Bay Area Currents 2006 — A riotous collision of rabid, two-headed dogs and gushing blood overwhelms the senses in what should be a tame little juried exhibition in downtown Oakland. Instead, the Oakland Art Gallery picked an Angeleno with an eye for fun to sort through 300 submissions and winnow the bounty down to 13 lucky locals, who each offer just one or two pieces in the 2,000-square-foot space. Everything’s got room to breathe and each piece needs it, because this collection feels huge. Ana Fernandez’ “Procession” simulates the color and lines of Chinese red dragons from afar, but up close it’s ink-on-paper man-dogs and evil jesters, hearts and veins and demons and angels. In the window, little beach crabs crawl over suspended ledges in James Sansing’s “Support System,” a mixed-media sculpture of concrete, brick, and found objects that ascends through the vertical space of the gallery to the roof. Then out of nowhere, Tabitha Soren of MTV News fame makes an appearance as photographer of oddly loaded domestic scenes. (Through June 30 at 199 Kahn’s Alley, Oakland; OaklandArtGallery.org)
.Cheap Wine, Free Cheese
Our critics review local visual arts exhibitions.
