10 August 2011
Cheap food, whiskey bars, and lowbrow galleries all sound like a good idea until the 38 dumps you off on O'Farrell and Hyde. Last Thursday, however, I had incentive to trekk back to my old stomping grounds.
“200 Yards” opened August 4 at Cafe Royale, a velvety wine bar on Post & Leavenworth. This 18-artist juried exhibition hangs salon-style with mismatched frames and one common theme throughout (can you guess?).
DSLR cameras and iPhones have made photography so accessible that anyone with Instagram calls himself an artist. But really, what makes a good photo? Location, subject matter, framing, lighting, color, concept, event? "200 Yards" calls this into question with a unique parameter: submissions must be shot within 2 blocks of the gallery space in which they will hang.
“I get a lot of comments about how it's much harder than expected,” says co-curator Genevieve Robertson. I have to admit, I revisited the entire exhibition upon realizing the meaning of its title. Not just to appreciate the gallery-worthiness of each inner city moment but because I hadn’t even recognized that fire escape, storefront sign, or crackled glass neighboring my first SF apartment. The TenderNob, our all too iconic tranny playground-meets-highbrow watering hole, gets a fresh pair of eyes tonight.
As I imagined two-dozen photographers stalking the same quadrant to catch their perfect photo, I couldn’t help but wonder if this show also commented on the digital vs. analog debate. “With any guidelines, digital photographers have the advantage of immediacy,” says Robertson. “However, I've had a handful of photographers send in some amazing shots done on Holgas or other toy cameras.” One such example is Daniel Grisales' triptych showing three prints from the same negative; each with unique film burns that obscure certain details to draw out others.
There are a few showstoppers on the digital side as well. Jym Warhol’s panoramic scene captures the TL’s historic architecture in all its nighttime splendor, piss and needles aside. Or the portrait of a fiery-eyed pigeon, by Chelsea Tucker, cropped to amplify its tiny head and disproportionate pear-shaped body. Even the most hard-nosed gallerygoer can’t help but laugh at its quotidian absurdity.
“200 Yards” bears testament to the artist's refusal to leave any corner of The City untouched, from Post & Leavenworth to Jackson & Sansome to 6th & Market. Robertson puts it best: “We all have a generalization of many of these neighborhoods. I think most of the photographers find a way to break out of that generalization and just SEE what's in front of them.”
The exhibition continues through August 27, 2011 at Cafe Royale.
"200 Yards" pops up next at La Boutique (Jackson & Sansome). Submit photos before October 7 and mark your calendars for the opening receptoin on November 17.
Copyright © 2011 Kirsten Incorvaia. All Rights Reserved.