South First Fridays May 6, 2011

I went to the monthly South First Fridays in San Jose, starting at MACLA: Latino Art Now / 13th Annual Art Auction. Colorful auction show with lots of works by artists who were shown there during the year. Here are some of my favorite pieces.


Teddy Cruz
Mapping non-conformity, digital map printed on watercolor paper, 2010
My San Diego friends can certainly recognize this landscape!


Jesus Barraza
Frida en Gringolandia, screen print / AP, 2010


Rio Yanez
top: Riding for la Raza
bottom: La Maussy and Yoloxochitl Empezando el Day
Both: 3D anaglyph prints, 2011



Rhode Montijo
Skeletown, screen print, 92/100, 2010




I headed to Anno Domini where "What He Meant by The Self Was Simply Our Truest Nature, Our Natural State" opened: new works by Jeremiah Maddock (Brooklyn, NY). Also ensemble of works by Christian Breitkreutz (US), Collin van der Sluijs (Netherlands) and Luciano Scherer (Brazil). Anno Domini shows artists from around the world.


Jeremiah Maddock's exhibition (detail)


work by Jeremiah Maddock



An obsessive/repetitive work, full of tiny details. There is something reminiscent of hieroglyphs in the use of the signs, like the letters of an alphabet, organized/disorganized in combined sentences. The eyes have this empty/shiny/illuminated look. What were they looking at when they suddenly froze (die)? Things slightly vibrate all around them.
All the pieces are fairly small. The paper is yellowing: the artist uses old books cover which are not acid-free. Right now it gives a nice shade to the work, later I do not know how it will turn out.


Christian Breitkreutz


Collin van der Sluijs


Luciano Scherer


Kaleid Gallery

Then I went to Kaleid Gallery. A large space in which it is kind of difficult to understand what is going on - it was my first time there. There were two solo shows and a myriad of mini shows displayed in booths, on tables, shelves...









I've heard a lot about "Psycho Donuts" and I wanted to check it out, so I went there and there were actually quite a few people buying donuts around 9pm. Psycho art on the wall and the tables are painted too.


Cereal Killer Donut, love the labels!