art

Art listings are compiled by Sarah Han. Because of space limitations, new art shows are listed the week they open (thereafter, shows are listed on a rotating basis), and we cannot list café exhibits. For information on how to submit listings to this section, see 8 Days a Week. Reviews are by Lindsey Westbrook.

museums

Asian Art Museum 200 Larkin; 581-3500, www.asianart.org. Tues-Sun, 10am-5pm (Thurs, 10am-9pm). $10, $7 seniors, $6 for ages 12 to 17, free for 11 and under. "AsiaAlive": "Contemporary Indonesian Art" (Through Sun/14), artist demonstrations and hands-on art activities (daily, noon-4pm).

California Palace of the Legion of Honor Lincoln Park (near 34th Ave and Clement); 863-3330. Tues-Sun, 9:30am-5pm. $8, $6 seniors, $5 for ages 12 to 17, free for 10 and under (free Tues). "Black and White: Prints from the 1970s and 1980s." More than 20 prints by Richard Diebenkorn, Wayne Thiebaud, Chuck Close, Ellsworth Kelly, Brice Marden, Bryan Hunt, and Robert Arneson. Through Sept 28. "Reverie and Reality: Nineteenth-Century Photographs of India from the Ehrenfeld Collection." More than 100 vintage photographs by Linnaeus Tripe, Samuel Bourne, John Murray, Lala Deen Dayal, and others. Sept 14-March 7, 2004.

Cartoon Art Museum 655 Mission; CAR-TOON. Tues-Sun, 11am-5pm. $6, $4 students and seniors, $2 for ages 6 to 12, free for members and children five and under. "Alternative to What? Comic Art of the Free Weeklies" An exhibition featuring 14 comic strips. Through Oct 5. "Great Comic Cats." An exhibition of original cartoon art featuring cat characters, including Garfield, Krazy Kats, Bill the Cat, Hobbes, Sylvester, and Mooch. Through Oct 26. "From off the Streets of Cleveland Comes American Splendor." Works by comic book writer Harvey Pekar illustrated by five underground comic book artists. Through Nov 23.

Exploratorium 3601 Lyon; 563-7337. Tues-Sun, 10am-5pm. $10, $7.50 students and seniors, $6 youths, free for three and under. "Animal Magnetism." An exhibit focusing on our relationship with animals through displays and artworks from the 19th century to the present. Through Sept 28.

Museum of Craft and Folk Art Fort Mason Center, Bldg A, Marina at Laguna; 775-0991. Sat, 10am-5pm; Tues-Fri, Sun, 11am-5pm (first Wed, 11am-7pm). $4, $3 seniors, free for members and 18 and under (free first Wed and Sat, 10am-noon). "Revealing Influences: Conversations with Bay Area Artists." New work by twenty Bay Area artists including Amy Berk, Frank Haines, Jason Mecier, Charles Linder, Rigo 03, Jarrett Mitchell and Mary Elizabeth Yarbrough, Midori Harima, and Becky Schaefer. Through Nov 15. See Critic's Choice.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art 151 Third St; 357-4000. Fri-Tues, 10am-6pm (Fri, 10am-9pm); Thurs, 10am-9pm. $10, $7 seniors, $6 students, free for 12 and under and members (free first Tues; half price Thurs, 6-9pm). "33 RPM: Ten Hours of Sound from France." Electronic music by French sound artists. Through Sun/14. "Philip Guston Retrospective." More than 100 paintings and drawings by the artist. Through Sept 28. "Marc Chagall." Paintings and works on paper by the artist. Through Nov 4. "The Photographs of Reagan Louie: Sex Work in Asia." Large-scale color photographs. Through Dec 7.

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts 701 Mission; 978-ARTS. Tues-Sun, 11am-6pm (first Thurs, 11am-8pm). $6, $3 seniors, students, and youths, free for members (free first Tues). "To Protect and Serve: The LAPD Archives." Black-and-white crime scene photographs taken between the 1920s and 1970s, artifacts, logbooks, and paraphernalia. "out of bounds (from near and afar)." Site-specific projects by Yunhee Min. "Pocket Atlas." Works by Nick Ackerman, Dean Byington, and Clare E. Rojas. All exhibits through Oct 5.

