For immediate release: A trip down (false) memory lane
Opening reception: January 13, 2009, 7pm
Venue: The Lexington Club, 3464 19th St, San Francisco, CA 94110, www.lexingtonclub.com
Artists include:
Michael Bilsbourough, Kaucyila Brooke, a.k. burns, Luke Butler, Tammy Rae Carland, Torreya Cummings, Zackary Drucker, Riley John Donnell, Daphne Fitzpatrick, Discoteca Flaming Star, Brandon Herman, Danny Keith, Pawel Kruk, Bruce LaBruce, Henrik Olesen, Job Piston, Yuval Pudik, Slava Mogutin and Brian Kenny, Karol Radziszewski, Kirstyn Russell, Jonathon Solo, Tanya Wischerath, Susanne Winterling.
Curated and organized by Jessica Silverman
Assistant Curator: Kara Q. Smith
A trip down (false) memory lane will take the form of both exhibition and boxset. Each artist will produce 1 work for the actual exhibition and an edition of 50 that will be included in a boxset. Highlights include lighter and case by Brandon Herman, napkins by Torreya Cummings, postcards, c-prints and more.
Owner Lila Thirkield opened the Lexington Club in San Francisco in 1997 to fill a cultural gap. Since I moved to San Francisco from Los Angeles Lila has become a friend of mine and has generously recounted memories, her inspirations and why she felt so strongly about having a space where artists, street kids, and young people could hook up and express themselves. After attending openings and through conversations with patrons I proposed A trip down (false) memory lane, an exhibition that would both honor and engage with the Lexington’s past, present and future. Artists include current Lexington Club bartender Tanya Wischerath as well as local and international artists.
For A trip down (false) memory lane each artist was asked to respond to a memory of the Lexington Club. While over half of the invited artists live in San Francisco and have been to the Lexington it is likely that many invited artists have never been. Based on what each artist knows about the Lexington the artists will create a memory or transfer a memory of another night out into one that could have taken place at the Lexington Club. By inviting those who have been to the Lexington Club and those who have not I am interested in how our imagination is used as an aid in recovering presumably lost or unclear memories.
False memories are constructed by combining actual memories with the content of suggestions or conversations received from others. For those who have never been and have never heard of the Lexington Club we suggested that they ask around, research on the web or sit at a local bar and envision what a night at the Lexington might be like. Through this process one may even forget the source of the information and begin to believe it was an actual memory of a night out. In doing so, A trip down (false) memory lane will provide an engaging analysis of the lesbian bar as an intersection of gender, community, memory and space.
About the curator:
Jessica Silverman is the owner and director of Silverman Gallery, San Francisco. She is a graduate of the MA Program in Curatorial Practice at California College of Arts. Since its inception, the aim of Silverman Gallery has been to represent emerging San Francisco and International artists, collaborating closely with them in long-term relationships that facilitate an understanding and awareness of their work in a global context. In 2009, Silverman and curator Jan Van Woensel will open Bad Moon Rising 3 at Boots Contemporary in St. Louis.
Links:
www.silverman-gallery.com
http://atripdown-false-memorylane.blogspot.com/
http://silvermangallerysanfrancisco.blogspot.com/
