(from website) Celebrating today’s most significant creatives and leading contributors to the worlds of design and visual arts, the fair assembles 45 leading international galleries; prominent 20th-century and contemporary design dealers; a weekend of exciting programs; and 21POP, a special installation created by Stanlee Gatti.

FOG has become a focal point for the design and arts communities on the West Coast and further afield. The fair is synonymous with a uniquely pioneering spirit due to its bold hybrid approach and intimate presentation of art and design, dynamic programming on-site and its community-led mission to champion art and design in its historic Fort Mason setting. Building on FOG’s longstanding commitment to cultural institutions, the fair’s Preview Gala is honored to continue its crucial support of SFMOMA’s exhibitions and education programs. FOG represents a key moment in which the local and global community congregate to engage in critical dialogue, artistic exchanges and a shared passion for creative pursuits.

– for more information on additional images from this event please contact EMS at [email protected] or Instagram at @ericminhswenson

(from website) Untitled, Art is an international, curated art fair founded in 2012 that focuses on curatorial balance and integrity across all disciplines of contemporary art. Untitled, Art innovates the standard fair model by selecting a curatorial team to identify and curate a selection of galleries, artist-run exhibition spaces, and non-profit institutions and organizations, in dialogue with an architecturally designed venue. The next edition of Untitled Art, San Francisco will take place January 18 – 20, 2019 at Pier 35, 1454 The Embarcadero.

Jeffrey Lawson is the Founder and owner of Art Fairs Unlimited, LLC, Untitled, Art and ELEMENTS Global Trade Show, LLC. Lawson has produced and consulted on large-scale trade shows globally for the past 12 years. In 2010, Lawson founded Elements Showcase. In 2012, he established Untitled, Art, which launched in December 2012 on the sands of Miami Beach at Ocean Drive and 12th Street, and debuted on the West Coast in San Francisco in January 2017. 

In July 2017 Untitled, Art appointed Manuela Mozo as Director to lead the international development of Untitled and oversee the curatorial and strategic vision of the fairs in Miami and San Francisco. Manuela Mozo was a partner at Simon Lee Gallery from 2013, where she established the gallery’s office in New York. Prior to this, Manuela was a Director at Metro Pictures and Skarstedt Gallery, both in New York. Manuela holds a Masters in Contemporary Art Theory and Cultural Studies from New York University and currently sits on the advisory board of RxArt. 

– for more information on additional images from this event please contact EMS at [email protected] or Instagram at @ericminhswenson

(from website) David Kordansky Gallery is pleased to announce Chromospheres, its first exhibition by Fred Eversley. The show of new sculptures will open on January 12 and remain on view through March 2, 2019. An opening reception will take place on Saturday, January 12 from 6:00pm until 8:00pm.

Based in Venice Beach for five decades, Fred Eversley is a key figure in the development of contemporary art from Los Angeles during the postwar period. His work is the product of a pioneering vision attuned to enduring principles of energy, motion, space, gravity, time, light, and color, and synthesizes elements from several 20th-century art historical lineages with roots in Southern California–most notably the Light and Space movement, with which he has long been associated. Chromospheres will feature the latest examples of Eversley’s iconic Parabolic Lens sculptures, an ongoing typology that is the result of continuous experimentation over the course of five decades. Made using clear resin and commercial dyes, these objects generate complex and highly luminous optical events for their viewers, encapsulating the mechanics of sight and the action of physical and metaphysical energies.

After formative experiences as an aerospace engineer, Eversley began in the late 1960s to produce multicolor, multilayer cast polyester sculptures informed by his knowledge of technology, scientific principles, the properties of various materials and his ability to develop his own specialized tools to manipulate them. Spinning liquid resin and dyes in molds affixed to turntables fashioned from lathes, potter’s wheels, and repurposed industrial machinery, he produced sculptures that in turn initiated a focused yet open-ended body of work that continues to the present day.

By adjusting the saturation of his dyes or pigments, the thickness of each layer of poured resin, the amount of catalyst responsible for eventually hardening it, and the speed at which he spins the mold, Eversley creates the Parabolic Lenses, disc-like objects that contain a wide variety of chromatic effects and varying degrees of transparency. These features only fully emerge after each sculpture undergoes a long polishing process whose technical and physical demands far exceed those of the casting itself.

