THIS MONTH’S South First Friday gallery event in the SoFA District opens the floodgates on what promises to be the busiest September in years, what with the 01SJ Festival only a fortnight away. In keeping with the DIY spirit that informs 01SJ, Anno Domini’s contribution to South First Friday is the opening of Alex McLeod’s visions of an alternative universe.
The show, called “Estates of the Splendrous and Secret,” was commissioned by the gallery and gives American audiences a first look at the Canadian artist’s work. McLeod uses software to create fantastical, otherworldly dioramas full of glistening blobbly structures, vaguely geodesic matchstick architecture and floating beings. They are displayed as limited edition digital prints.
Also showing along South First Street will be the encaustic paintings of Valerie Runningwolf at Caffe Trieste; the reception features aria selections by local opera singers. South First Billiards hosts “ImagiNatives: The 2nd Gathering,” an art performance presented by Cukui (see Style column on page 74 for more on Cukui) with music and live painting. SLG Art Boutiki offers “Art of the Zombie Apocalypse,” with art by Jeff Bambas, Bea Adams and others. MACLA supplants its new show, “Lineas: New Modes of Contemporary Urbanism,” with a mashup of poetry, dance and moving images called “Inside the Color/Sound Box,” featuring verse from Santa Cruz Slam, videos by Adam Cooper-Terán and cumbia by TurboMEX. WORKS/San José continues its show of collaborative murals, and the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles stays open late with its show crossing fiber art with high-tech methods. Other participants include the Art Glass Center, Higher Fire Clayspace, Downtown Yoga Shala, Good Karma, Art Ark and Metro. Not on South First Street but there in spirit is Kaleid Gallery (88. S. Fourth St.), which opens shows by Ras Lowe and René Lorraine. This edition of South First Friday also features a street fair with art booths and music by Sean Hayes, multi-instrumentalist Jhameel and Lisa Dewey and Lotus Life.
In related news, the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art will extend its hours on Sept. 3 to 10pm to give people a chance to sample its current shows. Especially intriguing is “Exposed,” in which more than a dozen artists use old-fashioned photographic equipment and developing techniques to look afresh at our world.
South First Friday
SoFA District, San Jose,
Sept. 3, 7pm until late
