https://houseofseiko.info House Of Seiko Mon, 25 Nov 2024 20:23:44 +0000 https://houseofseiko.info en https://houseofseiko.info/ariel Mon, 25 Nov 2024 20:23:44 +0000 House Of Seiko https://houseofseiko.info/ariel <img width="1973" height="2601" width_o="1973" height_o="2601" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a4d1438b384503147ab68646cf51e2aefa679c9ae5a7481b27c4e1de4c0fef2d/houseofseiko-16.jpg" data-mid="222404616" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a4d1438b384503147ab68646cf51e2aefa679c9ae5a7481b27c4e1de4c0fef2d/houseofseiko-16.jpg" /> Ariel&nbsp; organized by Zully Adler&nbsp; Part one: December 7 - 22, 2024 Part two: January 11 - 26, 2025 Opening reception: December 7, 20245:00 - 8:00 pm ChecklistInquiries: cole@houseofseiko.info We are thrilled to announce an exhibition of rarely seen work by visionary Bay Area artist Ariel Reynolds Parkinson (1926 - 2017) organized by Zully Adler. For every chapter of Bay Area bohemianism there was also Ariel, carving her own channels between what she called “Beat then Hip, then Rock, Love, the Natural World.”&nbsp; At first, in the late 1940s, she found herself among the poets and playwrights of the so-called Berkeley Bunch. Younger than many and one of few women, she maintained a sharp and sometimes ironic distance from their oblivious masculinity, even if she also enjoyed their “pacifist, anarcho-syndicalist, syncretist, pan-cultural gatherings.” Then she studied at the California School of Fine Arts, painting under Hassel Smith when “Dream was in, and Cosmos.” After that, the dawn of the hippie movement, walking to the Human Be-In with her young friend Allen Ginsberg and holding a sign that read “I Represent the Lower Animals.” Sensitive as she was to new tendencies and social change, Ariel also maintained old-world decorum and an archaic, arch-romantic sensibility. San Francisco critic Alfred Frankenstein compared her to William Blake, as if her work belonged to a previous century. Her style skews surreal and whimsical, with a grotesque undercurrent drawn from the darker elements of Art Nouveau. It is seductive but also repellent, producing what she called “the posture of cruel joy”—like the Worm Queen from her friend Helen Adam’s San Francisco’s Burning: A Ballad Opera: My crown is crusted with carrion flies And my head is bald and wet, But the loveliest woman of living flesh With you will quite forget. Ariel’s imagery finds its closest companions with characters like this. For her, art was storytelling, and painting carried “the piercing, noble, haunted power to imagine.” Many pieces reference Shakespeare, the Brothers Grimm, and classical mythology. Others conjure what she called the “mists and tempests, sea foam, clouds, smoke, waves” found in the prose of Ruskin. It may have helped that she lectured in English at Mills College, that her husband was the revered poet and professor Tom Parkinson, and that her friends were largely writers. Ariel herself wrote with the verbosity and prosody of a Victorian in recital: “Beyond the writhing fish and the live chickens, the glowing fruit, and the towering gold and cream of Italian baking, glimpses of city towers, glimpses of the grey-green, wind-battered surface of the bay.” That’s San Francisco. Over the decades, she committed increasing efforts to illustration and costume design for opera, ballet, and theater, her artwork put in the service of the stories that inspired her in the first place. Ariel’s creative anchor was always nature. Specifically, “the California of John Muir, Ishi, and Kroeber.” When stuck in the city, she could turn to what Gary Snyder called the inner wilderness, an interior plain of marshes and tidepools overgrown with “Ur-vegetation.” The work that emerged from this wilderness allowed Ariel to found a movement of one: bio-classicism. And when one curator dismissed her painting as a puddle of swamp water, the artist was undisturbed. She drew harsh caricatures of industrial barons and other enemies of the planet. More becoming drawings graced protest banners and guidance on a new municipal project known as recycling. Ariel became a thorn in the side of the Solid Waste Management board. “Garbage is simply resources out of place, and I was its Joan of Arc.” Ultimately, she left the project of recycling behind and made convincing arguments for doing away with packaging entirely. Whether fearsome, dainty, erotic, or in dissent, the artworks of Ariel are guided by the senses. Paintings and drawings emerged from what she called “various admixtures and applications of the pleasure principle.” Nature was something to safeguard in part because it was interesting to see, feel, smell, and taste. Watching her watercolor spread is satisfying; her human figures are voluptuous. The writers and artists in her company—Robert Duncan, Anaïs Nin, Jack Spicer, Jess, Kenneth Rexroth, Norman O. Brown—were not so different. They exalted feelings, even ugly ones, for how much they could be felt. Neither Ariel nor the Worm Queen play favorites in this realm. They provoke goosebumps as much as induce repose. In the inner wilderness, sensations are vital, but they won’t always make you feel better. - Zully Adler <img width="6439" height="5316" width_o="6439" height_o="5316" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d58fe577f196c6ff21e92289844ea255475ec980b615f3b0c203f4dd5cb6d3c7/Ariel_Red-Foxes_Front.jpg" data-mid="223245437" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d58fe577f196c6ff21e92289844ea255475ec980b615f3b0c203f4dd5cb6d3c7/Ariel_Red-Foxes_Front.jpg" /> <img width="6439" height="5316" width_o="6439" height_o="5316" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/358f29f2191e51d5cb5ab9ceb2d0f626e4ecfa6f173f7f2fbf9d329cf3ab5532/Bat-Puppet-Mechanical-Drawing.JPG" data-mid="223117262" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/358f29f2191e51d5cb5ab9ceb2d0f626e4ecfa6f173f7f2fbf9d329cf3ab5532/Bat-Puppet-Mechanical-Drawing.JPG" /> <img width="6439" height="5316" width_o="6439" height_o="5316" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ec27f70e0cc1ad6a9e1f294518f060464e361b67a31530d494f6bcf30d8fc86e/Fish-Mask-Mechanical-Drawing.JPG" data-mid="223117263" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ec27f70e0cc1ad6a9e1f294518f060464e361b67a31530d494f6bcf30d8fc86e/Fish-Mask-Mechanical-Drawing.JPG" /><img width="6464" height="5300" width_o="6464" height_o="5300" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/83ccb2bacdf62a173271ba0ca20466a16b0e6ce4d4f0891770eccac80c8abb0b/Ariel_Red-Foxes_Front-web-image.jpg" data-mid="223245436" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/83ccb2bacdf62a173271ba0ca20466a16b0e6ce4d4f0891770eccac80c8abb0b/Ariel_Red-Foxes_Front-web-image.jpg" /> <img width="6467" height="5318" width_o="6467" height_o="5318" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/49b1e3e0d0196b68eedd510d3e28de6b975741712f1457420b4079cf4f666190/Ariel_install-web-image.jpg" data-mid="223245435" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/49b1e3e0d0196b68eedd510d3e28de6b975741712f1457420b4079cf4f666190/Ariel_install-web-image.jpg" /> <img width="6477" height="5307" width_o="6477" height_o="5307" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e7f78ce2c514babda22e1a097038506adbdf1be6c8460102a114487f8a6ec76c/Ariel_install-web-image-04.jpg" data-mid="223245433" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e7f78ce2c514babda22e1a097038506adbdf1be6c8460102a114487f8a6ec76c/Ariel_install-web-image-04.jpg" /> <img width="6454" height="5315" width_o="6454" height_o="5315" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f5b3d80815f362da52da36d215f484f2514ed2fc86587b71656d1126f3f1e88a/Ariel_install-web-image-02.jpg" data-mid="223245432" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f5b3d80815f362da52da36d215f484f2514ed2fc86587b71656d1126f3f1e88a/Ariel_install-web-image-02.jpg" /> <img width="6489" height="5312" width_o="6489" height_o="5312" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2c9c6e7ee660b0e64793928cf6a177143b59e62bce664d585dbbba223726344a/Ariel_install-web-image-05.jpg" data-mid="223245434" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/2c9c6e7ee660b0e64793928cf6a177143b59e62bce664d585dbbba223726344a/Ariel_install-web-image-05.jpg" /> follow us on social media for updates.inquiries: cole@houseofseiko.info photography courtesy of Ryan Whelan https://houseofseiko.info/Leonie-Guyer Tue, 08 Oct 2024 04:57:29 +0000 House Of Seiko https://houseofseiko.info/Leonie-Guyer <img width="1973" height="2601" width_o="1973" height_o="2601" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6842a384d02c414ccb52e3ecdd64fdf842ae7d9d231c221b7750acc9ec1bf79a/houseofseiko-15.jpg" data-mid="219430791" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/6842a384d02c414ccb52e3ecdd64fdf842ae7d9d231c221b7750acc9ec1bf79a/houseofseiko-15.jpg" /> Léonie Guyer&nbsp;Three and three and one&nbsp; October 18 - November 24, 2024 Opening reception: October 18, 20245:30 - 8:30 pmchecklist inquiries: cole@houseofseiko.info We are thrilled to announce an exhibition of new work by San Francisco-based artist, Léonie Guyer. Léonie Guyer (b. 1955, New York, New York) is a painter. Her work is characterized by idiosyncratic shapes deployed in a variety of spaces. The shapes conflate geometric and organic structures; while specific and individuated, they resist being named. The intimately scaled forms reside in expansive chromatic fields. Her exacting work is realized on antique and salvaged paper, marble remnants, panels, walls and windows. The use of particular materials and contexts extends the dialogue in her practice between the ancient and contemporary. A regard for simplicity, nuance, and ambiguity guides the process. Guyer’s work has been exhibited at the CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts; Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery, Reed College; lumber room, Portland, OR; Bibeau Krueger, NYC; Feature Inc., NYC; Peter Blum Gallery, NYC; and elsewhere. Her work is held in numerous public collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art; San Francisco Museum of Art; UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive; Shaker Museum | Mount Lebanon; Yale University Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library; among others. She lives and works in San Francisco, and received a B.F.A. and M.F.A. from the San Francisco Art Institute. In 2024 Guyer was awarded a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship. Other awards include: Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant; Sites ReSeen Grant, New York State Council on the Arts; John Anson Kittredge Foundation Fellowship; California Arts Council Artist in Residence Grant; Murphy and Cadogan Fellowship in the Fine Arts, San Francisco Foundation. Press Release by Evan Moore: Léonie GuyerThree and three and one Léonie Guyer has spent a handful of decades scouring roads of refuse and reams of centuries-old paper in search of something to mark. She shares a formative story about attending an Art History course at the San Francisco Art Institute, where the margins of her notes begin to populate with the earliest iterations of her enigmatic forms. This quasi-scholarly communion with centuries of aesthetic history has yet to cease. As one sits with the work, allusions to Cycladic marbles, Goryeo Dynasty celadon vessels, or posture from Mannerist painting begin to bubble in one's mind. When asked where her forms originate, the artist plainly states, “I don’t know. They are arrived at.”