Artsource Consulting: Make Time for a Quickie at 101 Cal

8:00 AM - 6:00 PM, August 6-September 21, 101 California Street Lobby, curated by Artsource Consulting http://www.artsourceinc.com/

On your next lunch hour in the financial district be sure to stop by 101 California and visit the lobby installation curated by Artsource Consulting. The atrium lobby is a soaring space infused with light and life. Walk through the revolving door and you are transported to an equatorial paradise, surrounded by potted palms and flourishing orchids.

Artsource is a ten year old fine art consulting firm whose impressive client list includes HP, PG&E and the U.S. State Department's art in embassies program.

Benicia Gantner's futuristic lush vinyl landscapes were designed for and are perfectly suited to the soaring verdant greenhouse space.
http://starkguide.blogspot.com/2007/08/gantner-benicia-lush-vinyl-landscapes_07.html

Karen Weiner's mixed media sculpture and works on paper are an imaginary world of miniature house perched on trees. Luxury birdy vacation homes or is this how we'll all be living once sea level rises?
http://starkguide.blogspot.com/2007/08/weiner-karen-ultimate-imaginary-housing.html

Gantner, Benicia: Lush Vinyl Landscapes

8:00 AM - 6:00 PM, August 6-September 21, 101 California Street Lobby, curated by Artsource Consulting
http://www.beniciagantner.com/

Benicia’s work is astonishing because from afar it looks as if it were made without the human hand. High gloss vinyl film is meticulously sliced into snowflake-intricate floral patterns, evoking a stylized version of 19th century Arts and Crafts decorative arts master William Morris.

These are huge works that were made for this space and perfectly echo the riot of plant life and sunshine streaming in. Centered above the elevator bays is an enormous triptych, Sun Stream + Green, which has hanging folds of yellow sun over the contrived, overgrown landscape. Bloom 1 (pearlescent gray cast acrylic) and Bloom 2 (a vibrant pea shoot green) flank the Sun Stream altarpiece over the security desk. Benicia has made three strong pieces that stand out with confidence in this imposing space while still remaining true to her delicate style.

Benicia uses plexiglass mounted on wood frame often in her work, but at 8’ x 12’ “Sun Stream” is the largest piece that she has ever produced. When she first started making these carefully choreographed landscapes she cut the plastic strips by hand. Now that demand for her work has increased, she uses a sign maker’s plotter after creating the original stencil template. In fact her materials are traditional sign making supplies which she can't find locally and must import from L.A. (Fun fact: Benicia and Tauba Auerbach, whose work is also also influenced by commerical sign making, both went to San Francisco University High School.)

Are you thinking that the name Benicia sounds familiar? You’re right, the artist is not only a San Francisco native but is a descendant of Francisca Benicia Carillo de Vallejo and her husband the General.

Benicia has had quite a few noteworthy achievements herself including kicking off Berkeley gallery Traywick’s 10th anniversary year with a solo show in January '07 and being honored as a finalist for the SFMOMA SECA Award (Society for the Encouragement of Contemporary Art) last year.

Weiner, Karen: The Ultimate Imaginary Housing Project

8:00 AM - 6:00 PM, August 6-September 21, 101 California Street Lobby, curated by Artsource Consulting
http://www.ziehersmith.com/a_weiner.html

Vermont based Weiner is represented by ZieherSmith in NY, and just had a one person show at Sixspace in L.A. Walking through the smaller space in the southeast lobby reminded me of a miniature version of It’s A Small World at Disneyland. A crop of tree houses rises up from felt and calico stuffed leaves and lily ponds. Intricate miniature houses of all sorts from ski lodge to double-wide are perched on birch tree trunks. Mixed media collages on the walls sport humorous scenes of birds carrying household appliances and consumer goods, another shows the little houses piled into an ark. Apparently the birds will survive The Great Warming even if we don't.