David Ruth

David Ruth's excellent adventure in the Antarctic was chronicled in an interview published in a recent GLANC newsletter by San Francisco Bay Area glass artist Susan Longini, where he humorously details the voyage from receiving a national grant, to the company of filmmaker Werner Herzog, to the minutiae of daily south pole life.

To hear David's story (read his blog), the Antarctic was a veritable mine of artistic influence that resulted in a new series of sculpture based on the Antarctic ice, where form and color are pure and (forgive the pun) glacial. This collection of work, and first issue of David's work in a limited edition series (nine per casting), remains true to his formalized tradition of forming an inner work captured within the outer confines of his sculpture, and is spectacularly imbued with light, as he captures spectacular, glittering optical effects rendered by labor-intensive polishing (and decisions where not to polish). David's concept behind the series studies and delivers samples of crystalline formations found only in the rarest circumstance, and demonstrates what may forever be lost under changing planetary conditions. Two works from this series, Norsel and Gamage, were recently shown to considerable acclaim at SOFA Chicago 2008 and our newly launched Winter Salon 2008. Bravo, David!

Chantal Royant

As the new kid on the block at 49 Geary Street, San Francisco's reputed den of art activity, our introduction of glass sculpture to art aficionados continues to draw surprising response - from congratulations to outrageous curiosity. For our first Winter Salon, a group exhibition of blown and kiln-fired sculpture, digital art, and video, one of the artists whose work has elicited some of the most interest is Chantal Royant.

Born in France, Chantal Royant's work infuses personal philosophies and poetry, creating a lyrical visual work, dynamic with color, drama, and form, yet infinitely delicate. Chantal's work possesses fascinating exchange of light and optics, which forms the sculpture within a sculpture, a classical hallmark of polished cast glass artwork.

Questions about Chantal's work range from the ubiquitous, "What is it?" (It's kiln cast lead glass, commonly known as crystal), to "How did she achieve such a distinct bubble pattern?" (The bubbles are formed by gases trapped during the kiln-firing process).

According to her editor, Edith Herlemont-Lassiat, Chantal's sources of inspiration are infinite and permanent, everything brings her back to the creative act: a moment of particular light, a work of art, an emotion, a look, a promise of beauty. Nourished by childhood in Brittany and memories of granite and rain, the paradox between materials and matter influence an attentive sensibility of space. Presenting contrasts of shape, color and clarity in tandem with formal presence, Chantal's work of highly polished sculptural mass is belied by effervescent air bubbles suspended in surprising clear forms. Strands of glass thread in unlikely silken weavings, colors are saturated or transparent, always intense - her sculpture, with its definitive interior and exterior shapes, capture a moment that is forever suspended in light and delicate space.

Happy Holidays!!

Best wishes!

-from all of us at Micaela Gallery





Micaela Gallery
49 Geary Street, No. 234
San Francisco, CA 94108
415.551.8118 info@micaela.com

David Yun

David Yun's work was shown with great interest Bridge Art Fair New York and Miami, with Micaela Gallery this year, and he is rapidly climbing the ranks of young video artists to watch on collectors' lists. He will show his work, with Gerald Cannon and Jenna North, at Micaela Gallery next month beginning January 20. His work will also be included in an upcoming exhibition at the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco. You can see his piece "The Pain with Being Thirsty" on display starting at the end of January.

I Do It For My People (January 23, 2009 – March 8, 2009) - The Museum of the African Diaspora's new exhibition, I Do It for My People, examines how contemporary artists articulate demands and issues unique to their groups: ethnic, racial, gender, sexual orientation, and religious. Issues specific to people of color serve as a starting point as we draw connections to concerns of other minority groups. Within such a rich and complex society, we must reach outside our own silos to both understand ourselves as well as seek a broader view of the people and cultural values of our world.

The jury at the Alternative Film/Video Festival in Serbia recently chose Yun's piece "The Pain with Being Thirsty" for the List of significant achievements of the festival. The award includes the right to realize a new film/video produced by the Academic Film Centre (AFC) with full use of all production facilities and technical equipment. The authors will be provided with accommodation and restaurant service within for a period of 1 month. Their awarded films/videos will be published on the non-commercial DVD ALTERNATIVE FILM/VIDEO 2008.

In addition, Yun's work has been showing regularly within the Bay Area and around the world. Here is a partial list of recent screenings of Yun's work:

- 22nd Stuttgart Filmwinter Festival for Expanded Media Stuttgart, Germany,

- Platforma Video 8 Athens, Greece ;

- Jordan Short Film Festival Amman, Jordan;

- 21st Dallas Video Festival Dallas, Texas;

- 6th Detroit Docs Detroit, Michigan;

- 2nd Oblo Film Festival Lausanne, Switzerland;

- Document 6 Glasgow, Scotland;

- Austin Asian American Film Festival Austin, Texas.

His work was also included in the film/video screening at the 10th APAture Festival of Emerging Asian Pacific American Artists which took place at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

Yun was recently the recipient of the annual Murphy and Cadogan Fellowship awarded by the San Francisco Foundation to the most promising MFA students in the Bay Area. As a result, his Digital Scratch Films were included as part of the Immediate Future exhibition at the SF Arts Commission Gallery this fall.

Gary Clemenceau

Gary Clemenceau's successful gallery debut last summer was a precursor to our first Winter Salon (2008) and his first exhibition at Bridge Art Fair in Miami earlier this month. A prolific artist, his work is based on digital media and complicated (and dangerous, he tells me) electromagnetic and engineering processes. A trained photographer, Gary manages to create consistently irresistible visuals compelling the viewers' approach. His first series, 'City of Glass', presented squares of electric, saturated colors printed on archival papers and sealed within a slick matrix of polished polycarbonate (I think that's plexi) and aluminum. For the Winter Salon, Gary presents a concurrent series, 'Tough Audience,' a sinister world where pseudo-figurative shapes are dark, menacing, and an undercurrent of oppressive control pervades.