.For Guyer, the substrates transmitting her forms are an integral component to entering them. The marble is reclaimed from offcuts unworthy of luxury kitchen and bathroom remodels in San Francisco. Their prefabricated nature often presents a serendipitous tension between precise cuts and rough, seemingly archaeological corners. Once a form is determined, Guyer incises its boundaries into the marble then carefully builds layers of pigment to develop its permeating aura. One can most presently detect a ghostly pentimento in, Untitled, no. 116, where the remnants of a previous form can be seen caressing its fully developed inhabitant.This recessed quality of the erased form is echoed throughout the works on paper. The agate-burnished double weight Indian jute paper is made by Mohammed Hussein Khagzi using traditional Indian paper making techniques. Production of this paper has recently ceased, blank pages destined to go extinct. Guyer’s interventions are sensitive, their fluidity complements the unusual soft sheen and organic composition of the rectilinear plane. These forms seem to hover between legibility and illegibility on the page in contrast to the decided behavior of the forms on marble.The three marble works and three works on paper are orchestrated across the primary walls of the gallery. The one referenced in the exhibition’s title introduces a new site-based painting nestled in between the gallery’s folding security gate and exterior window. Informed by the architecture, history, and social structures of the space, the site-based painting will ideally accompany that wall until its opportunity to confound archaeologists excavating the remains of San Francisco.Three and three and one incorporates key throughlines of Guyer’s approach to form and material; their alchemy presents a negation to be fully deciphered. Joining a tradition of objects born from civilization lost, rendering their full comprehension impossible. Instead of a didactic method of knowing one must relinquish their desire to over analyze and engage with unknowing. <img width="8018" height="5532" width_o="8018" height_o="5532" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ef3512f484aec53e1a6d3089a0668351fdd0fd87631f3789b504ec0d3c7d4ff5/House-of-Seiko---Leonie-Guyer---Documentation-20.jpg" data-mid="219876242" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ef3512f484aec53e1a6d3089a0668351fdd0fd87631f3789b504ec0d3c7d4ff5/House-of-Seiko---Leonie-Guyer---Documentation-20.jpg" /> <img width="8688" height="5792" width_o="8688" height_o="5792" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e243ead295886ad246c4334faf5bcacf7f96ccdab0939d89f52ce5b78eaa9897/House-of-Seiko---Leonie-Guyer---Documentation-18.jpg" data-mid="219876240" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e243ead295886ad246c4334faf5bcacf7f96ccdab0939d89f52ce5b78eaa9897/House-of-Seiko---Leonie-Guyer---Documentation-18.jpg" /> <img width="8632" height="5755" width_o="8632" height_o="5755" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2aef6117fde14b9598ea0436cad37bdda02fdb1722c914521643c09f88f5d21f/House-of-Seiko---Leonie-Guyer---Documentation-19.jpg" data-mid="219876241" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/2aef6117fde14b9598ea0436cad37bdda02fdb1722c914521643c09f88f5d21f/House-of-Seiko---Leonie-Guyer---Documentation-19.jpg" /> <img width="8688" height="5792" width_o="8688" height_o="5792" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3e9f74bb32c9b986aaf8ff53501b5392e92d41d547add8e3c077612dea31bf84/House-of-Seiko---Leonie-Guyer---Documentation-24.jpg" data-mid="219876243" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/3e9f74bb32c9b986aaf8ff53501b5392e92d41d547add8e3c077612dea31bf84/House-of-Seiko---Leonie-Guyer---Documentation-24.jpg" /><img width="8672" height="5781" width_o="8672" height_o="5781" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5a1adc0368ec3e13f680a33218aa70b842fc0795d05c5831d152d8f731ed690e/House-of-Seiko---Leonie-Guyer---Documentation-26.jpg" data-mid="219876245" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5a1adc0368ec3e13f680a33218aa70b842fc0795d05c5831d152d8f731ed690e/House-of-Seiko---Leonie-Guyer---Documentation-26.jpg" /> <img width="8679" height="5786" width_o="8679" height_o="5786" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/54a8ddab138ee17e8b1f0c5f4f2f3f33e8332fd2c7e03e36a2268b3dc8466860/House-of-Seiko---Leonie-Guyer---Documentation-25.jpg" data-mid="219876244" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/54a8ddab138ee17e8b1f0c5f4f2f3f33e8332fd2c7e03e36a2268b3dc8466860/House-of-Seiko---Leonie-Guyer---Documentation-25.jpg" /> follow us on social media for updates.inquiries: cole@houseofseiko.info photography courtesy of Graham Holoch https://houseofseiko.info/Cross-Lypka Tue, 08 Oct 2024 00:46:17 +0000 House Of Seiko https://houseofseiko.info/Cross-Lypka Cross Lypka&nbsp; Upcoming: House of Seiko at FOG Fair&nbsp; Cross Lypka (solo presentation) Opening: January 23 -26, 2025&nbsp; Fort Mason Center, San Francisco inquires: cole@houseofseiko.info <img width="3333" height="5000" width_o="3333" height_o="5000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/706aa6e69d61433f5c8c3b90a00ad326185b2fc11cb92a70ea61836a4740a26e/House_of_Seiko_Tyler_Cross_Kyle_Lypka_install_hires_V2_0014.jpg" data-mid="219352682" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/706aa6e69d61433f5c8c3b90a00ad326185b2fc11cb92a70ea61836a4740a26e/House_of_Seiko_Tyler_Cross_Kyle_Lypka_install_hires_V2_0014.jpg" /> <img width="1875" height="2500" width_o="1875" height_o="2500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e5d8fccb446a4f6e4e422f34965a6af655105930c754d116ae1561cb24d2bc48/2024_05_23_TyKy5754.jpg" data-mid="219352678" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e5d8fccb446a4f6e4e422f34965a6af655105930c754d116ae1561cb24d2bc48/2024_05_23_TyKy5754.jpg" /> <img width="2500" height="1875" width_o="2500" height_o="1875" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/67bf2a8f084d35aa9079409b57b43ba28fc791afb68b31843d8c53b765221236/2024_05_23_TyKy5725.jpg" data-mid="219352679" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/67bf2a8f084d35aa9079409b57b43ba28fc791afb68b31843d8c53b765221236/2024_05_23_TyKy5725.jpg" /> <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b614250999715a56566cba69c365180dbfc5ea2ccd24bdb31f5fef2a0ebc3e31/House_of_Seiko_Tyler_Cross_Kyle_Lypka_install_hires_V2_0001.jpg" data-mid="219352676" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b614250999715a56566cba69c365180dbfc5ea2ccd24bdb31f5fef2a0ebc3e31/House_of_Seiko_Tyler_Cross_Kyle_Lypka_install_hires_V2_0001.jpg" /> Press release from Tarantula, Cross Lypka’s solo exhibition at House of Seiko:Cross Lypka is the moniker for Tyler Cross and Kyle Lypka, long-time partners and artistic collaborators. Their working process in ceramic follows a practical exchange of tasks. Tyler draws a lexicon of visual forms, Kyle interprets and hand-builds from this repertoire, they edit, Tyler glazes, and Kyle fires. Lastly, subtle surface treatments and sealants are applied. The works that emerge reflec this back-and-forth trade, in partnership with the material’s own desires and constraints. What does it mean to take something porous, imperfect, shrinking, warping, issue-filled... and adapt it to the rigidity of an architecture? For this exhibition, the pair have pivoted to making works in response to the space’s structural conditions. Rather than enlarging existing forms in the practice, they created segmented sculptures with systems of repeated components. One can imagine these objects stretching or multiplying themselves across a room; expanding the intervals between ceramic elements to scale to a space. Thus, a kind of elasticity is achieved in glass and stone. Forms referenced internally with language like “X, book, shovel, F” play new roles in the project. Building on classical interior architecture, the works perform as columns, moldings and spacial protrusions that adorn the gallery. Touching distinct corners and verticals of the space, the works narrate the walls in form-based phrases. The fired sculptures bear fleeting compositions. Strategically glazed, their matte colors drain via channels and spillways. The resulting surfaces are left stained in directions that toy with the room’s gravity. This depicted movement is contained at times by trims of sandy flashing where the works meet the walls. House of Seiko Jesse Stecklow, 2024 https://houseofseiko.info/last-arrangement Tue, 08 Oct 2024 00:45:58 +0000 House Of Seiko https://houseofseiko.info/last-arrangement <img width="1898" height="2601" width_o="1898" height_o="2601" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ade192452acb5093cf682bb9f5aed3ec746865605510415b9661f8f7fb1a3fa3/houseofseiko-14.jpg" data-mid="219681820" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ade192452acb5093cf682bb9f5aed3ec746865605510415b9661f8f7fb1a3fa3/houseofseiko-14.jpg" /> The Last Arrangementfeaturing work by:Bruno Burri, Ferdinando Cortina, Orri Forslund,Hockto Furosaki, Barry Harper, Pablo Marmol,Lucy Otter, Doroteo Parra, Primo Páramo,Haru Setsuko, Gabriel Sierra,Lucas Scandinavia, Olga Tamaribuchi.a project by Gabriel Sierraorganized by Diego VillalobosOpening reception:September 7, 20245:00 - 9:00 pmchecklist inquiries: cole@houseofseiko.info We are thrilled to announce the opening of The Last Arrangement, a project by&nbsp;Gabriel Sierra organized by Diego Villalobos. Gabriel Sierra (lives Bogota, Colombia) This exhibition operated as a sort of kaleidoscope, a source of inspiration, and a testimony to the strategies and experiments used to insert ideas of art into life by a group of artists and creators with dissimilar backgrounds, all related to the Hockto Furosaki Ikebana Club.The Hockto Furosaki Ikebana Club operated in a small storefront on San Francisco's Market Street. Its main attraction lay not only in its eccentric and sometimes classic floral compositions but also in its radical forms of display, which often surprised customers and passersby. It was the only store in the neighborhood, and probably in the entire Bay Area, that displayed a single product from its inventory at a time—on a pedestal, on a table, or, if you were lucky, in front of the window. The display changed periodically according to the season, but there was always a single arrangement of flowers, branches, and leaves in an otherwise empty room. On the occasion of the Horticultural &amp; Flower Symposium that took place in San Francisco in 1975, the Hockto Furosaki Ikebana Club staged an exhibition on the thirteenth floor of 140 New Montgomery. At House of&nbsp;Seiko, the artist Gabriel Sierra and curator Diego Villalobos stage a recreation of this obscure exhibition. Some of the artworks, display furniture, and layout are modified from their original presentation to accommodate the current site. All works are exhibited on specific days, hours, or moments during a particular period of time over the course of the exhibition.The Last Arrangement features works by Bruno Burri, Ferdinando Cortina, Orri Forslund, Hockto Furosaki, Barry Harper, Pablo Marmol, Lucy Otter, Doroteo Parra, Primo Páramo, Haru Setsuko, Gabriel Sierra, Lucas Scandinavia, Olga Tamaribuchi.This exhibition is based on a passage from Gabriel Sierra’s, yet to be published, novel Siete Cavernas (Seven Caverns). <img width="6000" height="4000" width_o="6000" height_o="4000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1d1d40ae942b614551c21f249583c64fd8adf9fefdd1f9c1eb7e24f5df9eea65/House_of_Seiko_Gabriel_Sierra_Deigo_Villalobos_The_Last_Arrangement_install_hires_0019.jpg" data-mid="219681823" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/1d1d40ae942b614551c21f249583c64fd8adf9fefdd1f9c1eb7e24f5df9eea65/House_of_Seiko_Gabriel_Sierra_Deigo_Villalobos_The_Last_Arrangement_install_hires_0019.jpg" /> <img width="6000" height="4000" width_o="6000" height_o="4000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/57c6d27e6424c24276b1f8de42152d44df78f0d4d1c67f3bebc34991172dadcc/House_of_Seiko_Gabriel_Sierra_Deigo_Villalobos_The_Last_Arrangement_install_hires_0021.jpg" data-mid="219681821" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/57c6d27e6424c24276b1f8de42152d44df78f0d4d1c67f3bebc34991172dadcc/House_of_Seiko_Gabriel_Sierra_Deigo_Villalobos_The_Last_Arrangement_install_hires_0021.jpg" /> <img width="6000" height="4000" width_o="6000" height_o="4000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9702a1b13e2056095ca3108fcda354a7c88ba99df2d32d1c16edbae7ca9206ae/House_of_Seiko_Gabriel_Sierra_Deigo_Villalobos_The_Last_Arrangement_install_hires_0016.jpg" data-mid="219681818" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/9702a1b13e2056095ca3108fcda354a7c88ba99df2d32d1c16edbae7ca9206ae/House_of_Seiko_Gabriel_Sierra_Deigo_Villalobos_The_Last_Arrangement_install_hires_0016.jpg" /> <img width="6000" height="4000" width_o="6000" height_o="4000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/29f52a3898e6f080382421cc593bfc5d2fe777a0e3be485fc50652d2fd493741/House_of_Seiko_Gabriel_Sierra_Deigo_Villalobos_The_Last_Arrangement_install_hires_0022.jpg" data-mid="219681819" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/29f52a3898e6f080382421cc593bfc5d2fe777a0e3be485fc50652d2fd493741/House_of_Seiko_Gabriel_Sierra_Deigo_Villalobos_The_Last_Arrangement_install_hires_0022.jpg" /> <img width="6000" height="4000" width_o="6000" height_o="4000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/00458461034adc2786a686c1dfd90e3c1b2c327ee2846b3e1fbc3312c58a11d6/House_of_Seiko_Gabriel_Sierra_Deigo_Villalobos_The_Last_Arrangement_install_hires_0014.jpg" data-mid="219681816" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/00458461034adc2786a686c1dfd90e3c1b2c327ee2846b3e1fbc3312c58a11d6/House_of_Seiko_Gabriel_Sierra_Deigo_Villalobos_The_Last_Arrangement_install_hires_0014.jpg" /> <img width="4000" height="6000" width_o="4000" height_o="6000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1831671dd1098d8cdcba95ae1232c86351a16adb6e4da7afcb488cc8f199c13e/House_of_Seiko_Gabriel_Sierra_Deigo_Villalobos_The_Last_Arrangement_install_hires_0017.jpg" data-mid="219681822" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/1831671dd1098d8cdcba95ae1232c86351a16adb6e4da7afcb488cc8f199c13e/House_of_Seiko_Gabriel_Sierra_Deigo_Villalobos_The_Last_Arrangement_install_hires_0017.jpg" />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<img width="4000" height="6000" width_o="4000" height_o="6000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5bdaec3e3f2d12718881c64ff7f378ccdfb4ae65f54ca626160b750dab83aee5/House_of_Seiko_Gabriel_Sierra_Deigo_Villalobos_The_Last_Arrangement_install_hires_0013.jpg" data-mid="219681817" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5bdaec3e3f2d12718881c64ff7f378ccdfb4ae65f54ca626160b750dab83aee5/House_of_Seiko_Gabriel_Sierra_Deigo_Villalobos_The_Last_Arrangement_install_hires_0013.jpg" /> Worries &amp; Flowers By Foster Black Originally published in the San Francisco Chronicle, November 13, 1975 Scholars speculate that the real purpose of the mysterious floral arrangements known as Ikebana is actually an attempt to