Electric Works is pleased to be featuring in our gallery/room for ArtPadSF at the Phoenix Hotel the work of Robert Minervini and Dave Eggers. Elaine Buckholtz will be creating an on-site light installation.
Robert Minervini will be addressing the kind of subject matter that is alluded to in his previous utopian and dystopian cityscapes, landscapes, and floral still life paintings—namely, the ecological impact of humanity on the landscape. His new paintings and drawings of floral still lifes, literal and metaphorical quotations from traditional European vanitas paintings have been recontextualized in contemporary environments. The flora and fauna depicted in these works are currently listed as endangered wildlife in California. These present day memento mori directly reference the traditional form and function of European vanitas paintings—which acted as symbolic reminders of the inevitability of death—by depicting local wildlife that is in the process of extinction. His presence at ArtPadSF will be an extension of his show After Glow: As the Wick Burns that is in our gallery, May 10- June 29.
Dave Eggers will present animal portraits with text- china marker on paper with words that express what the animal might be thinking. Working in the vernacular of political propaganda posters, these deftly executed drawings feature an ongoing cast of fur-, feather-, and scale-bearing creatures. What seems like an extraordinary balancing act of good humor and earnest pledges of allegiance, Eggers creates a menagerie that speaks to our very human condition.
Elaine Buckholtz will be creating a lavender light installation onto the swimming pool in the center courtyard of the hotel and she will be changing out all the lights on the landings of each room to a soft pink. Buckholtz explores light as an ephemeral phenomenon and uses it to unmask hidden aspects of architectural forms in relation to painting. She uses visual and temporal repetition to explore the intersection of space, image, movement, and light. Her fascination with light has a long history. Buckholtz will use her background in lighting and theater design to generate her own luminous theater at the Phoenix Hotel.