Bay Area

Oakland Museum of California 1000 Oak, Oakl; (510) 238-2200. Wed-Sat, 10am-5pm; Sun, noon-5pm (first Fri, 10am-9pm). $8, $5 seniors and students. "Iconic to Ironic: Fashioning California Identity." More than 100 articles of clothing and accessories. Through Sept 21.

Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology 103 Kroeber Hall, Room 3712, UC Berkeley; (510) 643-1193. Wed-Sat, 10am-4:30pm; Sun, noon-4:30pm. $4, $3 seniors, $1 students, free for 12 and under. "Ecuadorian Pottery and Textile Traditions." An exhibition tracing Ecuador's history and cultural accomplishments through the works of its artists from pre-Hispanic times to the present. Sept 12-Dec 14.

UC Berkeley Art Museum 2626 Bancroft Way, Berk; (510) 642-0808. Wed-Sun, 11am-7pm. $8, $5 seniors and youths, $4 members and UC Berkeley students and faculty (free Thurs). "Gene(sis): Contemporary Art Explores Human Genomics." Almost 100 works by contemporary artists on the topic of genetic engineering. Through Dec 7.

galleries
Opening

Asia Decor 1815 Union; 563-7922, www.asiadecor.com. Daily, 11am-7pm. "Zen Den," work by Asian American artists (reception Fri/12, 6-9pm). Sept 12-Oct 31.

Chatter Box 1185 Church; 647-0900. Tues-Fri, 11:30am-6:30pm; Sat, noon-5pm. Works by Lillian Cartwright (reception Sat/13, 4-7pm). Sept 13-30.

Crocker Galleria 50 Post, No. 41, second floor; 720-9691. Abstract paintings by Sabina Sulé (reception Fri/12, 6pm). Sept 12-30.

Crown Point Press 20 Hawthorne; 974-6273. Tues-Sat, 10am-6pm. "Verona Suite," work by Anne Appleby (reception Tues/16, 6-8pm). Sept 12-Oct 14.

Eleonore Austerer 565 Sutter; 986-2244. Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm. "Mitsushima: Tactile Painting," work by Takayuki Mitsushima. Sept 13-30.

Intersection for the Arts 446 Valencia; 626-2787. Wed-Sat, noon-5pm. "Sama-sama/You're Welcome Art Auction," an exhibition of the results of an international collaboration and exchange project between community arts organizations and artist from San Francisco and Yogyakarta, Indonesia (reception Wed/10, 6pm). Through Oct 25.

The Lab 2948 16th St; 864-8855. Wed-Sat, 1-6pm, and by appt. "Suspended Passage," work by Amy Trachtenberg (reception Wed/10, 6-8pm). Through Sept 27.

Limn Gallery 292 Townsend; 977-1300. Wed-Sat, 11am-5:30pm; Sun, 9am-3pm. "Indoor/Outdoor," multimedia group exhibition exploring urban architecture and environment (reception Fri/12, 6-8pm). Sept 12-Nov 1.

Linden Hayes Gallery 355 Hayes; 606-6749. Call for hours. "The Decline of the Great Society: In Remembrance of 9/11," recent printed mixed-media work by Ellie Barrett Wilder (reception Wed/10, 6-10pm). Through Sept 17.

Mark I. Chester Studio 1229 Folsom; 621-6294. Call for appt. Photographs by David Steinberg (reception Fri/12, 8pm-midnight). Sat/13-Sun/14, 1-6pm; Sept 27-28, 11am-6pm.

Robert Koch 49 Geary; 421-0122. Tues-Sat, 10:30am-5:30pm. "Before the Flood," work by Edward Burtynsky (reception Thurs/11, 5:30-7:30pm). Sept 11-Nov 1.

