Cantor Arts Center: “Mami Wata: Arts for Water Spirits in Africa

Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University presents “Mami Wata: Arts for Water Spirits in Africa and Its Diasporas,” August 4, 2010 through January 2, 2011. This exhibition explores 500 years of visual cultures and histories of the water... Read more »
http://www.examiner.com/museum-in-san-francisco/nancy-ewart

Anselm Kiefer at SFMOMA

New piece up at: http://www.examiner.com/x-13996-SF-Museum-Examiner

Maira KalmanVarious Illuminationsof a Crazy World

I first heard of illustrator, author and designer Maira Kalman when a friend forwarded her New York Times blog, about a trip to City Hall and a sewage treatment plant. Her funny, interesting and educational story was intermingled (intertwingled?) with paintings and photographs of what she saw along the way and at the plant.

The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco has an exhibit of Kalman's work, now through October 26. Like a good San Franciscan, I tried to take the Muni railway to the museum. But then there was a switching problem, followed by a few and far between bus and trolley problem, and then a full to the brim bus, trolley and cab problem. Finally made it to the museum about an hour and a half after I left.

As there is a lot of detail in Kalman's work, as well as plenty of reading of the several books accessible in the exhibit, I recommend going to the exhibit when one is fresh. Choose your mode of transportation accordingly.

The Kalman exhibit includes drawings, books, children's books, designs on clothing, objects that appear in her work, and short films. Photographs are also on display, including a series on free sofas on the sidewalk. Coincidentally, I had taken a similar photo below, just before boarding the train to nowhere. Somehow, Kalman's free sofa photos are so much more revealing.


My favorite of her books was "FIREBOAT, The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey."

It is a wonderful combination of fun and history, powerful and inspiring.

by Phil Gravitt

Upcoming: Klee, Keefer, Hauntings in Berkeley and water Goddesses at Stanford

Art viewing, research and writing in progress:

A new show at the Cantor Art Center in Stanford, featuring Africa art that honors the Goddess of Water.

A reprise of an  early Klee show at SFMOMA (opens August 8th)

Part three of my long essay on Anselm Kiefer at SFMOMA (part of the Fisher Collection)

French philosopher Jacques Derrida meets Berkeley: Hauntology at the Berkeley Art Museum