neutralize the shadows and emptiness that define the vernacular of Japanese architecture. Others claim that the true function of the traditional flower arrangement is to tame the mysterious forces of nature. However, there are passages in classical Japanese literature that mention complex yet simple floral arrangements in Shinto altars, as well as flower offerings in Buddhist monasteries. In the later part of the 15th century, this practice evolved into a flower-arranging technique with strict rules. Since then, the floral art of Ikebana has gone through many phases of evolution. No one knows exactly how or why, but experts and historians seem to agree that it is a ritual centered on the appreciation of natural phenomena. The critic Nene Hiradaria described The Last Arrangement exhibition as interesting and, at times, enigmatic. In her review for Ikebana-Today Magazine, she wrote, “The expectations of unpretentious beauty and harmony that we usually find in an Ikebana show were present—there are usually no surprises or modifications to the rules. However, in this show, all these preconceived ideas seemed to disappear or be modified in search of spontaneity, an optimism that speaks of fragility and brevity, and the transcendent, ephemeral aspects of the human condition.”The Hockto Furosaki Ikebana Club operates in a small storefront on San Francisco’s Market Street. Its main attraction lies not only in its eccentric and sometimes classic floral compositions but also in its radical forms of display, which often surprise customers and passersby. It is the only store in the neighborhood, and probably in the entire Bay Area, that displays a single product from its inventory at a time—on a pedestal, on a table, or, if you’re lucky, in front of the window. The display changes periodically according to the season, but there is always a single arrangement of flowers, branches, and leaves in an otherwise empty room. What a contradictory Ikebana show, composed of only a few floral arrangements and a group of artworks—such as drawings, paper cut-outs, paintings, videos, magazine clippings, objects, and slide projections. Three replicas of Alexander Calder’s Explosive Object from 1944 sit beside a pile of branches on a table, in proximity to a pile of fresh seasonal flowers placed inside a very modern container on a pedestal. In this show, tradition has disappeared or been reformulated. With the exception of some floral compositions in the purest classical style—one elegantly made with a single structural branch and another with an assortment of green rounded leaves with drops of water resting on them—the rest of the presentation leans more towards the experimental. This includes the display of a tumbleweed, brought from Montana by the author and presented on a plinth with a postcard, and a group of black paper cut-outs shaped like the leaf-like Poker spade symbol, sequentiallyarranged as a frieze throughout the room. One of the works that surprised visitors the most was a real man lying on a desk, dressed in black and wearing a striped bowtie, quietly looking at the ceiling with fresh flowers in his mouth. The man was pretending to be a vase, which was quite convincing since he was a professional actor. The amusing and sometimes cold presentation of what were supposed to be timeless ideas of balance, simplicity, and harmony contrasted with the expectation that an Ikebana exhibition should be captivating and refined, composed of a serene atmosphere. As an exhibition, The Last Arrangement is a rarity. Nothing stays the same, as artworks come in and out each day during the course of the show, yet the theme repeats itself with each new iteration. Textures, sensations, and accumulation seem to be present in each of the works. While not all of the pieces can be considered traditional Ikebana per se, they are all intensely linked to its spirit. The artworks were installed on tables, plinths, walls, and screens in an empty office space on the thirteenth floor of 140 New Montgomery, as part of the San Francisco Horticultural &amp; Flower Symposium in 1975.Familiar and strange noises invade the space at times, while emotional symphonic music fragments make you feel as if you are in a movie. Random objects are scattered on a table—some related to the realm of flower arrangements, others clearly not. Bundles of branches, flowers, and foliage are arranged meticulously or intricately organized in a vase or basket. Opinions are divided. While some works relate in an abstract and conceptual way to the floral art genre of Ikebana, others note an alleged absence of beauty. The ancient magic that is supposed to characterize an Ikebana show is displaced by modern ideas in an empty room scattered with office furniture and discarded files. The good news is that Nene Hiradaria concludes her article by telling us that the Hockto Furosaki Ikebana Club is actually an extraordinary philosophy school disguised as a flower shop. Things Seen and Unseen By Diego VillalobosIn 1974, Georges Perec published Species of Spaces, a work that explored in great detail, through scale and taxonomy, how we inhabit our everyday surroundings, both seen and unseen. From the molecular to the incomprehensible vastness of the universe, Perec’s text transitions outward like a zoom lens, pulling us away and distorting our sense of perspective as he fits more information into the picture plane. As we gain a wider perspective, things become more distant, and thus, perhaps, the more information we try to grasp, the more unknown things become. Gabriel Sierra is interested in understanding how the space between things works—from the gap between the words on a page to the air between objects in a room, or the space between knowledge and intuition, fact and fiction. This fascination with the in-between has led Sierra to create a vast body of work that sits at the crossroads of architecture, sculpture, performance, image-making, and storytelling, where the human body and its relationship to the built environment is always at the center. Sierra, like Perec, thinks of space not only in material terms but also as an ideological construct. Take, for instance, his Structures for Transition (Estructuras para Transición), 2008 and ongoing, where he alters the framing of passageways (doorways, window frames, etc.) by extending the architectural forms of a threshold or by adding wooden elements to an existing armature. The visual and physical fracturing of the structure not only enables a sense of self-awareness in how one moves from room to room or how new fields of vision can be created through obfuscation, but it ultimately asks us to consider the form and function of an exhibition space, the relationship of a work of art to its site of presentation, and the role of the art spectator as interpreter. Through these inquiries, Sierra’s structural interventions remind us that ideology is expressed through architectural forms and spaces and that the larger world is built in relation to our bodies’ physical and ideological accessibility to it. The importance of having the viewer involved for the activation or realization of an artwork are ideas that are deeply embedded in the works of artists such as Helio Oiticica, whose immersive installations and audience participation works challenged modernist principles of categorization; or Lygia Clark, whose modular sculptures called Bichos (critters), made of metal and without a fixed form, challenged conventional notions of sculpture. The Neo-Concrete movement of the early 60’s in Brazil, of which these artists belonged to, embraced experimentation with color, form, and space, as a means of creating a formal abstraction that challenged European modernist principles that were dominant throughout Latin America. Even though Sierra is generations apart from those artists, you can see traces of their work In his thinking––in particular how materials, forms, and space influence our behavior and sense of self. What sets him apart, however, is his more detached, almost anthropological, approach to examining aspects of everyday human behavior. In works such as Background, Figure, Figure, Background, 2008-2012, Sierra built a white platform on one of the Aspen Art Museum’s exhibition spaces blurring the spatial lines between the floor, wall and ceiling, creating a near total depthless white cube where the visitor’s presence became exaggerated, and placed in stark contrast to the near total void created by the artist; or in installations such as EndsMeddlesBeginnings, 2012, where Sierra presented a group of panels that at a simple glance appear as minimalist paintings with apertures, but are in fact rigged in such a way that, depending on the day of the week, are opened or closed, granting varying degrees of access to the exhibition space. These installations by Sierra evoke a state of impermanence. Just as much as he pays close attention to the dynamics of space and the porosity of architecture, he also plays with the construction of language as a tool for mediating the world at large and as a means for creating new temporalities. Artist Biographies Haru Setsuko (1943–2018) was a master potter and the author of the book The Flower Clock-Work, a new method of arranging flowers closely related to the ancient Japanese tradition of ikebana. The composition of each flower arrangement is related to the positions of the clock dials. Hockto Furosaki (1940–2020) was interested in the subject of creativity and was the founder of the Hockto Furosaki Ikebana Club. The club originated as a community garden and, after many years of iterations, evolved into a school that uses methods from ancient eastern philosophies as a means of fostering creativity, with the ikebana tradition serving as a catalyst for meditation. Lucy Otter (b. 1945) created artworks during the 1960s and late 1970s that were exhibited in unconventional forms. Her abstract paintings, devoid of any apparent meaning, were hung or installed in public and private spaces that were not typically associated with galleries or museums. Examples include a laundromat and a cornfield, among other locations. Pablo Marmol (b. 1941) is a collector and disciple of Thomas Folke. He accumulates parts, fragments, and elements of architecture from towns and cities around the world, such as mailboxes, post lamps, park benches, traffic signs, fences, fireplaces, staircases, bricks, windows, doors, and various unclassified artifacts. He arranges and classifies these items by function, narrative, and social purpose. Pieter Negelmackers (1910–1989) was born in Bruges, Belgium, into a family engaged in the antiquities trade for generations. An art historian from Yale, he extensively experimented with theatrical language and ideas associated with conceptual art. He opened P-P-P with a group of friends—a gallery disguised as a furniture shop. All his work is are signed under the pseudonym Primo Páramo. Lucas Scandinavia (1935–2020) was a member of the Scandinavian landscape painters’ group known as Fogbounds. His works translate the sensations and emotions produced by the perception of the natural world, understanding nature and the landscape as a metaphysical subject. Bruno Burri (1945–1991) was a typographer and teacher. He experimented with notions about communication, forms, and formats of language, and was obsessed with the origins of words, signs, symbols, colors, and geometry. Ferdinando Cortina (1935–1980) trained as a cabinet maker, scenographer, and worked as a commercial architect. His grandfather, Arnulfo Cortina, designed the first house with specific rooms dedicated to dwell each day of the week. Barry Harper (1945) is a musician and composer who experiments with noise and electronic music. He works with sound effects for movies and plays and collects sounds produced by ordinary objects in relation to their specific context. Gabriel Sierra (1975) creates work that is often cold, restrained, or elusive and difficult to articulate. He regularly employs ideas about language and communication. His interests lie in the perception and physical interaction with objects and places, contrasting with the human form, and exploring how the space or the elements within it, and its boundaries, create or affect reality. Foster Black (1940) works as a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. During his shifts, he studies how visitors interact with artworks and the museum itself. His work consists of making lists, notes, and drawings in a pocket notebook. Doroteo Parra (1942) worked as an advertisement production assistant for many years. He learned that in advertising, every product or idea is crafted to look attractive and desirable, even when it is not. Marketing is closely related to the visual arts and often represents things that can deceive, manipulate, suggest, or give orders about what to do or not to do. Parra primarily works with photographs, sculptures, and video. Olga Tamaribuchi (bio missing) follow us on social media for updates.inquiries: cole@houseofseiko.info photography courtesy of Graham Holoch https://houseofseiko.info/support Mon, 23 Sep 2024 21:34:50 +0000 House Of Seiko https://houseofseiko.info/support Support House of Seiko fiscally sponsored by Independent Arts &amp; Media <img width="2500" height="1875" width_o="2500" height_o="1875" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/790eadb83cac2366b1a8a7715bf51059a74569a49e29d542efc3674b2bf4e343/2024_04_20_Seiko4832.jpg" data-mid="218559535" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/790eadb83cac2366b1a8a7715bf51059a74569a49e29d542efc3674b2bf4e343/2024_04_20_Seiko4832.jpg" /> Who we are: House of Seiko, located in the heart of the Mission District of San Francisco, was founded in the Fall of 2022 by Cole Solinger and Nicolas Torres. Having come from their respected backgrounds in the arts, Solinger and Torres are deeply committed to contributing to and maintaining the cultural capital of the fine arts in the Bay Area and entering it into a broader conversation nationally and internationally. House of Seiko primarily focuses on staging thought-provoking exhibitions that speak to the historical and cultural significance of the Bay Area through a highly curated program of multi-generational artists, whether that be emerging voices, or works from estates of artists whose stories are long overdue in being told. The gallery also hosts a growing roster of artists whose careers we look to nurture into expanded opportunities with institutions and galleries abroad. We also look to expand the footprint of our current space to host more comprehensive exhibitions and events for public engagement. This would mean annexing an additional 300 square feet of available space behind the gallery, further establishing roots, and committing to our position in the community as a cultural keystone.