-An exhibition that presents queerness as a set of political alliances and possibilities-
August 12, 2010, San Francisco – Opening on September 9, 2010 at SF Camerawork is Suggestions of a Life Being Lived, a bold presentation of contemporary work that explores queer activism, intentional and imagined communities, self-determinism, and DIY alternative world-making. The exhibition features 16 artists working in photography, film, video, activism, and education. Organized for SF Camerawork by independent guest curators Danny Orendorff and Adrienne Skye Roberts, Suggestions of a Life Being Lived looks at queerness as a set of political alliances and possibilities that exist beyond the sphere of dominant gay and lesbian culture.
Unconcerned with categorical sexual identities or coming-out narratives, Suggestions of a Life Being Lived originates from a place of "outness" and considers how a sense of liberated queerness is pursued and mediated within public spaces and behaviors. The exhibition follows three broad thematic investigations:
In Reclamations, Steven Miller uses images that employ both humor and fantasy to showcase queer or non-normative desires in public- or work-spaces. Unleashed Power, a video installation byKiller Banshee Studios’ draws on archival footage from an ACT-UP demonstration to trace the story of one activist’s ongoing struggle for justice following an act of police brutality therein.
Ephemera and photographs representing the theatrical protests of the direct-action group Gay Shame highlight the connection between the queer struggle and the assimilation and corporatization of contemporary gay identity. The Society of Biological Insurgents, initiated by artist Tara Mateik and represented through zines, drawings, photo and video, playfully interrogates gendered spaces—specifically public bathrooms—to generate recognition of transsexual and inter-sex subjects.
Works by Kirstyn Russell, Lenn Keller, Jeannie Simms, and Mercury Vapor Studios focus on various self-organized communities, both intentional and imagined, within urban, rural and transient spaces.
Kirstyn Russell’s series Where We Are Not Known documents real and projected queer sites across America, including gay bars discreetly located or no longer open for business, as well as mundane suburban scenery made queer through Russell’s lens. Lenn Keller’s series Gender Warriors features portraits of young women of color from Oakland, California, who present alternative masculinities. The subjects of Keller’s photographs are in the process of forming their own sense of community, one that is independent from the mainstream gay culture in the Bay Area.
Jeannie Simms’ series entitled Readymaids reveals the intimate relationships and shared desires formed among women enrolled in an Indonesian maid-training agency—a stark contrast to the oppressive realities of global exchange and domestic labor. In a quite different locale—rural Nevada—The Return, a series of photographs by Mercury Vapor Studios, documents the lives of several members of a nomadic tribe of transsexual and queer people living off the land.
Pursuits of utopian, alternative worlds and the performance of self-determination within them are evident in a third group of work. Allyson Mitchell self-effacingly addresses issues of body-image, fat activism, and consumption in film and video presented inside a handcrafted habitat of abandoned afghans, patchwork quilts and throw-pillows. Complementing Mitchell’s work is Falling in Love With Chris and Greg, a series of short, sitcom-like satires produced and performed by Chris Vargas and Greg Youmans. Based on their real-life relationship, in episodic form Chris and Greg tackle ‘epic topics’ facing the odd-couple: gay marriage, open relationships, body-issues, and their liberal/radical, transgender/biological divides.
Smile, a participatory installation and performance by Aay Preston-Myint, invites visitors to imagine themselves within a post-apocalyptic family portrait studio where gender and sexuality have become fluid. Vibrant, neon handmade costumes and scenery, each toying with classic queer iconography, are utilized for the purposes of role-playing, fantasy and collaboration.
Darrin Martin and Torsten Zenas Burns’ film The Abominable Freedom, and Eric Stanley and Chris Vargas’ film Criminal Queers, are featured in the screening room. The Abominable Freedom, on viewfrom September 9 to October 2, presents an omni-sexual, self-help, love-commune set in a parallel world in a send-up of 1970s hippy culture ethos. Criminal Queers, on view from October 5—22, follows the story of a group of radical queer activists as they plan a prison break for a recently incarcerated comrade.
Funding for this exhibition was provided by:
The San Francisco Arts Commission
The Andy Warhol Foundationfor theVisual Arts
–end–
For More Information, Images, or Interviews Contact:
Wendy Norris, Norris Communications
(415) 307-3853
wendy@norriscommunications.biz
or
Chuck Mobley, SF Camerawork
(415) 512-2020 x105
chuck@sfcamerawork.org
CALENDAR EDITORS, PLEASE NOTE:
What:
Suggestions of Life Being Lived
When:
September 9 – October 23, 2010
Where:
SF Camerawork
657 Mission St., 2ndFloor
Opening:
Thursday, September 9, 2010
5 pm – 8 pm
*The public is also invited to two different screening as part of Suggestions of Life Being Lived. Each screening takes place for three-weeks during the exhibit in the exhibition screening-room.
September 9 - October 2: Darrin Martin and Torsten Zenas Burns’ film The Abominable Freedom
October 5 - October 23: Eric Stanley and Chris Vargas’ film Criminal Queers
Founded in 1974, SF Camerawork encourages emerging and mid-career artists to explore new directions in photography and related media by fostering creative forms of expression that push existing boundaries. Throughout its history, SF Camerawork has nurtured artists, mentored youth and helped make San Francisco a destination for the exploration of photography as an artist’s medium. Its exhibitions are nationally recognized as a focal point for innovation, a pacesetter for new trends in the medium and a launching pad for the careers of young artists. With three galleries and an education center at its new centrally located facility, SF Camerawork is the only non-profit organization in the Bay Area with an exhibition space and educational programs focused exclusively on contemporary photography and related visual image media. It is an accessible venue for people to view exhibitions, meet artists, participate in educational programs, peruse photographic publications, and gather for lectures, screenings, portfolio reviews, and discussions.
All exhibitions are on view Tuesday – Saturday, 12 - 5 pm at SF Camerawork, 657 Mission St., Second Floor. Admission to the gallery is $5 for the general public, $2 for students and seniors, and free to Camerawork members. For more information, please call 415.512.2020.