Rena Bransten Gallery (2)

View Gallery Crawl video of Rena Bransten Gallery's exhibit featuring the work of Jessica Snow and Joana Vasconcelos from May 24 to July 7, 2007. (Running Time: 5:32)

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Originally focusing on ceramic sculpture by California artists, the Rena Bransten Gallery has expanded to include contemporary photography, paintings, sculpture, video, and conceptual works by national and international emerging and established artists. The gallery's stable includes sculptor Ruth Asawa (who has an entire room at the de Young Museum dedicated to her work), the late ceramist Viola Frey, painter Hung Liu, John Waters (yes, The John Waters), and photographer Henry Wessel (who had a retrospective at SFMOMA in 2007).

The work by two female artists are on display from May 24 to July 7, 2007. Local artist Jessica Snow presents new works on paper. Her vibrant geometric renderings could be seen as blueprints for strange and fantastic futuristic cities -- some are even vaguely reminiscent of Dr. Seuss's "Oh the Places You'll Go." Snow intends them to comment on the destruction caused by natural and man-made disasters.

Joana Vasconcelos's exhibition marks the young artist's solo debut in the United States. Her unusual series addresses cultural identity, individualizing mass-produced porcelain statues -- very common in her native Portugal -- by dressing them in delicate hand-crocheted covers -- or cozies as they like to call them in the crafting world. Also her huge, colorful, many-limbed knitted, sewn and crocheted sculpture is suspended from the ceiling, meant to represent a Valquiria, or Valkyrie, a Norse goddess, and explores traditional gender roles.

Where: 77 Geary St., San Francisco
Gallery Hours: Tuesday through Friday from 10:30am-5:30pm and Saturdays from 11am-5pm
Phone: (415) 982-1807

Where: 77 Geary Street , San Francisco, CA, 94108, USA
Phone: (415) 982-3292