March 4th, Visiting Artist and Scholars Lecture with Chris Johanson at the San Francisco Art Institute, 7:30pm: SFAI’s Visiting Artists and Scholars (VAS) lecture series provides students and faculty—as well as the wider Bay Area public—with direct exposure to major figures in contemporary global art and culture. This month’s lecture is with artist Chris Johanson.  Johanson is dedicated to exploring the quandary that is the modern human condition, traversing the age of consumerism, and other perilous psychological phenomena such as self-help, psychotherapy, and cult spirituality. A veteran of the Northern California punk/skate scene, Johanson has been creating visual images since he was a teenager. His early raw, figurative drawings often utilized found or discarded materials such as reclaimed wood and paper, which were often found in dumpsters or construction sites. Since then he has expanded his oeuvre to include three-dimensional conceptual sculpture and abstraction, albeit executed with a sensitivity and wit perhaps unchallenged by any other artist of his generation.  This event is FREE and open to the public. But space is limited, and advance registration is recommended by visiting this link.  All VAS lectures begin at 7:30 pm in the Lecture Hall on SFAI’s 800 Chestnut Street campus.  Looking ahead don’t miss these lectures in April – Tom Sachs on April 3rd, and the SFAI Photo Alliance sponsored lecture with Richard Misrach on April 19th.

Chris Johanson, Untitled, 2012, acrylic and latex paint on found wood. Source: Mitchell-Innes & Nash Gallery

March 16th – June 30th, Summoning the Ghosts: The Art of Hung Liu at The Oakland Museum of California:  The exhibition Summoning Ghosts: The Art of Hung Liu is the first comprehensive survey of the artwork of Hung Liu—one of the most prominent Chinese painters working in the United States today. Featuring approximately 80 paintings, as well as personal ephemera such as photographs, sketch books, and informal painting studies from private and public collections around the world, the exhibition celebrates Liu’s career accomplishments and includes work completed in China before the artist arrived in the U.S. The exhibition explores the evolution of Liu’s artistic practice, and investigates the complex interactions between individual memory and history, and documentary evidence and artistic expression, among other themes.  Born in Changchun, China, in 1948, a year before the creation of the People’s Republic of China, Liu lived through Maoist China and experienced the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. Trained as a social realist painter and muralist, she came to the United States in 1984 to attend the University of California, San Diego, where she received her MFA. One of the first people from mainland China to study abroad and pursue an art career, she moved to northern California to become a faculty member at Mills College in 1990, and has continued to live and work in the Bay Area. She has exhibited internationally at premier museums and galleries, and her work resides in prestigious private and institutional collections around the world. Hung Liu currently lives in Oakland and is a tenured professor in the Art Department at Mills College. ~ OMCA

Hung Liu, “September 2001”, oil on canvas                    source: museumca.org

March 23rd, 6 – 11 pm, PARADE Southern Exposure’s Annual Art Auction:  It’s time again for Southern Exposure’s Annual Fundraiser + Art Auction, PARADE, features a Live and Silent Art Auction of work from over 150 established and emerging artists, delicious food and beverages, music, and creative projects. Parade is not just an auction. It’s a party! It’s an energetic procession of artwork, filled with exuberance, fanfare, and glitz. This famously fun event provides direct and critical support for Southern Exposure’s programs and enables SoEx to continue supporting artists, presenting ambitious, groundbreaking programs, and serving as the center of visual arts activity in the Bay Area. VIP Tickets start at $150, and main event tickets are $40 in advance, $50 at the door.   To purchase tickets in advance follow this link or call 415-863-2141.

Images from past Southern Exposure Art Auctions