&nbsp;In the gallery's first two years, we have put forth thirteen exhibitions that speak directly to our goal of bringing together multi-generational voices and histories through our invested and research-based program. We aim to refocus the conversation about San Francisco in a positive way,&nbsp;redefining the region as a hub of opportunity and growth. Our efforts have not gone unnoticed, and we have seen a positive shift in outsiders' perceptions of the area and our art scene. Our Mission: One of the Bay Area's most valuable assets is its rich history of post-war artistic and cultural movements. House of Seiko is committed to honoring this history, complementing it with established and emerging artists, and showcasing the impact it has had throughout the world. This approach preserves our region's cultural heritage and enriches our understanding of contemporary art.We also look to continue growing our roster of represented artists to an attentive and well-rounded group of emerging artists and estates, providing them with opportunities locally, nationally, and internationally. This includes, including presentations at art fairs, institutions, and adjacent gallery spaces outside the Bay Area. In our first year of introducing our artist roster, the Headlands Center awarded Rose D'Amato the Tournesol Award for Painting for the Arts, had a large-scale mural commissioned and a work acquired by the Berkeley Art Museum, and will be presenting new work at this year's SECA Exhibition at SFMOMA which opens in December. These goals, which felt very abstract in our first year as a gallery, have come to fruition, and we aim to continue to provide similar opportunities for the rest of our roster as time passes. FAQ: How to donate:Donations can be made by check, cash, ACH Deposit, or through Flipcause, which is linked above. All donations are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by law. Check or money order donations should be made payable to:&nbsp; Independent Arts &amp; Media,&nbsp; P.O. Box 420442, San Francisco, CA 94142 Memo: House of Seiko For ACH Transfers, please contact cole@houseofseiko.info so we can provide you with the necessary information to ensure your donation is made correctly.&nbsp;For Corporate Matching Donations, the employee will use their company's system to select IAM (Independent Arts &amp; Media) as the nonprofit recipient and House of Seiko as the intended "program."Stock gifts should only be made through an Independent Arts and Media designated broker. IAM will accept, process, and acknowledge contributions made to support House of Seiko and, in turn, issue you a receipt for tax deduction purposes. What Makes House of Seiko Special? House of Seiko prides itself on the care and consideration that goes into all aspects of running our gallery, from our unique relationships with artists and estates to the design of our stationary and previews sent out at the beginning of every new exhibition. We are fortunate to call San Francisco home and for the gallery to operate out of what was previously a 50-year-old Seiko watch dealer, where we inherited our name. The signage from that business, all hand-painted, remains our most valuable feature. The gallery is also unique because it was established by two Bay Area natives who have experienced the turbulent times of the last decade and are deeply committed to contributing and shaping this region into an area of opportunity, exploration, and enrichment. Though we abide by traditional aspects of the gallery model, by opening our program to the possibility of donation and grant-based funding, we can expand our platform beyond garnering artwork sales to put forth museum-quality academic and research-based exhibitions for the public's engagement. This is an incredible opportunity for the gallery to operate as a host for exhibitions and performances that would otherwise not find their way to our city. Why is it important and why should someone give?House of Seiko fills a necessary void in the established structure of a healthy arts ecosystem. It is the bridge between artists operating independently, artist-run project spaces, and blue-chip galleries and institutions. Due to operational costs, it has been difficult for mid-tier galleries to establish themselves in the San Francisco Bay Area. Because of our position in this ecosystem, we can be more nimble than most blue-chip galleries and institutions, providing opportunities for younger artists to showcase themselves for the first time next to work by established or historical figures. We also pride ourselves on our accessibility and friendly attitude toward all who visit our space, regardless of cultural literacy. We feel that House of Seiko is the perfect place to explore and find an unexpected opportunity for an education that will hopefully lead to further curiosities in the arts. How will the funds be used? Donations will be used to fund the operational costs of House of Seiko including facilities, exhibitions, production costs, logistical expenses, and supporting the staff who ensure House of Seiko can continue on its important mission. Goals for 2025 are to expand House of Seiko’s physical space, scaling operations to 4 days a week from 2 days a week, expanding House of Seiko’s presence to a minimum of 2 major art fairs per year, and ensuring proper compensation for the staff who are critical for continuity of programming. About our fiscal sponsor:Founded in 2000, Independent Arts &amp; Media has built a vibrant array of accessible, affordable media and arts services for producers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Over the years, IAM has provided fiscal sponsorship to over 200 programs and producers that share our Mission. These programs have won distinguished awards and played crucial roles in empowering community participation in local culture and community. IAM currently supports over 100 affiliate projects dedicated to non-commercial work in media and the arts, including publishing, theater, dance, music, visual art, film and video, journalism, history, and public events production.&nbsp; <img width="1218" height="335" width_o="1218" height_o="335" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1a584894378243b67e9d3570bc690f4c4ee835a9cd138c481d14e4890d22589e/iam-logo-header.png" data-mid="218562782" border="0" data-scale="14" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/1a584894378243b67e9d3570bc690f4c4ee835a9cd138c481d14e4890d22589e/iam-logo-header.png" /> If you have any questions or would like additional information on how to support House of Seiko please write to us at cole@houseofseiko.info.&nbsp; Thank you for your support and we hope to see you soon.&nbsp; Cole Solinger &amp; Nicolas Torres https://houseofseiko.info/Cross-Lypka-1 Tue, 28 May 2024 23:08:59 +0000 House Of Seiko https://houseofseiko.info/Cross-Lypka-1 <img width="1973" height="2601" width_o="1973" height_o="2601" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/17387c3d27df8e843cfc046d4e08c16909a38ae7fd4bd935766c8e8ec360dc95/houseofseiko-13.jpg" data-mid="211870467" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/17387c3d27df8e843cfc046d4e08c16909a38ae7fd4bd935766c8e8ec360dc95/houseofseiko-13.jpg" /> Cross LypkaTarantula&nbsp; June 29 - August 11, 2024 Opening reception: June 29, 20245:00 - 9:00 pmchecklist inquiries: cole@houseofseiko.info We are thrilled to announce an exhibition of new work by the Bay Area-based artist duo, Cross Lypka.&nbsp;Tyler Cross (b. 1992, Lancaster CA) and Kyle Lypka (b. 1987, Philadelphia PA) live and work in Oakland California. Press Release by Jesse Stecklow CrossLypka is the moniker for Tyler Cross and Kyle Lypka, long-time partners and artistic collaborators. Their working process in ceramic follows a practical exchange of tasks. Tyler draws a lexicon of visual forms, Kyle interprets and hand-builds from this repertoire, they edit, Tyler glazes, and Kyle fires. Lastly, subtle surface treatments and sealants are applied. The works that emerge reflect this back-and-forth trade, in partnership with the material’s own desires and constraints. What does it mean to take something porous, imperfect, shrinking, warping, issue-filled... and adapt it to the rigidity of an architecture? For this exhibition, the pair have pivoted to making works in response to the space’s structural conditions. Rather than enlarging existing forms in the practice, they created segmented sculptures with systems of repeated components. One can imagine these objects stretching or multiplying themselves across a room; expanding the intervals between ceramic elements to scale to a space. Thus, a kind of elasticity is achieved in glass and stone.&nbsp; Forms referenced internally with language like “X, book, shovel, F” play new roles in the project. Building on classical interior architecture, the works perform as columns, moldings and spacial protrusions that adorn the gallery. Touching distinct corners and verticals of the space, the works narrate the walls in form-based phrases. The fired sculptures bear fleeting compositions. Strategically glazed, their matte colors drain via channels and spillways. The resulting surfaces are left stained in directions that toy with the room’s gravity. This depicted movement is contained at times by trims of sandy flashing where the works meet the walls. &nbsp; What happens to site-responsive sculpture when it leaves? Stone vertebrae, paneled enclosures, buttresses and bullnose end-caps ... bound by the kiln, by the truck and by the gallery window ... kept in eyes, in images and in thoughts ... nestled in paper, in boxes, broken down and rearranged ... still holding the shape, or potential of a corner, of a column, of a room ... adaptation as a mode of survival, to escape ruin, and to ensure an ongoing response. <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/267d05f2c041dff099134ff4d7bd4491672c87b8cf509f9fc606953aa76f8f1c/House_of_Seiko_Tyler_Cross_Kyle_Lypka_install_hires_V2_0030.jpg" data-mid="218852155" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/267d05f2c041dff099134ff4d7bd4491672c87b8cf509f9fc606953aa76f8f1c/House_of_Seiko_Tyler_Cross_Kyle_Lypka_install_hires_V2_0030.jpg" /> <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7d30756b0c81eccb9478e551700180d635088e08099bb06b076ad53bd550f2c2/House_of_Seiko_Tyler_Cross_Kyle_Lypka_install_hires_V2_0026.jpg" data-mid="218852152" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7d30756b0c81eccb9478e551700180d635088e08099bb06b076ad53bd550f2c2/House_of_Seiko_Tyler_Cross_Kyle_Lypka_install_hires_V2_0026.jpg" /> <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/eb66edb43f568038ce253aebc6a4b238aba78485cd41de8e1d7e701714f5a015/House_of_Seiko_Tyler_Cross_Kyle_Lypka_install_hires_V2_0027.jpg" data-mid="218852153" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/eb66edb43f568038ce253aebc6a4b238aba78485cd41de8e1d7e701714f5a015/House_of_Seiko_Tyler_Cross_Kyle_Lypka_install_hires_V2_0027.jpg" /> <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/68fcf648a7c48f39f7696f57c824fd59ca6a5d59244490e09c28261d3ef30a3a/House_of_Seiko_Tyler_Cross_Kyle_Lypka_install_hires_V2_0011.jpg" data-mid="218852165" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/68fcf648a7c48f39f7696f57c824fd59ca6a5d59244490e09c28261d3ef30a3a/House_of_Seiko_Tyler_Cross_Kyle_Lypka_install_hires_V2_0011.jpg" /> <img width="3333" height="5000" width_o="3333" height_o="5000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/204e535d723cef83569f150d88597f1fbeecb18e1cdbb9dd90e3e7df56e2ef57/House_of_Seiko_Tyler_Cross_Kyle_Lypka_install_hires_V2_0015.jpg" data-mid="218852167" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/204e535d723cef83569f150d88597f1fbeecb18e1cdbb9dd90e3e7df56e2ef57/House_of_Seiko_Tyler_Cross_Kyle_Lypka_install_hires_V2_0015.jpg" />&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<img width="3333" height="5000" width_o="3333" height_o="5000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/bb5d6c6eb45eb63ad801d160283059d73a01134d9667e3aae7d667f874a60ec8/House_of_Seiko_Tyler_Cross_Kyle_Lypka_install_hires_V2_0014.jpg" data-mid="218852168" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/bb5d6c6eb45eb63ad801d160283059d73a01134d9667e3aae7d667f874a60ec8/House_of_Seiko_Tyler_Cross_Kyle_Lypka_install_hires_V2_0014.jpg" /> follow us on social media for updates.inquiries: cole@houseofseiko.info photography courtesy of Graham Holoch https://houseofseiko.info/Marvin-Lipofsky Tue, 07 May 2024 19:00:09 +0000 House Of Seiko https://houseofseiko.info/Marvin-Lipofsky <img width="1897" height="2606" width_o="1897" height_o="2606" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8716aefa9a58330a3143e6d2f3d94b1ad790e3fc6ee3acd189a4a80f01d68cd9/houseofseiko-23.jpg" data-mid="228256860" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8716aefa9a58330a3143e6d2f3d94b1ad790e3fc6ee3acd189a4a80f01d68cd9/houseofseiko-23.jpg" /> Marvin Lipofsky&nbsp; March 22 - April 27, 2025 Opening reception: March 22, 20255:00 - 8:00 pm inquiries: cole@houseofseiko.info We are thrilled to announce an exhibition of work by the late Bay Area-based glass artist, Marvin Lipofsky.