Peter Bremers

Peter Bremers' work draws unadulterated awe for its quiet, pure expression of sculpture. He describes his work as an offering of gratitude for the overwhelming emotion he feels when confronted by the majesty of nature. While this probably sounds florid to the casual American reader, to view his work, one marvels how (no, not just technically, but how) he managed to capture the essence of the silky dark ripples of a deep arctic sea and all its mysterious colors. Peter's work will be on exhibition at the Winter Salon 2008 through January 17, 2009.

(image by Paul Niessen, left:
Iceberg+Paraphernalia 2005-52, kiln cast Reichenbach glass, 53 x 36 x 8 in., 2008)

Micaela Gallery began its Salon program in the summer of 2005, to offer invited artists a curated exhibition venue and promote an active exchange of ideas in an informal setting. As the Salon d'Ete grew, Director Micaela Van Zwoll expanded the Salon program to offer a broader, more formal direction featuring contemporary fine art emphasizing conceptual artwork in drawing and digital art, glass sculpture, paintings and video art. Invited artists share a commitment to conceptual discipline, formal methods, rigorous process, and mastery of their chosen medium. Today, Micaela Gallery hosts COLD+HOT and Winter Salon - two annual group exhibitions that introduce, and open, the gallery's following program season. For submissions to COLD+HOT 2009, please click this link.

Winter Salon 2008 Opening Reception

Micaela Gallery's inaugural reception of Winter Salon 2008, and of its new home at 49 Geary, was a fabulous success! Attended by collectors, artists and a surprising number of gallery followers, the reception featured local San Francisco Bay Area artists, Gary Clemenceau, Naoko Okabe, and David Ruth's presentations of their newest works to the public. (images: Opening Reception, 12.04.08)

Micaela Gallery began its Salon program in the summer of 2005, to offer invited artists a curated exhibition venue and promote an active exchange of ideas in an informal setting. As the Salon d'Ete grew, Director Micaela Van Zwoll expanded the Salon program to offer a broader, more formal direction featuring contemporary fine art emphasizing conceptual artwork in drawing and digital art, glass sculpture, paintings and video art. Invited artists share a commitment to conceptual discipline, formal methods, rigorous process, and mastery of their chosen medium. Today, Micaela Gallery hosts COLD+HOT and Winter Salon - two annual group exhibitions that introduce, and open, the gallery's following program season. (images: Winter Salon 2008 installation view)

Gallery Business:

For those of you who wonder how we do things (this often includes me), here are two new pages/links to our website:

1. Call for Entries*: COLD+HOT 2009
2. Event|Gallery Rental

*Our call for entries is for glass sculpture related works.

More Miami Post-Mortems!

My new friend, Scott, sent this email to me this morning:

Incidentally, here is a blog about some impressions about Miami. It also links to Paddy Johnson's blog -- she had a lot of negative reports about Bridge -- I don't think this reflects on your gallery at all, but rather the organizing body and the troubles with the economy. Specifically, the unwillingness for them to adapt and change how their fair might be presented. http://edwardwinkleman.blogspot.com/2008/12/miami-debriefs-summary.html.

Well, I did what anyone would do when given a freebie like that ... I clicked on the link. WHOA!!! What a bomb full of Art Basel Miami news! It's confirmed - I need to refine my searches. So, I'm passing on my friend Scott's gift to you, and if you have a few hours, enjoy.

What happened??? Bridge Art Fair 2008 Postscript

I know, I'd like to know what happened too! It's too easy to fling vile epithets and make another jab at the national economy, after, all, how many times can you punch a villain? Not enough, and certainly not enough when it's affecting everyone and the livelihood of all our artists. So here we go ... apparently, there were no crowds at the biggest, most amazing art fair in the art world. So, I can't give you fabulous war stories about how well we did, and which celeb floated by ... Yes, of course everyone blamed the economy (and after that boring refrain, the organizers were the next favored target), let's join the fray (grrrr ... sour grapes, anyone?)!

Disappointment? Sure. We would have loved to bring back beaucoup bucks, instant fame and gallons of South Beach's delicious cafe con leche, especially as Natalia took our most promising artists to this year's Bridge Art Fair at Art Basel Miami 2008. This was our second foray into the annual Art Basel Miami cultural whirlwind, so we can no longer claim to be novices at the art fair scene, and I wish I could tell you it was all fun in the sun, but as you'll probably see from our images, below, it was grueling work transforming a (how many stars was that again?) rated hotel room into an avant-garde art exhibition. Challenges were choice - delivery obstacles, teeny-tiny room (ours came with a repair man to finish installing tile and fix the broken shower), paucity of exhibitors in our hotel, oh ... and where was the promised press? No matter, I guess, for a few thousand dollars (to buy in to this shindig), our job - to present beautiful artwork and introduce the work of our artists - was to see how far-flung galleries face adversity, right? Enough said. The artworks we showed, and the efforts of Natalia and Ashley, were beyond the pale and truly beautiful. Some of our visitors found works by Scott Kiernan, Tobias Tovera and David Yun cool enough to take home ... congratulations and thank you, Gentlemen!

Here's a small gift for those of us who didn't go - before, during and after shots of our exhibition! Thank you, Natalia and Ashley (now veterans of the Miami international art scene), for your hard work and for the images to show us our show!

Bridge Miami 08

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