San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery 401 Van Ness; 554-6080. Wed-Sat, 11am-5:30pm; Tues, by appt. "Construct 3: The Third Annual Insallation Award Show," work by J. Michael Deane and Mads Lynnerup (reception Sept 19, 5:30-8pm). Through Oct 26.

Shooting Gallery 839 Larkin; 931-8035. Call for hours. "Bling Bling to the Head," work by Lance Strongheart (reception Fri/12, 6-8pm). Through Oct 4.

Soularch Gallery 4033A Judah; 759-4100. Sat, noon-5pm, and by appt. "A Little Northwest of Eden," recent paintings by Dorothy Robinson (reception Fri/12, 6-8pm). Sept 12-Oct 11.

Thoreau Center for Sustainability 1016 Torney; 561-7823, www.thoreau.org. "Segments," work by Derek Lynch (reception Wed/10, 5-7pm). Through Oct 31.

Zedd Fine Art + Design 493 Sanchez; 621-4055. Mon-Sat, 10am-5:30pm; Sun, noon-5pm. Metal art and other works by Marc Thorpe; paintings and cartoons by MK Brown (reception Sat/13, 6-8pm). Sept 11-Oct 11.

Bay Area

Kala Art Institute 1060 Heinz, Berk; (510) 549-2977. Tues-Fri, noon-5:30pm; Sat, noon-4:30pm, and by appt. "Phelan Art Awards in Printmaking," works by Meagan Geer, Christina McPhee, Davis Te Selle, Doug Baldwin, Kim Fink, Jonathan Higgins, and David Robert Jones (reception Tues/16, 6-8pm). Sept 12-Oct 31.

Mills College Art Museum 5000 MacArthur Blvd, Oakl; (510) 430-2164. Tues and Thurs-Sat, 11am-4pm; Wed, 11am-7:30pm; Sun, 1-4pm. "Tangle in the Garden," painting and sculpture by Carrie Lederer. Through Sun/14. "Prints by Helen Gilbert and Elizabeth Murray. Sept 16-28. "Matisse: The Jazz Suite." Through Oct 5. "Slightly Touched: Sculpture by Patrick Killoran." Through Oct 19.

Nexus 2701 Eighth St, Berk; (510) 486-8118. Fri-Sun, noon-5pm. "7 Degrees of Separation," a group exhibition (reception Fri/12, 7-9pm). Sept 12-21.

Richmond Art Center 2540 Barrett, Richmond; (510) 620-6772, www.therichmondartcenter.org. Wed-Sat, noon-4:30pm. "Bay Area Selections: Fibers/Metal/Jewelry," work by various artists; "The Inner Wilderness," work by Ariel; "Inter Bellum," work by Jos Sances; "Suitcase Stories," work by various artists; "The Outsiders: An Alternative Family's Search for Legitimacy," photo essay by Susan Tripp Pollard; "You're So Funny," painting by Arthur Scott King, Katherine Parker, and Barbara Schubert. Through Nov 8.

Ongoing

Atrium Gallery 901 Market; 399-8537. Mon-Fri, 8am-6pm. "Rhizome: Tracings, Transformation, and Remembrance," painting, mixed-media, and sculpture. Through Fri/12.

Balazo/Mission Badlands Gallery 2811 Mission; 920-0896. Sat-Sun, noon-5pm. "Handmade," works by Alisha Trimble, Coral Silverman, Bob Vergera, Jen Boothby, Kris Struble, and Dallis Willard (closing reception Sun/14, noon-5pm). Through Sun/14.

Bistro Yoffi 2231 Chesnut; 885-5133. Call for hours. Nude paintings and drawings by Elliott. Through Dec 31.

Blue Room Gallery 2331 Mission; 282-8411. Wed-Sun, 1-9pm. "Protozoa Games," an interactive computer-mediated art installation. Through Sun/14.

