Skinner delves into the motivation driving the risks he is taking in The Fragile Art of Existence (opening August 6th at the Shooting Gallery) which involves a whole new style of work than what we are use to seeing. Throughout the video, Skinner highlights the intentions behind the changes he’s making, and how they relate to his changing worldview.
We are loving the photos of Anthony Michael Sneed’s Grand Illusion in Arrested Motion! Arrested Motion praises Anthony’s color palettes and exhibiton placement writing that “this body of work is an elevation into a new level of abstraction and color theory.” We’re in the last days of the show which ends July 30th, so make your way over to the Shooting Gallery while you still can!
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Edward Ortiz talks about visiting Skinner‘s studio, confronting the differences between the art and the man, and the new style Skinner will employ for his solo show The Fragile Art of Existence at Shooting Gallery, in his article for The Sacremento Bee. Skinner has been making art since childhood, and he speaks with candor about how his art has been a way to connect to “the vast unknown.” Ortiz writes of a four-car highway pile up that Skinner was in at the age of seventeen. He suffered a brain injury that effected his memory, and senses of taste and smell for eight years thereafter. An experience that Skinner says “[...] intensified my connection to art because I was further removed from the immediacy of the world.” The fantastical imagery of Skinner’s art does capture visions not of this world, but through them Skinner is speaking out on the state of chaos and conflict our world is in. The switch in Skinner’s usual style for The Fragile Art of Existence, opening August 6th at Shooting Gallery, also is speaking out, this time to Skinner’s efforts of becoming more at peace, both personally and in his career.
Read the full article here
RSVP for the opening here
Colin Day‘s video for Anthony Michael Sneed’s Grand Illusion at Shooting Gallery (on view until July 30th) does a terrific job of showing Sneed’s moving sculpture in action. The sculpture responds to viewers walking by using motion sensors installed within the sixteen foot wooden body. Watch Sneed demonstrate the full movement of the piece and also see the rest of the Grand Illusion paintings in the video below, made with music produced by Sneed himself:
This September Pedro Matos will be bringing his beautiful work to the Shooting Gallery for his first solo show in the U.S., Epherma. The young Pedro Matos has already developed the skill and personal style of an artist two or three times his own age. His portraits bring forgotten faces into a new focus, with a keen sense of humanity on the surface. Curbs and Stoops mentioned Epherma here, and we, here at Shooting Gallery, can’t wait to be able to share Matos’ show with you all!
Fecal Face put up some great photos of Anthony Michael Sneed’s show at Shooting Gallery Grand Illusion. The Shooting Gallery opened late but the crowd could not be angry when they saw the show itself, and the widespread consensus that it was well worth the wait testifies to how innovative the artwork is. Paintings, hung in complementary pairs and full of bright colors, lined the wall and a huge floor to ceiling installation greeted viewers at the front of the gallery, acting as a larger and more exaggerated version of some of the smaller paintings. Motion sensors installed within the installation moved the separate pieces, adding another layer of interest to the complex visual, and making viewers take a closer look at the optical illusions pervasive in the rest of the show. See Grand Illusion at Shooting Gallery anytime between Tuesday and Saturday, 12-7pm, up to August 6th!
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Shooting Gallery is pleased to present The Fragile Art of Existence, a series of stunning new figurative works by Sacramento-based artist Skinner. This will be Skinner’s first solo exhibition at Shooting Gallery, following his solo exhibition This Fear You May Know in summer of 2024 at sister gallery White Walls. The opening reception will be Saturday, August 6, from 7-11 pm, and the exhibition is free and open to the public for viewing through August 27.
For the work featured in The Fragile Art of Existence, Skinner steps back a bit from his investigations of fear and destruction – in order to begin expanding his personal vision and scope of understanding. By taking risks, and making work outside of his comfort zone, Skinner hopes to free himself from any internal or external pressures that may pry him away from being present and “in the moment” with these new paintings. He has worked to eliminate any rushing, pressure, or stress that may prohibit him from making fluid, carefully balanced pieces that reflect this mentality, and provide a space for artistic experimentation and growth.
The exhibition will feature a selection of approximately 10 mixed-media works by this prolific artist. From Skinner himself: “In order to stay as honest as I possibly can, I have decided to try and paint from the most vulnerable and uncertain places, as I grow and challenge the behaviors and darknesses that threaten my negotiation with personal peace. In order to do that, I have to clear my palette of fear, anger, judgment, and hesitation. To do things I am unaccustomed to, and to try the avenues least walked down within myself, so that I can understand my art in a way I never have before. I don’t want to rob myself of what could be great breakthroughs in my life and in my art by ignoring the risks and work it takes to do this.”
Not subscribing to his ambition for the extreme, Skinner has decided to lessen his customary installation element in this exhibition, in an attempt to give viewers the opportunity to focus on the individual works of art – rather than allowing them to become engulfed in the overwhelming atmosphere of chaos that he usually provides. Skinner explains, “there’s always time for that kind of work, and there will be more in the future. But for right now I am taking my art with me into a relaxed and meditative place, where it’s okay not to take people to hell with me. The work featured in this show is the evidence of a step I am taking towards allowing myself patience, discovery, and creative expansion. All things I wish for others as well.”
Skinner is a self-taught artist who has meticulously crafted his practice to exist as a balance of extraordinary mural work, mighty powerful wall-to-wall installations and a prolific commercial career. Influenced by 80’s pop culture, human struggle, myths, violence, dungeons and dragons and the heavy metal gods, Skinner’s mind is one full of mayhem – fueled by a calculated chaos. His work has been shown all over the universe, including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, the Netherlands, Japan, Germany, Russia and France. Skinner’s work has been featured in various publications including Blisss, Juxtapoz, Hi Fructose and Beautiful/Decay. He currently lives and works in Sacramento, CA.
Media Opportunities:
Interview with wildly entertaining artist Skinner
Interview with owner/founder/curator Justin Giarla
High-resolution images available upon request
Event Information:
“The Fragile Art of Existence,” New Works by Skinner
Opening Reception – August 6, 2024, 7-11 pm
On View Through August 27, 2024,
@ Shooting Gallery (shootinggallerysf.com)
839 Larkin St,
San Francisco, CA
Lets start the day off with some wise advice: Read Fecal Face’s Interview with Anthony Michael Sneed and discover everything from what math he uses to create his new works to his foray into rapping to the best craigslist story he has, then come visit the Shooting Gallery and experience Sneed’s current exhibit Grand Illusion for yourself! We’re open Tuesday- Saturday, 12-7pm!
French Street artist C215 is known for his portraits which pay homage to the varied street populace of major cities, capturing the expressions and unique features of his subjects in a way that brings their humanity to the surface. He is scheduled for a solo show at Shooting Gallery this December, 2024 so keep your eyes peeled. For now though, satisfy your curiosity with the short interview in Juxtapoz (teamed up with Brooklyn Street Art): Back Talk: A Conversation with C215 and the artist profile below via Wooster Collective.
Thank you to the SF Chronicle! You can view the print mentioned in 96 Hours here! All proceeds donated to the LGBT Community Center.
Anthony Sneed’s Grand Illusion opened this Saturday and kept the Shooting Gallery full all night! If you couldn’t make it, the show will be up until July 30th. Come visit us Tuesday- Saturday, 12pm-7pm!
