After four years at White Walls Gallery, artist/curator Andres Guerrero has split off and opened his own art venue in the Mission. The inaugural show at Guerrero Gallery is bold, featuring newly commissioned work by “Lowbrow” and “New Brow” artists, some recognizable from White Walls’ corral (Shepard Fairey, AJ Fosik, Adam 5-100, and Richard Colman). But there are also new faces, and an impressive Hilary Pecis collage pops at the entrance, hopefully signaling that female artists’ work will be shown prominently at Guerrero’s new spot in the future.
In an interview with Guerrero on Juxtpoz.com, he said he plans to “expand off of what was developed at White Walls,” and elevate the representation of the artwork he’ll exhibit. His new space seems like the perfect place to do that. Halfway across town from the gallery where Guerrero cut his teeth, the new gallery is a converted warehouse with huge walls, exposed wooden beams up top, and a slick, lacquered concrete floor. With a little help from his friends, Guerrero created a large, bright, professional gallery from the ground up. My favorite part was the hot pink entryway behind the “G” initialed roll-up door. The hot pink theme made its way to the inaugural show’s postcard, too. One step further and the gallery could’ve been called Pink Walls. I wouldn’t mind. Jokes aside, Guerrero clearly put his heart and soul into his shiny, new gallery and it shows.
White Walls brought fresh meat to the art world, and most artists they represent have enjoyed a fast and crazy ride toward fame and recognition. The opening of a new gallery that expands this family, and supports a growing movement is something that is impossible not to support. In San Francisco, we are lucky to have clusters of galleries and artist-run spaces in almost every neighborhood. Straight out of the gate, Guerrero Gallery is an incredibly strong addition to the mix, and its first year is likely to be a big one.
