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“Science” Fiction

Gallery Exhibition/Event

Fantastical science fiction characters and scenes by artists with developmental disabilities animate exhibition at Creativity Explored

October 8 through November 21, 2009
Opening Reception: Thursday, October 8, 2009, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

San Francisco, August 31, 2009—“Science” Fiction features a fantastical array of renderings by Creativity Explored studio artists depicting characters, landscapes, and vehicles from the world of science fiction television, film, and pulp fiction, as well as original conceptions of futuristic places and beings. In this lively show, images of iconic characters such as the Robotrix from Metropolis, Robbie the Robot, C-3PO, Darth Vader, General Ursus, and Mr. Spock and the crew of the Enterprise will populate the gallery at Creativity Explored, while renderings of scenes from classic films and TV shows further advance the science fiction theme.

In addition to the wide variety of works on paper on view, there will also be a larger-than-life charcoal drawing cut-out portrait of Barbarella by Thomas Pringle, and an extra-terrestrial female figure by Jay Herndon made from a modified department store mannequin. Herndon fashioned the mannequin into an extra-terrestrial by adding contours of Celluclay©, creating bug eyes with Styrofoam© globes, adding a bottle cap mouth, and coating the being with
acrylic paint.

“Science” Fiction is one of a series of exhibitions curated by artist and instructor Francis Kohler, which contain text elements that encourage gallery visitors to consider the experiences and issues attendant to living with developmental disabilities. In the case of “Science” Fiction Kohler says, “the quotation marks around the word science in the title of the show refer to the various excerpts of text interspersed throughout the exhibition. These excerpts offer small bits of historical “science” regarding people with disabilities that most people living in 2009 would find laughable if not offensive.”

A science fiction fan, Kohler grew up watching TV shows such as The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, and Lost in Space, and seeing films including Planet of the Apes, Silent Running, and Westworld, all of which helped establish in him an appreciation of the science fiction aesthetic. A veteran of science fiction rites of passage, in 1974 he attended a marathon playing of all five of the Planet of the Apes movies twice in one weekend, and, at age 14, stood in line for five hours to see Star Wars on opening night. The theme of “Science” Fiction springs from this long-standing fascination with the genre.

The exhibition is organized into zones based on the films and TV shows Star Trek, Star Wars, and Planet of the Apes, with an additional zone devoted to robots. In most cases the participating artists have worked from reference images from the TV shows and films. For the majority of them, the science fiction imagery represents new territory, although in some cases artists have incorporated recurring themes from their oeuvres. For example, in Camille Holvoet’s highly colorful and whimsical series of robots, she depicts Robbie the Robot as flanked by two of her delightful signature cupcakes.

In addition to his portrait of Barbarella, Thomas Pringle’s work comprises a TV and movie robots’ hall of fame. His large-format acrylic portraits of Robbie the Robot from Forbidden Planet, and the Robot from the 1960s television show Lost in Space are done on velour board. The velvety surface of the board retains lines from the sketching phase and serves to heighten the intensity of the imagery and the vivid colors, contributing to the unreal, theatrical appearance of the works.

Douglas Sheran’s suite of eight portraits of the crew of the Enterprise from Star Trek has a bold, graphic aspect that suggests Andy Warhol’s silk screened grids of celebrities. Working in acrylic on sheets of acetate placed over reference images of the characters, Sheran arrived at an approximate yet expressive and singular version of each personage. These colorful images were then overlaid onto backgrounds of illustration board that the artist hand painted with washes of acrylic paint. Presented together as one work of art, these eight-by-ten images form a vibrant collective portrait of the crew of the Enterprise that Star Trek fans will enjoy and easily recognize.

Eric Boysaw also presents a suite of portraits, having chosen as his subjects the characters from Planet of the Apes. Working in acrylic, Boysaw’s strong, graphic renderings of Marcus, the Leader of the Hunt, Cornelius, and Dr. Zaius suggest 1960s movie posters. The portraits of the three characters—who also represent three of the four members of the ape family: a gorilla, a chimpanzee, and an orangutan, respectively—are expressively depicted in a manner that portrays each with its own personality and the characteristics that distinguish it within the family of apes. In addition to his portraits of apes, Boysaw’s work also includes an ink and wash drawing of Darth Vader’s Tie-Fighter, rendered in a manner that captures the menacing aura of the space ship.

Andrew Bixler’s signal painting of the USS Enterprise’s original captain, Christopher Pike, perhaps best encapsulates the theme of “Science” Fiction. Bixler shows Pike against a vividly colorful, jagged diamond-patterned background that suggests a wall of stained glass. He is seated in a motorized chair with a flashing light in front of him that allows him to communicate. Almost one-half of his face bears a large scar, one of the many injuries that the captain incurred during a rescue mission. Delta ray radiation left him severely scarred, without speech, and using a futuristic wheelchair of sorts that is operated by brainwaves. Says Francis Kohler, “this work is particularly meaningful within the context of this show because not only is it on the theme of science fiction, but it also presents a major character within the genre who has multiple disabilities.” He continues, “it’s interesting to me that even in the most futuristic of programs where anything is possible, a person with a disability is still presented as living his or her life in much the same way as someone would today.”

“Science” Fiction T-shirt
Creativity Explored has produced a special T-shirt In conjunction with “Science” Fiction. The shirt features a reproduction of a drawing by Heidi Hennessy of Star Trek’s iconic Mr. Spock. Beneath the character, Hennessy has written her version of Spock’s equally iconic words, “Live long and prosper,” in which the words are blended together so that it reads as “Live Long and Prospander.” Available only at Creativity Explored gallery.

Calendar Listing

“Science” Fiction

GROUP EXHIBITION AND OPENING: Fantastical science fiction characters and scenes by artists with developmental disabilities animate exhibition at Creativity Explored

What

This exhibition features a fantastical array of renderings by Creativity Explored studio artists depicting characters, landscapes, and vehicles from the world of science fiction film, TV, and pulp fiction, as well as original conceptions of future places and beings. In this lively show, images of iconic characters such as the Robotrix, from Metropolis, Robbie the Robot, C3PO, Darth Vader, General Ursus, and Mr. Spock and the crew of the Enterprise will populate the gallery at Creativity Explored, while renderings of scenes from classic films and TV shows further advance the science fiction theme.

The quotation marks around the word science refer to the various excerpts of text interspersed throughout the exhibition, offering small bits of historical “science” regarding people with disabilities that most people living in 2009 would find laughable, if not offensive. The text provides an easily visible, yet relatively unobtrusive, invitation for gallery visitors to consider not only the art on the walls, but also other aspects of the lives of people with disabilities.

When

• Opening Reception: Thursday, October 8, 2009, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Guests are encouraged to wear science fiction attire to the reception.

• Exhibition Dates and Times:October 8 through November 21, 2008; Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, Thursday from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm, and Saturday from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm

Where

Creativity Explored Gallery, 3245 16th Street at Guerrero Street, San Francisco CA 94103 (Map)

Information

• (415) 863-2108
• www.creativityexplored.org

Cost

FREE

Creativity Explored is a nonprofit visual arts center where artists with developmental disabilities create, exhibit, and sell art.

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Press Contacts

Barbara Traisman: publicity@creativityexplored.org
Amy Auerbach: (415) 863-2108 · gallery@creativityexplored.org
Amy Taub: (415) 863-2108 · director@creativityexplored.org

# Posted on October 8, 2009