Sculpturesite Gallery is pleased to present Empathy, an exhibition of bronze sculptures cast from plastic scrap assemblages by artist Jerry Ross Barrish. The show opens November 19, and continues through February 27, 2010. On Saturday December 5, an opening reception with the artist will be held from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
“Empathy is the hallmark of Jerry Barrish’s figurative sculpture;” says Philip Linhares, Chief Curator of Art at the Oakland Museum of California, “he endows his figures with life through pose, gesture, and narrative.” Barrish is a storyteller. For over a decade, he used filmmaking as his principle artistic outlet. Then on a December day in 1989, both everything and nothing changed. While walking along the beach near his home, Barrish collected scraps of plastic trash swept in by the surf. From these he created his first castaway sculpture – a Christmas tree. This simple act was a revelation. Since then he has created a signature expression of sculptures of found refuse through hundreds of figures and animal forms.
Most recently, Barrish has selected a few of these assemblages to cast in bronze. “I was very reluctant,” he explains, “because I felt I had discovered a unique voice in the found materials that had become my signature medium. But one aspect of bronze appealed to me – unlike my plastic assemblage, the cast bronze could be displayed outdoors in parks, gardens, and in public spaces.” Barrish carefully chose which pieces would be cast in bronze, selecting only those that would maintain the “spirit and soul of the original work.”
Six figurative works will be on view at this exhibition. In Barrish’s piece, “Grieving,” the figure’s depressed head buries itself in its up-stretched hands while seemingly trying to hide its sorrow behind a wrapped sackcloth-like covering. It’s gaunt frame and diminutive height demands our compassion. In “Russian Dancer,” Barrish displays a different set of emotions. The figure raises arms skyward while its legs practically gyrate in dance. It is a celebration. In either case of joy or sorrow, Barrish’s figures convey a narrative gesture that both gives and requires emotion, exchange and empathy.
Jerry Ross Barrish, a native San Franciscan, studied sculpture under Charles B. Johnson before enrolling in the San Francisco Art Institute where he studied filmmaking. After receiving both his B.F.A. and M.F.A. from SFAI, Barrish spent over a decade producing films that gained a considerable following overseas, particularly in Germany. His art came full circle in the late 1980’s when he began again to create sculpture. Barrish has and continues to exhibit his unique works of art throughout the Western United States. He is included in many permanent public collections including the Berkeley Art Museum, Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento and the San Jose Museum of Art to name a few. He currently lives and maintains his studio in the Bay Area.
SCULPTURESITE GALLERY is the Bay Area’s only gallery dedicated entirely to modern and contemporary fine art sculpture, representing over fifty emerging, mid-career and internationally renowned artists. The landmark indoor-outdoor gallery is located one block from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, across the street from the Moscone Convention Center, in the heart of SOMA’s Museum District. With a downtown public plaza showcasing over twenty large-scale works at any given time, the gallery offers a stunning and unique space for viewing exhibitions of sculpture in an urban setting, transforming a formerly pedestrian setting into a must-see cultural destination.
Member of the San Francisco Art Dealers Association SFADA
For additional information or high resolution images, please contact Brigitte Micmacker, Director, at (415) 495-6400, or [email protected].
Please note: new gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, Noon to 5pm.
