Reception: Thursday, May 21, 5:30–7:30PM
Rena Bransten Gallery, 77 Geary St. (at Grant), San Francisco, CA 94108
Eirik Johnson’s color photographs chronicle his study of Sawdust Mountain, a once idyllic patch of the Pacific Northwest now in decline after a century of human encroachment. The story is a familiar one - early settlers attracted by the sublime beauty and abundant natural resources – of Washington state in this case - began local nature-based industries that eventually depleted the natural resources. The romance of lumberjacks and fishermen taming the wilderness and living off the land has been replaced by the hardscrabble reality of those now trying to eke out a living as well as conservationists and ecologists trying to save and restore the landscape. Johnson presents a well-rounded portrait of a town and country struggling to find solutions to these conflicting demands. His photographs capture the history and legacy of the industries, the landscape at the center of the vortex, and the changes undertaken to staunch the economic and ecological declines so all can survive.
Johnson was born in Seattle, WA and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art from the University of Washington, Seattle and with a Master of Fine Art from the San Francisco Art Institute. Sawdust Mountain photographs will also be exhibited at the Henry Art Gallery at the University of Washington who co-published the accompanying book with Aperture. Other Johnson book and exhibitions include Borderlands from 2006 and Animal Holes from 2007. Johnson is currently living and teaching in Boston at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
In her first exhibition at the Rena Bransten Gallery, Spanish artist Amparo Sard explores themes of identity and confinement. Using a unique form of pointillism, Sard creates small works on papers consisting of thousands of pinholes resulting in intricate imagery that can only be described as pixilated. In The Error of Oversight, Sard uses her own image to create a body of work involving a narrative of a woman imprisoned by an unseen force, yet seemingly resigned to it. Sard uses glass walls, wooden boards, water and small spaces as metaphors of the space the woman negotiates due to her indecision. Sard’s struggle with water is particularly engaging and is encapsulated beautifully within her video work, allowing for yet another dimension to the exhibition. Yet there is some hope for her character as the woman begins to make actions toward shedding her old identity. The exhibition is both subtle and austere; promising to have viewers questioning what role indecision has played within their own lives.
Sard was born in Mallorca, Spain and has exhibited extensively in international venues. Her work can be found in the collections of MoMA, New York; Guggenheim, New York; West Collection, Philadelphia; and Deutsche Bank, Berlin. She lives and works in Mallorca.
Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday 10:30AM to 5:30PM and Saturday 11:00AM to 5PM. For more information, please go to www.renabranstengallery.com.