All works of this type are defined by the parabolic curvature, on one side, of a concave surface, which reflects the spaces in which they are installed and creates ever-changing spatial illusions. (Eversley has often remarked that the parabola is the only shape that focuses all forms of energy toward a single point.) As light interacts with the sculpture, the sharp surface edge refracts it like a prism, each of the curved layers of color comes into focus, and viewers are given a new, constantly shifting experience of discovery that depends on their angle of approach. The world around them is transformed within: flipped upside down, its proportions distorted, and suffused with rich color.

Eversley has described his Parabolic Lenses as kinetic sculptures, though the motion to which he refers is the movement of viewers’ bodies and the corresponding variations in their perceptions of light and reflection. The intentionality of composition that makes such movement possible and invites natural, often instant, engagement by the observer, distinguishes his work from many of the West Coast minimalists who have been his peers and neighbors over the last five decades. Though he has produced large-scale works for a variety of contexts, Eversley does not privilege monumentality or imposing forms. Rather, he calls attention to universal forces responsible for moving and arranging light and matter, ephemeral atmospheric effects (including the sun’s interactions with sky and sea), and the formal poetry created when ineffable workings of the eye and mind are given formal expression.

Eversley’s singularity of purpose nonetheless results in sculptures that demonstrate a wide range of compositional variation. This can perhaps be observed most readily in his use of color. The earliest Parabolic Lenses all contained the same order and combination of blue, amber, and violet; he achieved a range of effects by varying only the speed at which he spun his molds, as well as the proportions of resin and dye concentrations. While some of the works on view in Chromospheres shift the old color combination into new orders, others are radiant two- and three-color lenses that make use of the entire color spectrum. Also on view are monochromatic lenses so saturated or dark that they appear to be completely opaque mirrors. In its own way, each of these works demonstrates how Eversley reveals fundamental properties of energy by harnessing time, gravity and centrifugal force to create parabolic forms and distribute color and matter within them. As the artist points out, “The genesis of energy is central to the mystery of our existence as animate beings in an inanimate universe. The original and ultimate source of all energy on earth is the sun. My early sculptures were directly influenced by the solar energy source; my new works take this theme deeper and beyond to the colors of the stars, which we can not see, but only imagine.”

– for more information on additional images from this event please contact EMS at [email protected] or Instagram at @ericminhswenson

AI WEIWEI: LIFE CYCLE

(from Marciano gallery) September 28, 2018 – March 3, 2019Marciano Art Foundation is pleased to announce the third MAF Project in the Theater Gallery, a solo exhibition of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, on view from September 28, 2018 — March 3, 2019. This exhibition is Ai’s first major institutional exhibition in Los Angeles and will feature the new and unseen work Life Cycle (2018) – a sculptural response to the global refugee crisis. The exhibition will also present iconic installations Sunflower Seeds (2010) and Spouts (2015) within the Foundation’s Theater Gallery.

On view for the first time in the Black Box, Life Cycle (2018) references the artist’s 2017 monumental sculpture Law of the Journey, Ai’s response to the global refugee crisis, which used inflatable, black PVC rubber to depict the makeshift boats used to reach Europe. In this new iteration, Life Cycle depicts an inflatable boat through the technique used in traditional Chinese kite-making, exchanging the PVC rubber for bamboo.

Suspended around the boat installation are figures crafted from bamboo and silk. In 2015, Ai began creating these figures based on mythic creatures from the Shanhaijing, or Classic of Mountains and Seas. The classic Chinese text compiles mythic geography and myth; versions of the Shanhaijing have existed since the 4th century B.C. These works are crafted in Weifang, a Chinese city in Shandong province with a tradition of kite-making dating back to the Ming dynasty (1368–1644).

Windows (2015), which hangs along the perimeter of the Black Box, draws from Chinese mythology, the tales and illustrations of the Shanhaijing, the history of 20^th-century art, and the life and works of the artist. The vignettes feature a dense mix of biographical, mythological, and art historical references to craft a contemporary story. Similar to chapters in a book, or acts in a play, the various scenes include the mythological creatures of the Shanhaijing alongside bamboo versions of Ai’s earlier works, such as Template and Bang, and homages to Marcel Duchamp and Jasper Johns. A central theme running through the ten vignettes is freedom of speech and Ai’s efforts in defending it. Motifs recurring in Ai’s practice—the bicycle, the alpaca, symbols of state surveillance and control—are repeated and multiplied.

This multifaceted installation is a continuation of Ai’s ongoing engagement with politics and social justice. It follows the release of his feature-length documentary, Human Flow (2017), which depicts the refugee crisis on film. In the artist’s op-ed for the Guardian in February 2018, he writes, “I was a child refugee. I know how it feels to live in a camp, robbed of my humanity. Refugees must be seen as an essential part of our shared humanity.”

