2 Shows to Check Out

If you are in the Bay, here are two shows I recommend checking out this month:

Remastered" by Emory Douglas
Opening Reception: Sunday, August 12th, 3:00pm - 6:00pm
@ Guerilla Cafe, 1620 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley CA, 94709
Keba Konte will collaborate with Emory Douglas to create a limited collection of new serigraphs and stencil paintings based on Mr. Douglas' earlier works between 1969-1970. Many of the works are featured in the new book, Black Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas.

About Emory Douglas
In a time when young soldiers fought wars they weren't sure of, when young leaders were savagely shot down, when police brutality led whole cities to erupt, when nations and peoples across the globe struggled for freedom, a young budding artist found his role in the struggle. In 1967 Emory Douglas seized the time and joined the newly formed Black Panther Party for Self Defense. He became a revolutionary
artist and then the Minister of Culture and worked tirelessly formatting the Party's newspaper.  For years his artwork graced the pages of The Black Panther. As Party membership grew, more and more
people opened the pages of the paper and in Douglas's work they saw what revolution looked like. Through his urgent revolutionary art people realized that it was a time for change. Part of the proceeds from this show will go towards the legal defense fund for the San Francisco 8.For more information on the San Francisco 8 visit www.freethesf8.org.'

 "Estamos Vivos!" featuring new work by JUAN LUNA-AVIN

Friday, August 3, 2007 - September 1, 2007
at QUEEN’S NAILS ANNEX, San Francisco
Queen’s Nails Annex is thrilled to announce that its August exhibition will highlight new work by artists John Dwyer and Juan Luna-Avin. Both artists will be mounting site-specific works for this dual-exhibition.

Juan Luna-Avin, originally from Mexico D.F., has built a reputation for looking back into his Mexican heritage at the core of his work. His inspiration for this exhibition stems from tributes to his favorite musical movements that have transpired throughout time in all of Latin America and Spain, most specifically his attachment to the legendary Mexican metal rocker, Paco Gruexxo, who led various influential underground rock tours for several decades in Mexico. For this exhibition, Luna-Avin will be presenting wall drawings, paintings and sculpture based on iconic rock music images and characters from his upbringing in Mexico City during the 1980’s. The work is colorfully and textually powerful, aiding viewers to understand his exploration with various cults of personality in pop culture. He is titling his work “Estamos Vivos!” translated as “We are Alive!” originally proclaimed from Paco Gruexxo.

Juan Luna-Avin lives and works in San Francisco bay area and has exhibited extensively throughout California including: UCLA Hammer Museum, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and Museum of Contemporary Art: Los Angeles. This will be his second exhibition with Queen’s Nails Annex.