Article in the San Jose Contemporary Art Examiner
by Erica Goss
Control
opened August 6 at SOMArts Cultural Center in San Francisco. Curated
by Karen Gutfreund and juried by the Guerrilla Girls West, Control
features the work of seventy-nine artists: ninety-two pieces in all.
The opening was a success, as visitors to the gallery viewed works that
ranged from Monica Rickler Marks' mixed media assemblage "Control VS.
Letting Go," which "explores the struggle between attempting to control
every detail in life," to Ruth Waters' "Home, $weet Home," a sculpture
created in the shape of a tiny house, depicting that "home is the most
dangerous place for women."
In the curator's notes, Karen
Gutfreund writes, "What does one control? How have political, social or
economic controls shaped one's life and the lives of others?In what
ways does the media and popular culture dictate and control?" The
introduction by the Guerrilla Girls West, who juried the show, asks,
"Is 'control' a euphemism for the role of women?"
Each artist
responded to the prompt, "control," in her own personal, provocative
and individual way. Many of the works are painfully honest, taking on
issues of gender, war, politics, domestic and sexual abuse. The show
is required viewing for anyone who wants a strong, unflinching look at
the world through the eyes of women visual artists.
The South
Bay's Cristina Velazquez ("La Mujer Tiene que Ser Curander/Woman Must
Be a Healer,") Lucy Liew ("The Core,") and Trina Merry ("Imperial
Wartime Jellyfish") are represented in the show. To learn more about
Cristina Velazquez, read my article Cristina Velazquez: transforming
life into art.
Control runs from August 6-29 at the SOMArts Main Gallery, 934 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA.