Build 483 Guerrero; 863-3041. Call for hours. "Mybrary - A Pro-Literacy Project," a collaborative exhibition by Elliot Lessing, Jennifer Schmidt, the Internet Archive/Bookmobile and the public-at-large. Through Fri/12.

Den 849 Valencia; 282-6646. Call for hours. A group show featuring work by Stan Banos, Mark Faigenbaum, Janet Flemer, Terry Hawkins, Brad Payton, Kevin Ryan, Dave Warnke, Jim Winters, Lisa Wood, and Sandy Wood. Through Sept 28.

Elins Eagles-Smith Gallery 345 Sutter; 981-1080. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. New abstract collages by Theophilus Brown. Through Oct 11.

Gallery Lux 521 Seventh St; 864-2222. Wed-Fri, 1-5pm, and by appt. "In This Instant." Many of the photographs in "In This Instant" have appealing-sounding titles referencing food, home, and family. And a few of the images actually deliver on their moniker's, like Kirsten Nordine's Sprite and Cookies, an affectionate look at the colorful clutter of her teenage sister's bulletin board. But this wholesome and clean-looking slice of life is the exception among Nordine's photos, the rest of which look closely at household dirt: a pillowcase yellowed with years of use, for instance, or the remnants of a home haircut on a linoleum floor. David Black and Kathryn Miller also focus on bits and pieces of the everyday – Black through informal portraits of his family members, and Miller through her unconventional views of a house. Rebecca Veit's Prim and Pink series comes at the end of the show. She focuses on a woman's body – her face as she eats a spoonful of grapefruit, her knees balancing a teacup, her hands folding a blanket. The woman is obviously coiffed and pretty, but it's impossible to miss the tiny flaws that the rest of the show has conditioned us to look for. Arm hair, leg hair, and little cuts and moles all loom large in a way that is simultaneously fascinating and icky. Fri/12. (Westbrook)

Gallery Paule Dominque 4003 24th St, third floor; 641-1405, home.earthlink.net/~taleah. Daily, 9am-9pm. "The Beauty of the Human Body," nude paintings and drawings by Elliott. Through Dec 31.

Grind 783 Haight; 864-0955. Sun-Thurs, 7am-11pm; Fri-Sat, 7am-10pm. "Caught Moments: Paris, Rome, London," street photographs by Terry Carroll. Through Sat/13.

Hotel Triton 342 Grant; 394-0500. Call for hours. "A Decade of Burning Man," photographs by Barbara Traub. Through Mon/15.

Istituto Italiano di Cultura 425 Washington; 788-7142. Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm. "The Gardens of Tuscany: A Photographic Exhibit," photographs of Tuscan villas, countryside, farmland, and landscape architecture. Through Oct 4.

Jack Hanley Gallery 395 Valencia; 522-1623. Tues-Sat, 11am-6pm. "Your Shits Stuff." Simon Evans's roll of Scotch tape is an indispensable tool of his trade. Each of his taped-down creations is a vast map or diagram consisting of handwritten words, found materials, and frequently organic stuff. Everything is carefully labeled, and even the smiles are numbered in 1000 Smiles, a collection of a thousand tiny magazine-cutout grins. Judging by his artwork, you might think Evans had the world's first-ever combined case of ADD and OCD. Each piece is irrefutable proof of his sprawling creativity – his ability to generate a seeming infinitude of ideas from a single germ of a word or phrase. But the rigorous organization of those thoughts belies an opposing impulse: the obsessive imposition of structure on everything, no matter how random the data or how impenetrable the organizational system might seem. A deep vein of humor and a stubborn refusal to take himself seriously make Evans's material successful, elevating it above the realms of cynicism and irony. Through Sat/13. (Westbrook)

Olive 743 Larkin; 778-9814. Paintings by Teresa Moore. Through Mon/15.

