"Under the Crooked Bough, We Stopped to Catch Our Breath," CCA grads Marci Washington and Alika Cooper each employ their own brand of faux-naive style to illustrate scenes from works of literary fiction. Washington's paintings of ghostly-pale figures, lonely manor houses, and eerie, disembodied hands are clearly inspired by some Gothic novel, and owe a debt to the whimsical yet macabre illustrations of Edward Gorey. Deceptively simple, their flat black backgrounds and reductive lines look unfinished and awkward, but suggest the openness and brevity of the mind's eye. Cooper's works are similarly fragmentary, but while Washington's look almost folksy, Cooper's feel more contrived, like the work of a skilled painter trying to paint poorly. Her portraits of women resemble bad copies of celebrity head shots and appear to be titled accordingly. The woman in Cybil looks like a pre-Moonlighting Cybill Shepherd, while the face in Jane 1 could be that of a young Jane Fonda. The works evoke adolescent idolatry, that ambivalent state in which it's not clear if the desired is the person you want or the person you want to be. Unfortunately for Cooper, it's well-trod ground, most notably by painter Karen Kilimnik, who has been mining teenage ardor with much more insight for years. While Washington and Cooper make pleasing paintings, they fail to push beyond a rather conventional vision of the relationship between literature and the imaginary. Through April 23 at the Receiver Gallery, 1314 Eighth Ave. (at Irving), S.F. Admission is free; call 504-7287 or visit www.receivergallery.com. (Sharon Mizota) Reviewed Feb. 22.
Also Showing
Related Content
More About
Galleries 111 Minna Gallery. "Metabiotics": Through March 31. free. 111 Minna (at Second St.), 974-1719, www.111minnagallery.com.
Precita Eyes Mural Center. "Adult Free-Play Art Time": Ongoing drop-in workshop with instructor Kristin Olsen; no experience necessary and no one turned away for lack of funds. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. $12. 348 Precita, 285-2287.
Brian Gross Fine Art. "Ricochet: New Paintings": Recent work by Amy Trachtenberg. Through March 31. 49 Geary (at Kearny), 788-1050.
California Academy of Sciences. "Hotspot: California on the Edge": Through Aug. 31. 875 Howard (at Fifth St.), 750-7145, www.calacademy.org.
California Historical Society Museum. "Jack London and the Great Earthquake and Firestorms of 1906": March 29-June 10. 678 Mission (at Third St.), 357-1848.
City Hall. "Saint Francis Memorial Hospital: 100 Years of Caring for San Francisco": Photographs, artifacts, and memorabilia from the hospital, collected over the past 100 years and curated by Gladys Hansen. Through March 31. 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Pl. (at Fulton), 554-5184.
Gallery 16. "Natural History": Photographs by Elliot Anderson. Through March 31. 1616 16th St. (at Rhode Island), 626-7495.
Hackett-Freedman Gallery. "Works From the Studio": Through April 29. free. "Paul Resika: Recent Paintings": Solo exhibition. Through April 29. 250 Sutter (at Kearny) (Fourth Fl.), 362-7152, www.hackettfreedmangallery.com.
La Casa Del Libro. "Mario Rosales": New paintings and prints. Through March 28. 973 Valencia, 285-1399.
Micaela Gallery. "The Many Hearts of David Gilhooly": New work. Through March 31. 333 Hayes (at Franklin), 551-8118, www.micaela.com.
Mission 17. "As Is": Through March 31. 2111 Mission (at 17th St.), Suite 401, 336-2349, www.mission17.com.
Receiver Gallery. "Under the Crooked Bough, We Stopped to Catch Our Breath": New paintings by Marci Washington and Alika Cooper. Through April 23. 1314 Eighth Ave. (at Irving), 504-7287, www.receivergallery.com.
Robert Koch Gallery. "Michael Wolf": Through April 29. 49 Geary (at Kearny), 421-0122.
San Francisco Performing Arts Library & Museum. "Harlem of the West: The San Francisco Fillmore Jazz Era": Through June 10. $25-$100. 401 Van Ness (at McAllister), 255-4800, www.sfpalm.org.
Southern Exposure. "Invisible": A self-guided two-CD audio tour along Interstate 5 between Los Angeles and San Francisco by Amy Balkin; Greenaction: for Health and Environmental Justice; Tim Halbur; Pond: art, activism, and ideas; and Kim Stringfellow. Through April 15. 401 Alabama (at 17th St.), 863-2141, www.soex.org.
Triple Base Gallery. "Everything in a Drawing and Nothing in a Drawing": Collaborative group exhibition coordinated by Chris Cobb. Through April 1. 3041 24th St. (at Treat), www.basebasebase.com.
Urbis Artium Gallery. "Layered": New stencil work by Logan Hicks and Adam5100. Through April 28. 49 Geary (at Kearny), Suite 202, 369-9404, www.urbis-artium.com.
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. "Black Panther Rank and File": The show includes over 47 participating artists, including historical artifacts, documentary photography and film, as well as new work inspired by the movement. Through July 2. 701 Mission (at Third St.), 978-2787, www.ybca.org.
Museums Asian Art Museum. "From the Fire" and "The Elegant Gathering": Through Sept. 17. "Asian Art Museum Storytelling": Each weekend the museum leads a family-oriented tour through a particular exhibit, followed up by a retelling of stories related to the exhibits. Sundays, 1 p.m.; First Saturday of every month, 1 p.m. Free with museum admission. "The Poetic Vision of Abdur Rahman Chughtai (1897-1975)": A selection of fourteen paintings by Abdur Rahman Chughtai is on display in the South Asian gallery. Through April 2. "Shadows, Masks and Music: Aspects of the Performing Arts in Asia": The museum displays a diverse collection of musical instruments, set designs, costumes, and masks that are used in Asian performances. Tuesdays-Sundays. Free with museum admission. "In a New Light: The Asian Art Museum Collection": A display of more than 2,500 objects from the museum's permanent collection explores the major cultures of Asia. Daily. Free with museum admission. Target Tuesday Family Program: Each month this special family program presents an activity connected with Asian art and customs. First Tuesday of every month, 11 a.m. Free with museum admission. "Family Art Encounter" Drop in to make arts and crafts pieces related to the museum's current exhibits. First Saturday of every month, 1 p.m.; First Tuesday of every month, 11 a.m. Free with museum admission. Gallery Tours: Trained museum docents offer both general introductions to the museum's collections as well as tours that highlight special exhibitions. Tuesdays-Sundays, 11, 11:30 a.m., 1 & 2 p.m. Free with museum admission. Architectural Tours: Learn about the transformation of the old San Francisco Main Public Library into the Asian Art Museum's new quarters with this regular tour. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays-Sundays, 12 & 2:30 p.m.; Thursdays, 12, 2:30 & 6:30 p.m. Free with museum admission. 200 Larkin (at McAllister), 581-3500, www.asianart.org.