&nbsp; Marvin Lipofsky September 1, 1938 – January 15, 2016 born: Elgin, Illinois &nbsp; Education: University of Illinois, 1962 University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1964 Was an American glass artist who helped reinvent the challenging material of glass through experiments in scale, color, and technique. Lipofsky studied ceramics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign before turning to glass in graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was one of the six students that Studio Glass founder Harvey Littleton instructed in a program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the fall of 1962 and spring of 1963. He was a central figure in the dissemination of the American Studio Glass Movement, introducing it to California through his tenure as an instructor at the University of California, Berkeley, and the&nbsp;California College of Arts and Crafts. Lipofsky was an instructor for seminars and workshops at art and craft schools, including the Pilchuck Glass School&nbsp;in Stanwood, Washington;&nbsp;Columbus College of Art and Design&nbsp;in Columbus, Ohio; Southwest Craft Center in San Antonio, Texas;&nbsp;Haystack Mountain School of Crafts&nbsp;in Deer Isle, Maine;&nbsp;San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, California and the Art Department of the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Throughout his six-decade career, Lipofsky traveled to glass factories in Europe, Asia, the Soviet Union, and Mexico, where he took photographs of glass worldwide, led workshops, and crafted new pieces with local glassblowing experts. In this environment, Liposky collaborated with a glass master and teams of glass handlers in various factories to create larger multi-colored sculptures, which were shipped back to his studio in Berkeley, where he finished them using a variety of coldworking processes, such as sandblasting, polishing, and grinding. Many of Lipofsky’s works are colorful “bubbles” of glass. Often semi-translucent, they allow the viewer to examine their depths. He is best known for the organic form of his pieces. Lipofsky is well known for having devoted his career in glass to endless variations on the turbulent, broken bubble form. Corning Museum of Glass curator Tina Oldknow has written that she admires Lipofsky “for his devotion to material and form. His non-objective vessels break apart and rearrange the blown glass mass while retaining the breathy, ephemeral quality, one of the medium’s most intriguing characteristics.” Notable awards garnered by the artist include a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass in Chicago, Illinois, in 2005 and a Masters of the Medium Award from the James Renwick Alliance, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, in 2003. He was named an Honorary Lifetime Member of the Glass Art Society in 1986 and a California Living Treasure in Sacramento, California, in 1985. The artist was the recipient of two National Endowment for the Arts&nbsp;grants in 1976 and 1974. Lipofsky’s work can be found in the collections of the Corning Museum of Glass&nbsp;in Corning, New York;&nbsp;High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia;&nbsp;Los Angeles County Museum of Art,&nbsp;Oakland Museum, Oakland, California;&nbsp;Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City;&nbsp;Philadelphia Museum of Art&nbsp;and&nbsp;Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Ohio. Overseas, his work is in&nbsp;Glasmuseet Ebeltoft&nbsp;in Denmark;&nbsp;Frauenau Glass Museum, Germany;&nbsp;Museum Bellerive&nbsp;in Zürich, Switzerland;&nbsp;Museum Boijmans van Beuningen&nbsp;in Rotterdam, Holland;&nbsp;National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Japan; and Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art in Sapporo, Japan. <img width="4147" height="2906" width_o="4147" height_o="2906" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/52a5e33bd5797e605019417c77c23c140ee6e8ebc08ab647597cfc77995a0873/ML_studio02.jpg" data-mid="225873827" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/52a5e33bd5797e605019417c77c23c140ee6e8ebc08ab647597cfc77995a0873/ML_studio02.jpg" /> <img width="6000" height="4000" width_o="6000" height_o="4000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ee7f3cd34bbe09e68af3c9fc4fbe981f03d2745feaf0714146f3da8c81af4cb1/House_of_Seiko_Marvin_Lipofsky_hires_5.jpg" data-mid="228849989" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ee7f3cd34bbe09e68af3c9fc4fbe981f03d2745feaf0714146f3da8c81af4cb1/House_of_Seiko_Marvin_Lipofsky_hires_5.jpg" /> <img width="6000" height="4000" width_o="6000" height_o="4000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/fd720a4ad6bbbe809ea8cf76d33d851e916ab3e318407bbae0b448876f07f10e/House_of_Seiko_Marvin_Lipofsky_hires_8.jpg" data-mid="228849995" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/fd720a4ad6bbbe809ea8cf76d33d851e916ab3e318407bbae0b448876f07f10e/House_of_Seiko_Marvin_Lipofsky_hires_8.jpg" /> <img width="6000" height="4000" width_o="6000" height_o="4000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5363929db0e39c8f885539ced273e50f12b0a0dba9d7e94b9db0656511bc33cc/House_of_Seiko_Marvin_Lipofsky_hires_7.jpg" data-mid="228849994" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5363929db0e39c8f885539ced273e50f12b0a0dba9d7e94b9db0656511bc33cc/House_of_Seiko_Marvin_Lipofsky_hires_7.jpg" /> <img width="6000" height="4000" width_o="6000" height_o="4000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/50a33eabf714671bc741e0b2db19ade5370436fe33b15502179ee88c8056755b/House_of_Seiko_Marvin_Lipofsky_hires_15.jpg" data-mid="228850088" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/50a33eabf714671bc741e0b2db19ade5370436fe33b15502179ee88c8056755b/House_of_Seiko_Marvin_Lipofsky_hires_15.jpg" /> <img width="6000" height="4000" width_o="6000" height_o="4000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/510315233d66ea53e81fee709eb89fc5e2b01b9c166f21f0a495914e3e57b571/House_of_Seiko_Marvin_Lipofsky_hires_6.jpg" data-mid="228849993" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/510315233d66ea53e81fee709eb89fc5e2b01b9c166f21f0a495914e3e57b571/House_of_Seiko_Marvin_Lipofsky_hires_6.jpg" /><img width="6000" height="4000" width_o="6000" height_o="4000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/282d789f1235fa1ee4baa33932047335b37b86e35058efd3d32be30ad7f87e3d/House_of_Seiko_Marvin_Lipofsky_hires_19.jpg" data-mid="228850092" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/282d789f1235fa1ee4baa33932047335b37b86e35058efd3d32be30ad7f87e3d/House_of_Seiko_Marvin_Lipofsky_hires_19.jpg" /> <img width="2102" height="2679" width_o="2102" height_o="2679" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f66b80228c636a0ec1905c97aba3c14ea418922bae32bed375d365a9a07dacec/IGSIV91_8.jpg" data-mid="225873834" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f66b80228c636a0ec1905c97aba3c14ea418922bae32bed375d365a9a07dacec/IGSIV91_8.jpg" /> Czech Flowers&nbsp; #8, 1991 Egermann-Exbor S.P., Novy Bor, Czech Republic Sandblasted glass 10” x 16” x 14” <img width="2107" height="2355" width_o="2107" height_o="2355" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/59484a81524eefb5a1f729ab875bb7c98900ba22bf25caa8e399994d8ab1a1e8/IGSIV91_9.jpg" data-mid="225873835" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/59484a81524eefb5a1f729ab875bb7c98900ba22bf25caa8e399994d8ab1a1e8/IGSIV91_9.jpg" /> Czech Flowers #9, 1992 Egermann-Exbor S.P., Novy Bor, Czech Republic Sandblasted glass 12” x 17” x 18 1/2” <img width="2679" height="2103" width_o="2679" height_o="2103" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f54895443eb1016d2bcb8ccae0461ca2677b0b8a96e47d19cd7f9f2320b7978e/IGSIV91_3.jpg" data-mid="225873833" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f54895443eb1016d2bcb8ccae0461ca2677b0b8a96e47d19cd7f9f2320b7978e/IGSIV91_3.jpg" /> Czech Flowers #3, 1992 Egermann-Exbor S.P., Novy Bor, Czech Republic Sandblasted glass 9 1/2” x 18” x 22” <img width="2176" height="1779" width_o="2176" height_o="1779" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/99010300513c29c15ce7e2cb07abcab9e6d3eeb914f16260f6586567019774e0/IGSV94_6.jpg" data-mid="225873836" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/99010300513c29c15ce7e2cb07abcab9e6d3eeb914f16260f6586567019774e0/IGSV94_6.jpg" /> GA Series #6 (IGS V), 1999 Novy Bor, Novy Bor, Czech Republic Sandblasted glass 10” x 23” x 12 1/2” <img width="2400" height="3000" width_o="2400" height_o="3000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4d827d50f56a82e76d2795b7af0ec8932b49796fd7b97f0c2408ed53abccad56/lauscha97_3.jpg" data-mid="225873837" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/4d827d50f56a82e76d2795b7af0ec8932b49796fd7b97f0c2408ed53abccad56/lauscha97_3.jpg" /> Lauscha Group # 3, 1997 Farblashutte, Lauscha, Germany Sandblasted glass 11” x 16” x 12” <img width="2400" height="3000" width_o="2400" height_o="3000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f44776e517a5ee0b5668a7608ebd326831bf0b02908684812003f883ca5ae0f4/suomifinland90_11.jpg" data-mid="225873839" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f44776e517a5ee0b5668a7608ebd326831bf0b02908684812003f883ca5ae0f4/suomifinland90_11.jpg" /> Suomi Finland Series #11, 1992 Humppila Glass Factory, Helsinki, Finland Sandblasted glass 12” x 13” x 16” <img width="2400" height="3000" width_o="2400" height_o="3000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9f3ce75660f7e2b4c2302731f237b9ad7d5d47a66487bc1dd435ab8783930b4d/violetta92_7.jpg" data-mid="225873840" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/9f3ce75660f7e2b4c2302731f237b9ad7d5d47a66487bc1dd435ab8783930b4d/violetta92_7.jpg" /> Violetta Series # 7, 1995 Violetta Glass Factory, Stronie Slaskie, Poland Sandblasted glass 12 1/2” x 10 1/2” x 15” <img width="2400" height="3000" width_o="2400" height_o="3000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/18f95e076801d0a01c3d4bf8b746241a75bc7944dae11cb2ad6f6f50b24df45b/meisenthal92_20.jpg" data-mid="225873838" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/18f95e076801d0a01c3d4bf8b746241a75bc7944dae11cb2ad6f6f50b24df45b/meisenthal92_20.jpg" /> Series Meisenthal #20, 1993 International Center for Glass, Meisenthal, France Sandblasted glass 10 1/2” x 14 1/2” x 11” Public Collections: Museum of Arts and Design (American Craft Museum; Museum of Contemporary Crafts), NYC, New York Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Oakland Museum of California (Oakland Art Museum), Oakland, California San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (San Francisco Museum of Art), San Francisco, California Musee D’Art Contemporain, Skopje, Yugoslavia The Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Ohio National Museum of Glass, Leerdam, Holland Museum Boymans-Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, Holland Stedelijke Museum, Amsterdam, Holland Museum Bellerive, Zurich, Switzerland Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York Museum Für Kunsthandwek, Frankfurt, Germany Kunsthaus AM Museum, Koln, Germany Kunstsammlungen Der Veste Coburg, Coburg, Germany Musee de Design ET D’Arts Appliques/Contemporains (Musee des Arts Decoratifs) Lausanne, Switzerland The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Japan Umeleckoprumyslove Muzeum, Prague, Czechoslovakia St. Louis Museum of Art, St. Louis, Missouri Auckland City Art Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand The Detroit Institute of Art, Detroit, Michigan Musee des Arts Decoratifs (Fonds National d’Art Contemporin) Paris, France Hokkaido Government Prefectury, Sapparo, Japan Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania International Glass Symposium Collection, Crystalex, Novy Bor, Czech Republic Crystalex, A.S./Lemberk Castle Zsolnay Museum, Pecs, Hungary Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, Indiana Museum of Decorative Arts, Sofia, Bulgaria Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California All-Russia Decorative, Applied and Folk Art Museum, Moscow, Russia