stARTup Art Fair SF Artists Delve into Social Issues; Look for Hope in Turbulent Times
- Details
- Category: Art, Museums, Galleries
- Published on Wednesday, 11 April 2018 20:12
- Written by Danielle Smith
stARTup Art Fair is pleased to present its fourth San Francisco edition returning to the Hotel Del Sol in the Marina District, the startup Art Fair will open on Friday, April 26 and run through Sunday, April 28.
With a kickoff celebration on the opening night from 7pm to 10pm featuring hotel room exhibitions, performance art, music and cannabis cocktails. Sixty hotel rooms and the entire hotel grounds will be transformed by 75 artists into an exuberant and transformative contemporary art experience.
In addition to its core programming stARTup Art Fair also hosts a parallel program of performance, installation, panel discussions, and video work woven throughout the hotel. At every turn, viewers gain access to an intimate experience with art.
stARTup Art Fair San Francisco Takes Over Hotel Del Sol For Third Annual Art Fair
Programming and highlights
stARTup Art Fair kicks off with an inclusive opening night celebration open to anyone who purchases a general admission ticket on Friday. This year stARTup presents DJ 2e, performance art, cocktails and food fare by Jane, and signature CBD cocktails by Humboldt Distillery.
Due to the turbulent and fragile state of culture in America, now more than ever stARTup is seeing many artists present work that explores themes of culture, polarization and social justice. Some highlights are included below.
In the Rooms
In room 320, Myra Eastman presents fictionalized narrative paintings about the migration of Central Americans to the city of Santa Cruz in the 1980s. Revived efforts of Homeland Security and ICE in early 2017 sheds new light on the saga of this migration. Sara Zielinski will transformroom 201 into her own personal comfort zone, in a presentation of work that looks at art's capability to heal through creation and conversion. Kristian Kabuay's work in room 103 is about post-Filipino culture in the diaspora through a deconstruction and examination of Baybayin, the nearly extinct indigenous Filipino writing foundation.
Special Projects
Upon entering stARTup Art Fair, visitors will be greeted by an ambitious floor installation calledSacred Geometry by the artist Paz de la Calzada. Repurposing carpets from Tenderloin hotels built after 1906 in the Moorish Revival style of architecture, the Spanish artist reflects on the major impact Islam had on Spanish culture and the current stigmatization of Islamic people in the West.
Around the corner, Margaret Timbrell's installation Selfie Wall references the "step-and-repeat" tradition of image commodification via sponsorship dollars at upscale events. In this rendition, the artist will be stitching records of how people's names have been auto-corrected by their smartphones, commenting on the way tech can erase or muddy personal identity and what that means moving forward as a non-homogenized culture.
In the courtyard, Hunter Franks will present his interactive booth called How to Start a Revolution where passerby are asked to contribute ideas about what a revolution looks like. Also in the courtyard and around the fair will be The Factronauts (artists Peter Foucault and Chris Treggiari) who are wandering the country this year with their project NASA, NorCal Artists Seeking America, and will make a stop at stARTup donning their customized explorer suits and collect data from fairgoers as they piece together what it means to live life in a new and "foreign" America.
The Midway Gallery Presents: She Bends: Women in Neon April 5, 2018 - June 2, 2018
Cultural partner Invisible Talks will be hosting a spring cleaning materials drive where attendees can drop off unused art supplies. Artists from Creativity Explored will be commissioned to make a body of work to be exhibited during SF Design Week.
Discussion
*All Art Conversations take place in room 225
Saturday, April 28, 1pm: Completing the Story - The Value and Richness of Collecting African-American Art
Moderator: Ashara Ekundayo, Independent Curator and Cultural Strategist
Saturday, April 28, 2:30pm: Speedball: Art World Highs and Lows 2017-2018
Moderator: Amy Kisch, Founder, Collect for Change and AK/Art
Saturday, April 28, 4pm:The Advantages of Being a Women Artist
Moderator: Gwenda Joyce, Artist agent, The Art Ambassador
Sunday, April 29, 1pm: Creativity Can Come From Anywhere
Moderator: Dava Guthmiller, Artist/Founder, In/Visible Talks
Sunday, April 29, 2:30pm: Motorcycles: Art in Motion
Moderator: Paul D'Orleans, Founder/Publisher, The Vintagent
Sunday, April 29, 4pm: Affordable Housing for Artists
Speakers: Eliza Pizano, MEDA Housing Opportunities Coach and Peter Papadopoulos, MEDA Land Use Policy Analyst
About stARTup Art Fair
The art world is changing, and many working artists are finding themselves without a space to present their work. The core mission of stARTup Art Fair is to provide an alternative exhibition venue for independent artists who are seeking to engage with art enthusiasts in a welcoming and interactive environment. Co-founded in 2015 by artist Ray Beldner, stARTup Art Fair gives independent artists access to the type of art world professionals and press usually reserved for traditional art fairs. The fair's unique structure provides a marketplace that gives the artist the power to present and sell work on their own terms, allowing artists to keep 100% of their sales proceeds.
Visitor Details
Adults: $15 advance / $20 door
Students & Seniors with ID: $10 advance / $15 door
3 Day Pass:: $30 in advance/$40 at the door
Children under 12 admitted Free
VIP Tickets: $100
For more information please visit: www.startupartfair.com
IMAGE: Artist Guta Gali speaks with a fair attendee at stARTup SF 2017