– for more information on additional images from this event please contact EMS at [email protected] or Instagram at @ericminhswenson

Art is an after-reflection.
—Urs Fischer

Gagosian is pleased to present Images, an exhibition of new paintings and sculptures by Urs Fischer.

In Fischer’s work, images emerge from an odd liminal space between the real and the imagined, between what does, and could, exist. Over the past year, he has been creating paintings digitally, inventing things, rooms, and spaces using color and light. On a screen, as opposed to paper or canvas, Fischer is able to paint with light itself—moving illuminated pixels around, juxtaposing clean lines and gradients, and reflecting on the subtle atmospheric changes across day and night, summer and winter, Los Angeles and New York.

Silkscreened onto aluminum panels, the paintings in this exhibition—vertical compositions broken up into multiple rectangular passages—take on the scale of modern abstraction, yet they all describe imaginary interior and exterior worlds. Windows appear often: one glows behind a gauzy white curtain, looking onto swaying palm trees; another reflects a sunrise or sunset, with a still life on a table barely visible through fingerprints on the glass; and another frames a building across the street, where nine more windows reveal smeared and fragmented California views. In other paintings, Fischer imagines canvases hanging on walls, hit with swathes and squares of light pouring in from an unseen source. The fictional paintings and sculptures depict animals, food, city streets, or messy brushstrokes, but they—like the light—only exist within Fischer’s constructed environments; they need not adhere to any history, law, or logic.

Fischer presents characters and drawings that seem capable of disappearing at any moment. In one painting, a small orange bird sits on a branch, floating in a dark gray sky. Though its legs are in sharp focus, its body becomes a vaporous orb, glowing within the surrounding clouds. And in an uncanny sculptural ecosystem below, two motorized snails slowly wander through the gallery, leaving trails of slime in their wake. These gleaming lines, which evaporate over time, wind across the floor, uniting the other sculptures—a smoking volcano, a snowman, a palm tree—within a swirling, ephemeral landscape. Looming over the scene, the surrounding paintings form vivid, even cinematic, backdrops: a montage of disparate settings for a small, peculiar world.

– FROM GAGOSIAN WEBSITE

– for more information on additional images from this event please contact EMS at [email protected] or Instagram at @ericminhswenson

Vija Celmins

To Fix the Image in Memory

December 15, 2018–March 31, 2019

Floor 4

TicketsEntry to this exhibition is included with general admission.Sharehttps://www.sfmoma.org/exhibition

For more than five decades, Vija Celmins has been creating subtle, exquisitely detailed renderings of the physical world — including oceans, desert floors, and night skies. Distilling vast, expansive distances into mesmerizing, small-scale artworks, these “redescriptions” are a way to understand human consciousness in relation to lived experience. One of the few women to be recognized as a significant artist in 1960s Los Angeles, Celmins relocated to New York City in 1981, where she continues to live and work. Vija Celmins: To Fix the Image in Memory features more than 140 artworks, including paintings, drawings, and sculptures. A global debut, this is the first Celmins retrospective in North America in more than twenty-five years.

– for more information on additional images from this event please contact EMS at [email protected] or Instagram at @ericminhswenson

Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art presents two installations by renowned artist Yayoi Kusama, Infinity Mirrored Room – Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity and Narcissus Garden. An immersive experience for visitors, Yayoi Kusama offers a unique wonderland of lights and reflections where guests become part of the artworks and can experience Kusama’s exploration of infinite space. 

Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity is a room of infinite, shimmering lights. Guests step into an enclosed room to become immersed, as an array of lights ignite a delicate mirage mirrored on every surface representing the eternal cycle of life over the span of just under a minute. The space represents Kusama’s lifelong obsession with the dissolution of the self into the infinite.

Narcissus Garden has been re-installed and commissioned in various settings since its creation more than 50 years ago. This iteration is comprised of 750 stainless steel silver globes that create an infinite lake that distorts images of reality reflected on the surface of the 12-inch orbs.

Recognized today for her robust career, Kusama is one of the most successful and well-known living artists. Time Magazine named her one of the most influential people in the world in 2016.

– for more information on additional images from this event please contact EMS at [email protected] or Instagram at @ericminhswenson

BY CHELSEA ESQUIBEL

WEEKEND RECAP: ADAM FRANZINO DEBUTS “MUSES” AT MILK LA

Last Friday, SoCal native & Milk fam Adam Franzino showcased his first solo photo exhibition, “MUSES”, at Milk Studios LA. Hundreds of guests attended the opening to view his work, which emphasizes the beauty of the supermodels and icons he photographs. 

