by Blouin ArtInfo Staff
Dolby Chadwick Gallery, San Francisco, is presenting Artist as Subject, a special group exhibition to mark the gallery’s 20th anniversary.
This exhibition honors a group of artists by making the artists as the core subjects of their work. To accomplish this, the gallery invited thirty-two artists to create self-portraits—though not necessarily in the traditional sense. These artists were asked how the idea of the self-portrait resonated with their work, and how they might represent themselves emotionally or physically. The result was an interesting range of artworks. For instance Vanessa Marsh has used the silhouettes to create photographic images. Painter Ada Sadler, on the other hand chose the photograph which she earlier rejected that forms the basis of her self-portrait. In that image she appears in the background as a faint reflection in a glass wall, taking the photo.
Other artists presenting their works are Gonzalo Fuenmayor whose work depicts Latin America’s colonial past and its legacy. He collages familiar symbols of Latin America with those of Europe, melding bananas with ornamental objects which are almost unexpected combinations. His work is said to have an influence of writers like Gabriel García Márquez and Jorge Luis Borges. Alex Kanevsky’s (Russian, b. 1963) gestural portraits are influenced by the artistic traditions of Eastern Europe and United States. Kanevsky feels a deep connection to art history and his own artistic influences are wide-ranging, from Vincent Van Gogh and Georges Seurat, to literature greats like Leo Tolstoy, James Joyce and Ezra Pound.
The exhibition will be on view from July 15 through September 2, 2017, at 210 Post Street, Suite 205, San Francisco, CA 94108.