by day. I was reminded that the ground was still a nice gallery floor, and the room was still conditioned, but I made an effort to really be immersed and understand that the children living this way have it harsher than most people could ever imagine. (more…)

  • Review: “A Thin Line” – Aaron Nagel @ Shooting Gallery

    One June 11th, The Shooting Gallery in San Francisco opened the latest solo show, “The Thin Line”, from Oakland based painter Aaron Nagel. This is the second solo exhibition the artist has had at the gallery, the first being “Marks” (reviewed) that took place March 2010. Since that time he has had a few paintings in group shows, but aside from the few that took place in the Bay Area I rarely got to see any new work in person.

    I was very excited to see this new show, but didn’t make it to the gallery until this past weekend, which doesn’t bother me since I can take some good photos and new video. I really like the idea of taking videos of these shows from here on out, and have gotten a good response from fans across the globe that can’t see the works in person. While I try to do the best I can with the videos, getting in close and trying to capture all the detail I can, there is no replacement for seeing these works in person. Especially when you see how exquisite Aaron’s brushwork is. It really is hard to believe that he is self-taught, and is a testament to hard work and achieving your goals no matter what. Click the read more link for the rest of the review and a video.


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  • Review: Paper View: A Zerofriends Show @ The Cotton Candy Machine

    On May 6th, The Cotton Candy Machine, Tara McPherson’s new gallery, opened a group show entitled Paper View: A Zerofriends Show. The show features new work, prints, apparel, books, and more by Alex Pardee and Zerofriends. Kristen Wyman headed out to the show was nice enough to write a review for the Creep. All images from the Cotton Candy Machine and Sara Antoinette Martin.

    The “Paper View” show featuring the creative collective Zerofriends at Cotton Candy Machine boutique and gallery on Friday night was a stunning representation of the new wave of Do-It-Yourself artists who strive to make fine art more accessible to their fans. Founded by well-known artist Tara McPherson in Williamsburg just last month, the Cotton Candy Machine hosts a different show every month and focuses on originals and prints for $500 or less.
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  • Bye Bye Kitty!!! Between Heaven and Hell in Contemporary Japanese Art

    Motohiko Odani's 'Malformed Noh Mask Series: San Yujo'

    Earlier this year Ms. Kristen Sollee of the Japan Society invited me to take a peek at the institution’s new exhibition of contemporary Japanese art, Bye Bye Kitty!!! She figured I might take a liking to the grotesque elements in the show; she had gotten a strong impression of my interests when she viewed the Anagnorisis group exhibition Another Roadside Attraction this past fall, 2010. I cannot express how right she was and how excited I am about Bye Bye Kitty!!! It is one of the best group exhibitions I’ve seen in a very long time. Almost every work on view is titillating, obsessively and expertly crafted, intelligently subversive, thought provoking and strange. (How’s that for an overly long list of descriptive terms?!) The artwork in this exhibition messed with my head in all the right ways.

    Bye Bye Kitty!!! does just as its title suggests: it is an exploration of contemporary Japanese art that purposely excludes manga and anime, which has invaded our western pop culture and has obscured what other artworks and art styles are prevalent in Japanese society. In short, we’ve been missing out.

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  • Review: “Of Melancholy & Monkey Business” – Jackie Gallagher @ Articulated Gallery

    On Saturday May 7th, I made my way to the Articulated Gallery on Haight Street in San Francisco to check out a very exciting show. I rarely visit this street anymore, and have never been to this gallery, but it was the reception for the first solo show of Jackie Gallagher, an artist I have been raving about since 2008. I was lucky enough to have a painting of hers in the “This is the End” exhibition and have watched her art become more and more intense throughout the years. This solo exhibition entitled “Of Melancholy and Monkey Business” features 16 paintings by Jacqueline, in one of the most unique galleries I have visited. read the full article for more images, a video and the full review.

    Audra of Loved to Death and Jackie Gallagher

    The Articulated Gallery is connected to a shop called “Loved To Death“, created by Audra & Brennan Dance. When you first walk into the store you are greeted with taxidermy, momento mori jewelry, art books, and a whole host of art curiosities. It’s one of those shops that you really need to set aside an entire afternoon to peruse. Knowing what kind of art Jackie creates, the Articulated Gallery located in the back of the shop, was the perfect place to have a solo show. The walls of the gallery are painted a nice neutral gray, and allowed the colors of Jackie’s work to do their magic and invade your eyeballs. The gallery space is a medium size, but easily allowed the 16 paintings, large and small, to fit on the walls without looking cluttered at all.
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