The curation of the show “MUSES” centers on Franzino’s attraction to landscape backdrops and asymmetrical composition, with on-location editorials and behind the scenes snapshots. And”MUSES” isn’t just a show about natural beauty; the portraits on display also benefited the TONIE GARM FOUNDATION, as a portion of the proceeds from sales will go to this foundation to provide educational opportunities and advancement for girls in Africa.

Franzino moved to New York in 2005 with a background in fashion photography. After a decade of working in the industry, he has created countless iconic images and directed various projects for Victoria’s Secret, Harper’s BAZAAR, Vogue, and more.

We sat down with Franzino to talk more about the “MUSES” exhibit and his journey as an artist; read the full interview below.

How did your love for photography develop?

My love for photography developed from day one having a camera on program in high school to continuing to understand how to balance light properly. I love daylight and I love the way it can be shaped and once I started understanding that I became a huge light nerd. Watching movies pausing scenes and looking at photographers work I love trying to figure out how everything was being lit.

You do a lot of your work outside on location. How do you pick your locations? Do you prefer shooting outside? Are you inspired by your locations / environments?

I get asked this question a lot. Do I prefer studio or location. Like I said, I love natural light. I love locations because you have so much more to work with then just a set or a cyc. Sometimes I’ll be inspired by a location sometimes I’m Inspired by the fashion and then will find a location that works . But at the end of the day once I’m on location I let the light dictate everything. I follow the light all day and chose where I’m shooting and how to build the story around the sun.

Who are some of the most influential photographers / artist that you look up to?

I was real confused when I went on my own. I was inspired by so many different photographers and styles that I was having trouble knowing who I was. I had a meeting one day at American Vogue with Ivan Shaw who was the photo director at the time that made the light bulb go on. Without going into detail he pretty much said, “I think you’re a good photographer but you’re lost and all over the place.” Knowing my background where I was from and what he thought the strongest images in my book were he helped me hone in big time on developing my style. From that day on my favorite photographers and who I started studying more of was Herb Ritts, Peter Lindbergh, Patrick Demarchelier, Jeanloup Sieff and Helmut Newton to name a few. They have had major impact on me and my work.

Talk to us about your first exhibition, “MUSES”, what does this exhibition mean to you? I am sure all of your photos have a special meaning to you, but if you had to pick your favorite piece from “MUSES” what would it be and why?

“MUSES” is my very first solo show. I wanted to do it in LA, my hometown, in front of my family and friends. I wanted the people most important to me to be there since they have been there since day one through this insanely difficult journey of becoming a photographer. It was so special, 1,000 people RSVP-ed, the room was packed and people were taking pictures in front of my images and that was amazing to me. Each one of these images has a story behind it on the way we shot it or got the image in the end. For that reason I don’t have a favorite as I’m too close to these images and the stories behind them. I will say though, seeing them all hung and framed together was a moment for me for sure.

You have been a photographer for over 10 years, how did you pick what pieces of work you wanted to select for your first exhibition?

I have an archive of images over the years of all the personal work with these girls. Editing down to two or three of the same image is the easy part but choosing the actual image to hang not so easy. I have help editing as I’ll actually sit with the girls after and see what what images they are drawn too. I like their opinion. I like to see how they see themselves looking best. I’ll then ask a couple more people I work with and trust for their opinion and make the final select.

How do you see your photography developing as your career grows?

As my career grows I want my eye to grow. I’m constantly seeing more as I grow and shoot. I am accompanied by such legends in this field and even some of my old assistants that are now shooting on their own make me jealous with some of their images they are putting out. I like seeing that. It pushes me internally to constantly be better, to push harder to try and take better pictures. I was recognized on the night of my exhibition but now I forget that and jump back into this small sea with big names and try to become as good as them one day.

What is the biggest lesson you have learned throughout your years of photography?

My biggest lesson I’ve learned over the years is PATIENCE! I have none. I thought I was ready to be shooting major campaigns and editorials when I was 25 and if that would have happened I would have failed badly. This process of growing as an artist is important.  On the commercial side there are so many variables on a shoot day so many things thrown at you that no one can prepare you for. It’s all about watching that while assisting, understanding how this business works and then hopefully when your day comes you’ll step up and be ready.

– for more information on additional images from this event please contact EMS at [email protected] or Instagram at @ericminhswenson