Rx Gallery 132 Eddy; 860-6455, www.blasthaus.com. Wed-Sat, noon-5pm. "The Art of Machines." Bruce Cannon's Reflection steals the show at the Rx Gallery's second-ever exhibition, "The Art of Machines." For Cannon, the piece represents the beginning of what will be a series of life-documentation tools/artworks. Its main components are a Windows PC, a flat-panel monitor, a digital camera, and an ornate gilt frame. Periodically, the viewer is supposed to face the work, gaze into its camera-eye, and snap a picture, which will be added to the database of images displayed as a slide show in the framed LCD. It's a truth collector that combines subjective human vanity with the objective honesty of a machine. Other standout works include Christian Ristow's Mouth, David Bowen's 50 Drones, and Seemen's Monkey on Your Back. Through Oct 4. (Westbrook)

SF Black and White Gallery 619 Post; 929-9424. Call for hours. Photographs by Daniel Steinberg. Through Mon/15.

Sargent Johnson Gallery African American Art and Culture Complex, 762 Fulton; 771-AFRO, www.afrosolo.org. Tues-Sat, noon-4pm, and by appt. "One Black Day: My Race My Grace," works by African American photographers. Through Tues/16.

Tangent Contemporary Art 355 Bryant, Ste 307; 977-0920. By appt. "Translucence," work by Julie Scott and Ernest Jolly. Through Oct 15.

Thacher Gallery University of San Francisco, 2130 Fulton; 422-2660. Mon-Fri, noon-5:30pm. "The Cosmic Walk," tapestries by the Kopanang Women's Group. Through Sept 28.

Tunnel Top 601 Bush; 986-8900. "Between the Hours," photography by Ted Pushinsky (reception Thurs/11, 6pm). Through Oct 3.

UC Berkeley Extension 55 Laguna; 252-5221. Mon-Thurs, 10am-10pm; Sat-Sun, 10am-4pm. "Patricia Tavenner: A Retrospective," 100 sheets of stamps. Through Tues/16.

Walter and McBean Galleries San Francisco Art Institute, 800 Chestnut; 749-4563. Mon-Sat, 11am-6pm. "Gail Wight: The Evolution of Disarticulation," more than 20 pieces by Wight. Through Oct 11.

Bay Area

Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut, Berk; (510) 644-6893. Wed-Sun, noon-5pm. "BACA 20th Annual National Juried Exhibition," works by 49 artists. Through Sat/13.

Berkeley Historical Society 1931 Center, Berk; (510) 848-0181. Thurs-Sat, 1-4pm. "Focus on Berkeley," photographs by the Berkeley Camera Club, Berkeley High School students, and community photographers. Through Sat/13.

Buzz Gallery 2316 Telegraph, Oakl; (510) 872-0561. Mon-Fri, 7am-7pm; Sat-Sun, 9am-5pm. "The Recent Findings of Aailyon Mulk," installation by Amy Morrell with soundscape by DJ John Hoppin. Through Sept 26.

Creative Growth Art Center 355 24th St, Oakl; (510) 836-2340. Mon-Fri, 11am-5:30pm, and by appt. "Face2Face," works by more than 30 visiting resident artists at Creative Growth Art Center. Through Oct 3.

John F. Kennedy University Arts and Consciousness Gallery Berkeley Business Center, 2956 San Pablo, Berk; (510) 649-0499. Mon-Fri, 11am-5pm. "Earth: Installations and Objects," work by Hannah Alex-Glasser, Glo Lamson, and Min-Yi Lin. Through Fri/12.

Olive Hyde 123 Washington, Fremont; (510) 791-4357. Wed-Sun, noon-5pm. "Mining the Ordinary," works by various artists. Through Sat/13.

Paulson Press 1318 Tenth St, Berk; (510) 559-2088. Tues-Sat, 10am-5pm. "Luminous Debris," works by Mari Andrews. Through Fri/12.

Photolab 2235 Fifth St, Berk; (510) 644-1400. Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm; Sat, 10am-2pm. "Recent Pinhole Photographs," black-and-white photos by S. McGrath Ryan (reception Sat/13, 6-8pm). Through Oct 25.