National Museum in Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland Montreal Museum of Decorative Arts, Montreal, Canada The Hsinchu Cultural Center, Hsinchu, Taiwan The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York Renwick Gallery, National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Awards and Honors: 1974/76 &nbsp; National Endowment for the Arts, Fellowship 1983 &nbsp; Honorific Prize, Viconiter ‘83 1st International Exhibit of Contemporary Glass, Valencia, Spain 1985 &nbsp; “California Living Treasure,” Creative Arts League of Sacramento, Sacramento, California 1986 &nbsp; Honorary Life Member, Glass Art Society, Annual Conference, Los Angeles, California 1989 &nbsp; Distinguished Graduate Award for Outstanding Achievement in Art, Barrington High School, Barrington, Illinois 1991 &nbsp; College of Fellows, The American Craft Council, New York, New York 1998 &nbsp; Trustee emeritus, American Crafts Council, New York, New York 2002 &nbsp; Honorary Award for Inspiration and Instigation of the Bay Area Glass Community, California Glass Exchange, San Jose, California 2003 &nbsp; Master of the Medium Award, James Renwick Alliance, Washington, D.C. 2005 &nbsp; Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass 2005 Artist Award 2009 &nbsp; Honorary Lifetime Achievement Award, Glass Art Society, 39th Annual GAS Conference, Corning, New York 2016&nbsp; &nbsp; Wisconsin Visual Art Achievement Award, Museum of Wisconsin Art, West Bend, Wisconsin Selected Solo Exhibitions: 1969 &nbsp; Museum of Contemporary Crafts, New York, New York 1969 &nbsp; Utah Museum of Fine Arts, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 1970 &nbsp; Stedelijke Museum, Amsterdam, Holland 1974 &nbsp; California Institute of Technology, Baxter Art Gallery, Pasadena, California 1978 &nbsp; Gallery Maronie, Kyoto, Japan 1979 &nbsp; University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 1981 &nbsp; Habatat Galleries, Lathrup Village, Michigan 1982 &nbsp; Betsy Rosenfield Gallery, Chicago, Illinois 1985 &nbsp; Ree Schonlau Gallery, Omaha, Nebraska 1985 &nbsp; Holsten Galleries, Palm Beach, Florida 1989 &nbsp; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Artist Gallery (2 Person Exhibit), Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, California 1991 &nbsp; Leo Kaplan Modern, New York, New York 1996 &nbsp; Marvin Lipofsky’s World of Glass Show: An Historical Retrospective, Kennedy Art Center Gallery 1996 &nbsp; Holy Names College, Oakland, California 2003 &nbsp; Marvin Lipofsky: A Glass Odyssey, Retrospective, Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, California 2005 &nbsp; Marvin Lipofsky: A Glass Odyssey, Fresno Art Museum, Fresno, California 2006 &nbsp; Marvin Lipofsky: A Journey in Glass, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California 2009 &nbsp; Marvin Lipofsky: Survey 1969-2009, Micaela Gallery, San Francisco, CA 2009 &nbsp; Marvin Lipofsky: Survey 1969-2009, 555 Concourse Gallery, SF, CA 2015 &nbsp; Duane Reed Gallery, Marvin Lipofsky, SOFA Chicago, Illinois 2017 &nbsp; Richmond Art Center, Marvin Lipofsky: Molten Matter/Fantastic Form, Richmond, California 2018 &nbsp; World Without Borders: The Art of Marvin Lipofsky, Jay Musler Gallery, San Francisco, California 2021 &nbsp; Craft Front &amp; Center: What Can You Do with Glass?, Museum of Arts &amp; Design, NYC, New York 2021 &nbsp; Marvin Lipofsky: International Studio Glass, SFO Museum, San Francisco, California Archival Images: Humppila Glass Factory, Helsinki, Finland, 1990 - 1992 <img width="3496" height="2364" width_o="3496" height_o="2364" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/68a0bc89c092146c51ba5782570719bc17f7ea6f32c40b25cc258507f5ad03a2/finland89_32.jpg" data-mid="225873923" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/68a0bc89c092146c51ba5782570719bc17f7ea6f32c40b25cc258507f5ad03a2/finland89_32.jpg" /> <img width="3496" height="2364" width_o="3496" height_o="2364" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/27a9d53e8cf25b9bc7948b1b5f76cb69de37fe26c9550445b9b071d2273d15fe/finland89_68.jpg" data-mid="225873924" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/27a9d53e8cf25b9bc7948b1b5f76cb69de37fe26c9550445b9b071d2273d15fe/finland89_68.jpg" /> Egermann-Exbor S.P., Novy Bor, Czech Republic, 1991-1993 <img width="3592" height="2400" width_o="3592" height_o="2400" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/cdcc21ca6c0050d82c8674ed7462552973d7dd2286bd91f74dd0639e05f0fde1/IGSIV16.jpg" data-mid="225874074" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/cdcc21ca6c0050d82c8674ed7462552973d7dd2286bd91f74dd0639e05f0fde1/IGSIV16.jpg" /> <img width="3031" height="2344" width_o="3031" height_o="2344" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/48413cb0f8bcf283ecf9aca13c5ba773c65109ddfd17ac17e01a5000fd39023e/IGSIV22.jpg" data-mid="225874075" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/48413cb0f8bcf283ecf9aca13c5ba773c65109ddfd17ac17e01a5000fd39023e/IGSIV22.jpg" /> <img width="3131" height="2312" width_o="3131" height_o="2312" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0cd852b94c2702f86235ab10fbec0e41e52b89f7669ed7de0a8188977eadb547/IGSIV80.jpg" data-mid="225874076" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/0cd852b94c2702f86235ab10fbec0e41e52b89f7669ed7de0a8188977eadb547/IGSIV80.jpg" /> International Center for Glass, Meisenthal, France, 1993 <img width="3508" height="2344" width_o="3508" height_o="2344" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/424ef1a2d7eeb0f6ff93a5ceaf2f26a9f9293ef467221406726c8f89a3e5e514/meisenthal92_37.jpg" data-mid="225874105" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/424ef1a2d7eeb0f6ff93a5ceaf2f26a9f9293ef467221406726c8f89a3e5e514/meisenthal92_37.jpg" /> <img width="3463" height="2344" width_o="3463" height_o="2344" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1261a0d8b005b560862221895b24c98f1d59c270d71e923300d820e6bf732b05/meisenthal92_76.jpg" data-mid="225874106" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/1261a0d8b005b560862221895b24c98f1d59c270d71e923300d820e6bf732b05/meisenthal92_76.jpg" /> Violetta Glass Factory, Stronie Slaskie, Poland, 1995 <img width="3508" height="2344" width_o="3508" height_o="2344" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/35f368b9e3f8793917f62cdc5e61222b6fe0814f4839c94cf893255bc443f2b3/poland92_41.jpg" data-mid="225874135" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/35f368b9e3f8793917f62cdc5e61222b6fe0814f4839c94cf893255bc443f2b3/poland92_41.jpg" /> <img width="2871" height="2344" width_o="2871" height_o="2344" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b8f99a4034fa98072cb581295b1d3e9f8757cce76e0ad1e427e57d44ddf39eda/poland92_33.jpg" data-mid="225874134" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b8f99a4034fa98072cb581295b1d3e9f8757cce76e0ad1e427e57d44ddf39eda/poland92_33.jpg" /> Farblashutte, Lauscha, Germany, 1997 <img width="3099" height="2084" width_o="3099" height_o="2084" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8c2d57530cc7d181c2f212b2ee70de5101944e78a1fd2058dfe998464dfa4f51/lauscha97_3.jpg" data-mid="225874147" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8c2d57530cc7d181c2f212b2ee70de5101944e78a1fd2058dfe998464dfa4f51/lauscha97_3.jpg" /> <img width="3496" height="2364" width_o="3496" height_o="2364" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3ea88966174dd7064607c93da82d8507ee4da61f6a2f1faf1cc5874ce94a3455/lauscha97_6.jpg" data-mid="225874148" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/3ea88966174dd7064607c93da82d8507ee4da61f6a2f1faf1cc5874ce94a3455/lauscha97_6.jpg" /> follow us on social media for updates.inquiries: cole@houseofseiko.info photography courtesy of Graham Holoch https://houseofseiko.info/sfartfair Fri, 12 Apr 2024 22:14:51 +0000 House Of Seiko https://houseofseiko.info/sfartfair <img width="1878" height="2597" width_o="1878" height_o="2597" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/cf5b42420d4258491319e08e7b46b573376579c8d551f972a5e894228cb85259/houseofseiko-12.jpg" data-mid="208845479" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/cf5b42420d4258491319e08e7b46b573376579c8d551f972a5e894228cb85259/houseofseiko-12.jpg" /> Gary Katiya, Tyler Ormsby&nbsp;San Francisco Art Fair &nbsp; Booth F12 April 24 - April 28, 2024 Fort Mason Festival Pavilion Landmark Building C 2 Marina Boulevard San Francisco, CAchecklist inquiries: cole@houseofseiko.info House of Seiko is pleased to present new work in painting by Gary Katiya and Tyler G. Ormsby.&nbsp; Gary Katiya (b. 1997) is an artist based in Santa Rosa, CA. His work has appeared in Hit Gallery &amp; Cushion Works in San Francisco. Tyler G. Ormsby (b. 1994) is an artist based in San Francisco, CA. His artworks take shape through various mediums, emphasizing painting, drawing, and ceramics. He has previously exhibited work at galleries and institutions such as Ratio 3, New Sun Room, and the Watari Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, Japan. Both artists, significantly influenced by classical painting, wield tools forged through self-direction to illustrate quotidian romance, tragedy, silence, and the subtly shifting Northern California landscape. Through their growing friendship, Gary and Tyler have developed close correspondence, in which the exchange of thoughts on art and life is constant. Although separated by over fifty miles, their practices are innately tied to one another. <img width="2500" height="1667" width_o="2500" height_o="1667" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d55fe9f3634a86eb3d233a0f0ff9438e03b5f8052dfb2a1ede0e0cca7c1affd0/2024_04_08_Seiko4485.jpg" data-mid="208999263" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d55fe9f3634a86eb3d233a0f0ff9438e03b5f8052dfb2a1ede0e0cca7c1affd0/2024_04_08_Seiko4485.jpg" /> [pictured above] Gary Katiya Untitled (three paintings), 2024 oil on canvas&nbsp; 18 1/4” x 72 1/4” inches inquire <img width="1875" height="2500" width_o="1875" height_o="2500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/589e6eae9115cee55c8817edcf4b798e802ab5f2e3bb67182d5b7b2fa0cd0dcf/2024_04_08_Seiko4476.jpg" data-mid="208999257" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/589e6eae9115cee55c8817edcf4b798e802ab5f2e3bb67182d5b7b2fa0cd0dcf/2024_04_08_Seiko4476.jpg" /><img width="1875" height="2500" width_o="1875" height_o="2500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/36c316b4e088f71faf14d37a4e8f2a27d023566d72929cfe9e68fafcee03a09b/2024_04_08_Seiko4477.jpg" data-mid="208999258" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/36c316b4e088f71faf14d37a4e8f2a27d023566d72929cfe9e68fafcee03a09b/2024_04_08_Seiko4477.jpg" />[pictured above, left]&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Gary KatiyaUntitled (dancers), 2023oil on canvas 18” x 24” inches inquire[pictured above, right]Gary KatiyaUntitled (self portrait), 2023oil on canvas 18” x 24” inches inquire <img width="1875" height="2500" width_o="1875" height_o="2500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7686313f3babeb91dc93908b8e9b468096f956c515acf002e41becfced0db31d/2024_04_08_Seiko4481.jpg" data-mid="208999262" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7686313f3babeb91dc93908b8e9b468096f956c515acf002e41becfced0db31d/2024_04_08_Seiko4481.jpg" /><img width="1875" height="2500" width_o="1875" height_o="2500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1f5fd878cf6e40cb5489db88892cb241d09a799ec2f34f93bfc9c0cf1ff70b53/2024_04_08_Seiko4478.jpg" data-mid="208999259" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/1f5fd878cf6e40cb5489db88892cb241d09a799ec2f34f93bfc9c0cf1ff70b53/2024_04_08_Seiko4478.jpg" />[pictured above, left]Gary KatiyaUntitled (erased image), 2024oil on canvas 24” x 18” inches inquire[pictured above, right]Gary KatiyaUntitled (dinner), 2024oil on canvas 18” x 24” inches inquire &nbsp;<img width="1875" height="2500" width_o="1875" height_o="2500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c4d922c840e1e5c08db8fed38f4e96106a47eaa43f1fd42fdf3222198a2f0550/2024_04_08_Seiko4468.jpg" data-mid="208999253" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c4d922c840e1e5c08db8fed38f4e96106a47eaa43f1fd42fdf3222198a2f0550/2024_04_08_Seiko4468.jpg" /><img width="1875" height="2500" width_o="1875" height_o="2500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e43f3b2e298b55dfb1d31a1b38bf7873db5eb2da8cc63ac8f2236748cbe48ee7/2024_04_08_Seiko4473.jpg" data-mid="208999256" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e43f3b2e298b55dfb1d31a1b38bf7873db5eb2da8cc63ac8f2236748cbe48ee7/2024_04_08_Seiko4473.jpg" /> [pictured above, left]Tyler OrmsbyI Feel Relaxed With You, 2024oil on canvas 35” x 44” inches inquire[pictured above, right]Tyler OrmsbyNorthern Still Life, 2024oil on canvas 38” x 42” inches inquire <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/99eb4af9aa03cf809a19e869c17a93251886cdf6648ff00715f99a9fc6ed01ef/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_92_hires.jpg" data-mid="208845592" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/99eb4af9aa03cf809a19e869c17a93251886cdf6648ff00715f99a9fc6ed01ef/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_92_hires.jpg" />[pictured above]Tyler OrmsbyClassical Music, 2024oil on canvas 84” x 56” inches inquire <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5b6e285c3dea7371094ef812f0bc746da1c0d07c6ac0a1b06856a5b7f66c13b0/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_94_hires.jpg" data-mid="208845593" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5b6e285c3dea7371094ef812f0bc746da1c0d07c6ac0a1b06856a5b7f66c13b0/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_94_hires.jpg" /> <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/aae9b263a9a2bca508286c9e5e9211b4d56cc434dd9cc328a7bc8e1c768ce130/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_95_hires.jpg" data-mid="208845594" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/aae9b263a9a2bca508286c9e5e9211b4d56cc434dd9cc328a7bc8e1c768ce130/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_95_hires.jpg" /> follow us on social media for updates.inquiries: cole@houseofseiko.info photography courtesy of Graham Holoch https://houseofseiko.info/Madam-X Thu, 04 Apr 2024 21:03:59 +0000 House Of Seiko https://houseofseiko.info/Madam-X <img width="1973" height="2601" width_o="1973" height_o="2601" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a590a626ac3bcae647de887031bda05b3bae43b83c282e9281f72e6b45f2058d/houseofseiko-10.jpg" data-mid="208311022" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a590a626ac3bcae647de887031bda05b3bae43b83c282e9281f72e6b45f2058d/houseofseiko-10.jpg" /> Madam X Theatre of Experience February 17 - April 7, 2024 checklist Opening reception: February 17, 20245:00 - 9:00 pm inquiries: cole@houseofseiko.info We are thrilled to announce the opening of Theatre of Experience, an exhibition of works on paper by Los Angeles-based interdisciplinary artist Madam X. In the mid-1970s, in an abandoned chicken ranch outside of El Cajon, California, Madam X was seized by numerous visitations. She was given insights into abstract theories on eternal culture, eternal beings, and relational aesthetics. The experience revealed itself to her through the language of the body, sensations which compelled her to trace ecstatic hoops, loops, and swirls on paper. She recognized acutely at the time that these were instructions from another place. For three years, these directives flowed into her, eventually evolving into an extensive taxonomy and visual language. Shortly thereafter, the possession began to fade, leaving Madam X permanently altered and indebted to this sudden education. For the last forty years, Madam X has developed an emergent practice of exploring her comprehension and integration of that psychic experience. This will be her third exhibition since the work began to manifest physically. Theatre of Experience, a display of nine framed works at House of Seiko, focuses on Madam X's mandala drawings developed over the last fifteen years. Many of these paintings and drawings posit themselves as evolving works. They are records of the experience of her spiritual insights and were created solely for her pursuit of spiritual understanding. They contain intricately layered yet familiar images of humans, creatures, and other living things weaving through the sphere of time, attempting to return to the center of the world in which they have been born. Press release by Ross Simonini On a hazy afternoon in Los Angeles, I visited Madam X at her Los Angeles studio, a pair of hillside rooms in the artist’s home, which contain a map for an entirely new paradigm of reality. The room was a museum to another world, depicted in soothing colors, meticulous forms, poetic language, and an ongoing narrative of infinite unity. Spread across the space were sculptures, drawings, paintings, pamphlets, zines, furniture, puppets, and a banner, all of which attempt to describe a very specific, spiraling force at the heart of existence. This is not a science fictional universe invented by a novelist or an intellectual theory by an armchair philosopher — it’s documentation of direct experience with mystical truth. In the 1970s, in the year she refers to as “0000,” Madam X fell into a liminal state in which she began to perceive an unseen layer of the known universe, what she refers to as a “dark and webby blanket.” To me, she described a kind of fascial tissue that connects everything to everything, and referred to it as “Eternal Culture” — the place that “always has been and is always being.” In Eternal Culture, all of time, life, and space merge into a single flowing energy, which is often depicted in Madam X’s work as a river, circle, or a hypnotic spiral. Over time, Madam X came to forge a relationship with this textural dimension. She observed as life forms rose and fell within it and developed a kind of tactile communication with its patterns, connecting with its movements as a surfer aligns with the tides. For three years, she lived primarily within this Culture, a period in which she first found her voice as an artist. Eventually, she returned to consensual reality, gradually, slowly, and has continued to spend most of her time here, where the rest of us live. But she has never severed her relationship to this underworld. Even now, four decades later, she continues to learn from the Culture. From what I can glean, this is less like book learning and more of a kinesthetic transmission: a metaphysical push-pull, a telepathic inhale-exhale, an oscillation between the kinds of fundamental polarities that recall the forces of yin and yang. Indeed, Madam X’s philosophy echoes many forms of esotericism, both East and West, from Taoism to Vedanta, Kabbalah to Rosicrucianism. Like those traditions, abstract ideas are conveyed through mandalas, triangles and diagrams of the numinous. And like hieroglyphics or Mayan codexes, or even the illuminated work of William Blake, images and text seem to conjoin into a universal, optical language. Sometimes, Madam X includes phrases like “All Being is a processing design and All Being is One.” to help decipher her paintings, and she has made dozens of books outlining her experiences and ideas, much of them published under a central pseudo-organization she calls “Human Being Society.” Of course, every person on planet Earth is a member of the HBS, and to illustrate this point, she has sometimes picked addresses from the phone book at random and mailed out membership cards to unsuspecting strangers. As time has gone on, Madam X’s work seems to have replaced description with a pure, unannotated image. In this way, her painting recalls yantras — those sacred intersecting geometric forms in Hindu astrology, which are used to unlock spiritual understanding. Her works entrance the viewer with the artist’s exquisite skill and impeccable precision. Putting aside the vast cosmology; this work is remarkable for its craftsmanship and its innate visual harmony. Each image reaches for total balance. Each composition is a grand, ambitious attempt at synthesizing everything, from macro to micro, from galaxies to humans to those subatomic leptons. This is the work of a highly developed artist who has only really begun to show her work in the last year, in her 70s. This late showing is not due to a willful withholding or refusal, but a simple disinterest in public exhibitions. This work is not easy for everyone to casually understand, and even the artist herself does not conform to the standards of artist identity. “Madam X” is not simply a pseudonym for the woman who lives in the woody hills of Montecito Heights and appears to physically make this work. Madam X, as far as I can understand her, is a kind of parallel entity who exists in the Eternal Culture, who the artist describes as “an ancient adventurer.” The woman who bears a Christian name and appears to be made of flesh — she is only the channel for Madam X’s information. On this plane of reality, we can never perceive the true Madam X, nor can we accurately describe her in words. When I asked the artist whether she referred to Madam X in the 3rd or 1st person — for my practical writing purposes — she answered, “neither.”&nbsp; In the paintings, Madam X is depicted as a purple, genderless being with an elongated head and an Ibis-like beak. To stay in touch with this peculiar avatar requires constant spiritual practice, which the artist considers a lifelong vocation, a devotion to inner exploration. This kind of dedication reflects the power of humanity’s longing for another world, which, I believe, we all feel in one way or another. You can find this desire in fairy tales, religions, the occult, fantasy, sci-fi, shamanism, and comics. We always have and always will yearn for these parallel existences, and it is the visionaries who will always be our pioneers, opening doorways for us to glance at something beyond the senses. Madam X is a true visionary and even more, she has the confidence of vision to disrupt our perception just enough to show us something new. The more we look at this work, the more mysterious the world around us becomes. It’s haunting and unsettling, but it’s also essential and unspeakably valuable. From the other side, Madam X offers the great gift of uncertainty to us all. co-organized by: Libby Doylespecial thanks to: Axel Wilhite &amp; Space Ten Gallery <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/31631c1b44f5be201bd69e99434aaad5353f4f08dfc97e86cfcf821c7ab6cda8/House_Of_Seiko_Madam_X_Install1_hires.jpg" data-mid="208311024" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/31631c1b44f5be201bd69e99434aaad5353f4f08dfc97e86cfcf821c7ab6cda8/House_Of_Seiko_Madam_X_Install1_hires.jpg" /> <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8cc7ae09f053cec634bad4f1ca688ca6d2d29baa4a587ff61fa39f46dbde5e8d/House_Of_Seiko_Madam_X_Install8_hires.jpg" data-mid="208311020" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8cc7ae09f053cec634bad4f1ca688ca6d2d29baa4a587ff61fa39f46dbde5e8d/House_Of_Seiko_Madam_X_Install8_hires.jpg" /> <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/bf75220c28edcd557f704872507158ee65f48a59bf6d1a489cd5838eca5014fa/House_Of_Seiko_Madam_X_Install3_hires.jpg" data-mid="208311021" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/bf75220c28edcd557f704872507158ee65f48a59bf6d1a489cd5838eca5014fa/House_Of_Seiko_Madam_X_Install3_hires.jpg" /> <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/68616a7c14b4c5c2569ad7f8604fda626ab989d7bcb5a7130ab745927d670258/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_2_hires.jpg" data-mid="208311019" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/68616a7c14b4c5c2569ad7f8604fda626ab989d7bcb5a7130ab745927d670258/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_2_hires.jpg" /> <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b9b2386ebf49608c26f37ae2e1c61a4c1805fbad7cf1c19b6b7d0f5db3c1a382/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_4_hires.jpg" data-mid="208311018" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b9b2386ebf49608c26f37ae2e1c61a4c1805fbad7cf1c19b6b7d0f5db3c1a382/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_4_hires.jpg" /> <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2b7015c1150f2413b25bfbb09cb3f6925db011f708e349296c14bf631cecd7c3/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_10_hires.jpg" data-mid="208311017" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/2b7015c1150f2413b25bfbb09cb3f6925db011f708e349296c14bf631cecd7c3/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_10_hires.jpg" /> <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/792bfcf2695bbbc5e01f67c401da18d0dddd4a42031af0aa23ab6864c3a1b2bd/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_12_hires.jpg" data-mid="208311028" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/792bfcf2695bbbc5e01f67c401da18d0dddd4a42031af0aa23ab6864c3a1b2bd/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_12_hires.jpg" /> <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c32cd86918e817ea82cf04f5cdcf5e45d0d9c56b076e739ae48531199a519584/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_37_hires.jpg" data-mid="208311023" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c32cd86918e817ea82cf04f5cdcf5e45d0d9c56b076e739ae48531199a519584/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_37_hires.jpg" />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d40820bdd12d026fd9913ab2c7dcc445a8d7bc567b090eebbfd42f14a933d999/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_38_hires.jpg" data-mid="208311029" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d40820bdd12d026fd9913ab2c7dcc445a8d7bc567b090eebbfd42f14a933d999/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_38_hires.jpg" /> <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0e301515ed893665067357483eaa8758323b149a18dd1f5c465183161082b52a/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_16_hires.jpg" data-mid="208311032" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/0e301515ed893665067357483eaa8758323b149a18dd1f5c465183161082b52a/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_16_hires.jpg" /> <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3bbd38fe385f325cf97a363f289db8ba9a522ae1207535c5dd02b4421527454e/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_19_hires.jpg" data-mid="208311026" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/3bbd38fe385f325cf97a363f289db8ba9a522ae1207535c5dd02b4421527454e/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_19_hires.jpg" /> <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/67057e23bc9530f54926281975e1602bd2476dccbe037fe348b80c498a4f8cd8/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_29_hires.jpg" data-mid="208311025" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/67057e23bc9530f54926281975e1602bd2476dccbe037fe348b80c498a4f8cd8/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_29_hires.jpg" /> <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5bc464d388807b0a290bd4a0885f03b3e5ac6ea9d1a048efb981d86e678e9cec/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_30_hires.jpg" data-mid="208311027" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5bc464d388807b0a290bd4a0885f03b3e5ac6ea9d1a048efb981d86e678e9cec/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_30_hires.jpg" /> <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8d6cae1debf27114ada25f693cd3ae12ec48a9ccd7db746cd55ed04c47da21ec/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_70_hires.jpg" data-mid="208311030" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8d6cae1debf27114ada25f693cd3ae12ec48a9ccd7db746cd55ed04c47da21ec/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_70_hires.jpg" /> <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b95dba0ebbcf443bf22ddd3bb2f082c3c49b4d222c058b97ce2d89c5413db9eb/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_73_hires.jpg" data-mid="208311031" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b95dba0ebbcf443bf22ddd3bb2f082c3c49b4d222c058b97ce2d89c5413db9eb/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_73_hires.jpg" /> <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d570b10b0eb97ab2210a6db1a6389804a064dc01ae069f8633105d8898fcf615/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_74_hires.jpg" data-mid="208311033" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d570b10b0eb97ab2210a6db1a6389804a064dc01ae069f8633105d8898fcf615/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_74_hires.jpg" /> <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/282a1d242cd02a8c43d8a961921e4f318f07f21ffe8529847bea4c6aae3c7cc7/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_76_hires.jpg" data-mid="208311037" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/282a1d242cd02a8c43d8a961921e4f318f07f21ffe8529847bea4c6aae3c7cc7/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_76_hires.jpg" /> <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/00ca7c22ae8d000c4f5cdcb3a4205e2ff70984043e2f2dac96da96654eb92240/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_22_hires.jpg" data-mid="208311034" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/00ca7c22ae8d000c4f5cdcb3a4205e2ff70984043e2f2dac96da96654eb92240/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_22_hires.jpg" /> <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f0effcf34a4c177e0ad9b31b26724a9438f06b3cf29523c763d4af1dc3e52820/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_60_hires.jpg" data-mid="208311038" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f0effcf34a4c177e0ad9b31b26724a9438f06b3cf29523c763d4af1dc3e52820/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_60_hires.jpg" /> <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/fae64bb4a7aa12ed890065910431f9affb12097e13d13e42375f3ae81401f2cf/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_67_hires.jpg" data-mid="208311035" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/fae64bb4a7aa12ed890065910431f9affb12097e13d13e42375f3ae81401f2cf/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_67_hires.jpg" /> <img width="5000" height="3333" width_o="5000" height_o="3333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/205e6901cd87df562b4bcdbb28dbfb8b8f7ca34245a092b5933ad68d40b4fb0f/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_80_hires.jpg" data-mid="208311036" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/205e6901cd87df562b4bcdbb28dbfb8b8f7ca34245a092b5933ad68d40b4fb0f/House_of_Seiko_Artworks_1_21_24_80_hires.jpg" /> follow us on social media for updates.inquiries: cole@houseofseiko.info photography courtesy of Graham Holoch https://houseofseiko.info/Nik-Gelormino Thu, 04 Apr 2024 21:03:22 +0000 House Of Seiko https://houseofseiko.info/Nik-Gelormino <img width="1973" height="2601" width_o="1973" height_o="2601" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ee5a3ceed1e343a327a190c9eed84a3f03aa9b45992bb3b7a9d2993d0620df42/houseofseiko-11.jpg" data-mid="208311070" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ee5a3ceed1e343a327a190c9eed84a3f03aa9b45992bb3b7a9d2993d0620df42/houseofseiko-11.jpg" /> Nik GelorminoSun Path &nbsp; April 20 - June 9, 2024 Opening reception: April 20, 20245:00 - 9:00 pmchecklist inquiries: cole@houseofseiko.info We are thrilled to announce the debut solo exhibition, Sun Path, featuring new works by Los Angeles-based sculptor Nik Gelormino.Nik Gelormino (b. 1986, San Francisco) lives and works in Los Angeles. He received his BFA from Cooper Union, New York in 2008. Nik has been featured in numerous group shows including Office Baroque, Belgium; Night Gallery, Los Angeles; Bel Ami, Los Angeles; Arturo Bandini, Los Angeles; Sea View, Los Angeles; and Jan Kaps Gallery, Cologne. <img width="1500" height="1125" width_o="1500" height_o="1125" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3403fe8ba61227694241786b03acc824f5709275e0bff4ebba2895ae9a2692a4/IMG_9051.jpg" data-mid="208311219" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/3403fe8ba61227694241786b03acc824f5709275e0bff4ebba2895ae9a2692a4/IMG_9051.jpg" /> Deep Cuts: Nik Gelormino by Starlight by Glenn Adamson So, what sign are you? It’s one of the few questions you can ask anyone, and it’s almost guaranteed to lead to an interesting conversation. No system of symbols is more prevalent, relatable, or elastic. And it’s this combination of traits that attracted wood sculptor Nik Gelormino. His treatment of the familiar 12-part cycle is idiosyncratic. Some emblems are immediately recognizable – a crab for Cancer, a pair of fish for Pisces, arrows in flight for Sagittarius – while others might take a minute. Capricorn, for example, is represented by ringed Saturn, the planet that rules that sign, while Leo gets a blazing sun instead of a lion. Wheat stands for Virgo, which arrives with the harvest, while Libra’s principle of eternal balance is represented by a twisted ouroboros, the snake that eats its own tail. &nbsp; These moments of encoding are significant, for they show us that Gelormino’s approach is based on individual response, rather than established iconography. This is a zodiac for the imaginative among us; but then, why else would we be here? Not, presumably, because we need somewhere to put stuff, but rather because we’re looking for a deeper connection. Gelormino’s carvings provide just that, partly by reaching backward in time. Processes don’t come much more primary than a chisel cutting into wood. Nor is the joinery he’s used anything unusual. Frame-and-panel coffers from the middle ages were similarly constructed. So was carved furniture made by Gustav Stickley, Charles Rohlfs, and other exponents of the Arts and Crafts Movement, which were themselves based on medieval precedents. More importantly than these points of construction, Gelormino’s work shares the vivid symbolism that was prevalent among Arts and Crafts makers, as well as in contemporaneous Art Nouveau, which had a serious love affair with astrology and other symbolic systems. By infusing the wood with a sense of implicit motion – another aesthetic trope of Art Nouveau – he infuses the well-traveled emblems of the zodiac with a striking, glyph-like quality, as if they were so many runes for spellcasting. His impetus for undertaking the project, however, was not necessarily to look back to historical precedents, or for that matter, to channel magical guidance from the heavens. On the contrary, his motivation had more to do with being firmly grounded in time and space. That is best done not by pretending to stillness, but by embracing the marvelous celestial rotation in which we all perpetually glide. It’s worth noticing that, in addition to way that the zodiacal images imply this annual cycle, the woods from which they are made have their own multiple temporalities. They are made largely of studio offcuts: Douglas fir, mahogany, basswood, redwood, poplar, all culled together from boards on hand. Each has its own color and texture, its own way of receiving a cut. Each has its own age, as well, and though this accumulation of time may be rather indeterminate, one still feels it powerfully in the objects. The future, too, is present in the gallery. It’s not for nothing that astrology is so often associated with fortune-telling; like tarot cards or the I Ching, the zodiac strikes a perfect balance between specific lore and open association, opening up a space for prediction. This future orientation is deepened by the simple functionality of Gelormino’s boxes – they stand ready to receive whatever comes – and the fact that the lids look somewhat like printing blocks, capable of generating any number of images of themselves. A further calendrical layer is that of Gelormino’s own biography, which has been imparted to the objects by the countless meditative hours he’s spent on them. He began the project way back in 2017, and has been executing a new box periodically since, whenever he came across the right piece of wood for a top. All along, he was creating custom furniture, doors, hardware and other items in wood and metal, refining his yesterday-meets-tomorrow aesthetic. Earlier, he’d studied in New York City, at Cooper Union, graduating in 2008. In those days, drawing was his primary medium, and it remains an animating paradigm for everything he makes. Carving, he says, uses the “same muscles” as drawing, and even when he’s making something volumetric, he is delineating form in space. Here, he has made the connection explicit by creating a series of drawings, also based on the zodiac. They are not designs for the boxes, but were made subsequently as independent artworks; a fundamental kinship is immediately apparent, with dense stippling approximating the subtle facets left by the chisel’s passage on the wood. Given all this commitment, it’s possible to see Gelormino’s exploration of the zodiac as a form of self-portraiture, albeit one so allegorical that anyone can readily identify with it. For, as different as humans may be, all are equally held within the same mysterious balance of fate and free will. This, surely, is why astrology exerts such a compelling pull. It symbolizes many things – the ancient conception of the four elements, the ever-present desire for celestial harmony – but most fundamentally, it represents the idea that we are subject to forces beyond our control, even beyond our ken, yet must find our own way. “You’re thrust into the world,” as Gelormino puts it. “You don’t get to pick the day you’re born.” Yet nothing is so intimately tied to identity (otherwise, you wouldn’t have your date of birth on your passport). It’s the paradox of predetermination, one worth pondering even though it can’t ever be solved. For, when you’re on the open sea - and aren’t we all, all the time? – it’s the very act of navigating that gives a sense of direction. What Nik Gelormino has done is to materialize that instinct, that basic necessity. In this show, he’s given us an anchorage, where we can simply be, for a while, under the sun and stars. &nbsp; <img width="2500" height="1875" width_o="2500" height_o="1875" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/529202f34a904093aea6505d5a2ed41c96e931e39cbee6e16f527d51e82b4b35/2024_04_20_Seiko4809.jpg" data-mid="209393706" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/529202f34a904093aea6505d5a2ed41c96e931e39cbee6e16f527d51e82b4b35/2024_04_20_Seiko4809.jpg" /> <img width="2500" height="1875" width_o="2500" height_o="1875" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/583a2980571f5c48d16a9948d86863336c5bef30dec324320d380bf72d08bd34/2024_04_20_Seiko4814.jpg" data-mid="209393707" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/583a2980571f5c48d16a9948d86863336c5bef30dec324320d380bf72d08bd34/2024_04_20_Seiko4814.jpg" /> <img width="2500" height="1875" width_o="2500" height_o="1875" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f3846574dc244a9a55a4e3300915724685846f068d544b12b75eef9ba61b7890/2024_04_20_Seiko4823.jpg" data-mid="209393709" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f3846574dc244a9a55a4e3300915724685846f068d544b12b75eef9ba61b7890/2024_04_20_Seiko4823.jpg" /><img width="2500" height="1875" width_o="2500" height_o="1875" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/92b9a3a41c3066dadc10792c8be7a76ed476fd84dc1aac247af8f6d9054a0cc1/2024_04_20_Seiko4819.jpg" data-mid="209393708" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/92b9a3a41c3066dadc10792c8be7a76ed476fd84dc1aac247af8f6d9054a0cc1/2024_04_20_Seiko4819.jpg" /> <img width="2500" height="1875" width_o="2500" height_o="1875" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8578b1394954b62dceda977dfe8602bb68a71194acf0c8ccb861793354c3bab2/2024_04_20_Seiko4832.jpg" data-mid="209393710" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8578b1394954b62dceda977dfe8602bb68a71194acf0c8ccb861793354c3bab2/2024_04_20_Seiko4832.jpg" /> follow us on social media for updates.inquiries: cole@houseofseiko.info photography courtesy of Graham Holoch