The Luminous One by Craig LaRotonda
San Francisco is home to a number of Fine Arts galleries, but none is quite a match for Bash Contemporary. Located in the Tenderloin, a neighborhood known as 'challenging' because of drug dealers, addicts, prostitutes and mentally unstable street people, the gallery is thriving. The Tenderloin seems to be undergoing a revival (alas, gentrification); but it's always been a thriving, vital neighborhood. And Bash Contemporary is a perfect fit.
On May 30, the most recent exhibition opened: The Garden of Fernal Delights. Curated by Liba Waring Stambollion, the artwork is a collection of pieces that depict a paradise of cooperation, delight, joy, and fantasy.
Transit of Venus by Carrie Ann Baade 2012
Think of the Fernal Garden as opposite of an Infernal one; in the Fernal Garden, there is play, joy, magic, and no notion of evil or violence. The collection of work by 35 artists ranges from the ethereal to the surreal. It's nothing short of a visual playground, a sensual and alluring thrill.
Serpent Priestess by Liba Waring Stambollion 2015
The Garden of Fernal Delights runs through June 27. If you can't make the exhibition (and shucks, even if you can), I highly recommend the marvelous book that both co-creates and catalogues the show: The Encyclopedia of Fernal Affairs.
Bash Contemporary opened about two years ago, so by some estimations is a young gallery. The owner, Anthony Luzi, is a graduate of the SF Art Institute and brought a vision to showcase up and coming artists in the “Neo-Surrealist” style, with most having begun as street artists. At the opening in 2013, two of the artists showing were Nathan Ota and Bob Dob, both street graffiti artists who now teach at the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles.
It's a fresh place, Bash Contemporary, filled with energy and vitality. Next time you're in the city by the bay, check it out at 210 Golden Gate Avenue. You can follow them on Tumblr, or on Twitter - and take a tour of their website, here. Nothing but eye candy and inspiration await you!
Rainbow Herbicides by Hannah Faith Yata
You're most welcome. Thank you for such a great show!
Posted by: shane keven reinhart | Friday, October 30, 2015 at 08:15 AM
I just discovered your blog post on the Fernal Garden. Thanks! I will repost :D
Posted by: Liba WS | Friday, October 30, 2015 at 05:54 AM