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Living through History, features the work of three artists Robin L Bernstein, Lidia Hasenauer and James Shefik in an invitational exhibition. Following the tradition of art as a mirror held up to society, raising awareness and confronting power structures, these artists' works meld the history we are living in today with the past, reflecting on themes of environmental chaos, disinformation, immigration, (in)justice, and the atrocities of war, capped with the hope for peace.
The themes and works exhibited in Living Through History are powerful, commanding attention and thought, and may raise feelings of acute unease. Visitors are invited to find the exquisite beauty in the pieces while being confronted with the challenge of viewing the show with an openness of mind and potentially leaving with a fullness of heart that we don't need to repeat history, if we can rise above it.
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| Bernstein's subject matter combined with her artistic technique is her way of shouting from the rooftops: those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. The string painting technique she has used for over 15 years came after she learned of the work and spiritual practices of the Huichol Indians of northern central Mexico. Each piece is composed of thousands of tiny cut pieces of string that have been pressed into a bed of wax that has been brushed onto cut plywood. The colors are rich and the forms unique; the pieces are "beautiful" and invite the viewer to step close to consider the meticulous technique. The subject matter then becomes viscerally apparent. Some of the works in this exhibition are part of an 18 work series about the Holocaust, titled Beauty and Terror. The series includes many horrifying tales of a human capacity for terribleness as well as stories of redemption.
Robin L Bernstein
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| Surreal illustration and historical fact are the basis for Lidia Hasenauer's paintings. She notes that pieces from this series of her work are "narratives that chronicle our current history". Hasenauer's work reflects on the theme of the exhibition, that despite the lessons of history, we seem to mirror the past. Hasenauer's observations of this fact, and the unchanging qualities of human nature, are the catalyst for the figurative works. Her visual vocabulary starts with the human figure. Developing her concepts, she challenges her mind to work in a different creative way, with ideas at times introduced through the symbolic use of clothing and props. In "Mother Nature and the Oil Slick" she portrays a soulful sadness following the devastating oil spill that flowed into the ocean for three months, with a black boa wrapped around Mother Nature and on the water's surface, reflecting the plume of oil that escaped into the sea. With the end cap for the show, "Is Peace Black and White?" hope is offered as we imagine what can happen if Man catches the olive branch floating just out of, but yet within reach in the gray sky.
Lidia Hasenauer |
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| James Shefik shares, "human behavior fascinates me, and while we have many positive traits, my work tends to highlight our absurdities and weaknesses." A conceptual multidisciplinary artist, his body of work tends to blur the lines between contemporary art, beauty and the political use of power to fabricate new ways to see the world around us. Three of the artist's faux vintage neon signs bring us back to a time of a big and exciting future, with a sprinkling of our present day realities, are included in the exhibition. All of the pieces are handmade, built from new materials and then distressed to provide the impression of an object just removed after decades of weathering in place. Shefik's newest works are gleaming gilded sculptures of man's wars. A stealth bomber presents representations from Goya's "The Third of May 1808"; a MK82 bomb, is both carved and built up with images from Emanuel Leutze's "Washington Crossing the Delaware" to scenes from Vietnam; and, Picasso's Guernica is etched onto the shape of a battleship. Conceiving the idea first, Shefik then needs to work through the process, allowing for discovery and surprise, as each piece is realized. Part of the point, of this detail, is a rebuttal to the digital instant gratification, short attention span landscape that pervades the early 21st century and an emerging dependence on Artificial Intelligence in Government, Business and Art.
James Shefik |
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Sanchez Art Center is located at 1220 Linda Mar Blvd in Pacifica, about a mile east of Highway 1. Following opening night, the galleries are open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 1–5 pm, and by appointment, through June 29.
The opening, talks, and gallery visits are free as part of the center's focus on "Creating Community through Art".
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Upcoming
Exhibitions: Click here to
see the 2025 schedule |
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