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June 3, 2009
Veronica de Jesus
Do The Waive
Review By Johnny Ray Huston
San Francisco Bay Guardian Review
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"Otl Aicher: Munchen 1972" and "Veronica De Jesus: Do the Waive"
BY JOHNNY RAY HUSTON
Tuesday June 2, 2009
The 1972 Munich Olympics is mostly associated with terrorism, with Marc Spitz running a distant second. But Otl Aicher's graphic design for the event exemplifies the better possibilities of the fusion of humanism and capitalism that characterizes each incarnation of the international event. A member of the White Rose movement and friend of Hans and Sophie Scholl, who were arrested and executed by the Nazis, Aicher later made his name through graphic design concepts that possess a rare fusion of experience and imagination. Three years after his successful branding work for Lufthansa Airlines, Aicher created a friendly yet intricate pictorial language — or pictogram — system for the individual programs, posters, and even tickets of the Munich Games. While many exhibitions fail at presenting graphic design as a form with much soul or personality, "Otl Aicher: München 1972" has no shortage of either — or of refreshingly-deployed color, for that matter. A blue and green oasis within the SFMOMA behemoth, its pleasures spiral outward from the Op Art-like symbol Aicher used for the event's main icon, into a number of engagingly basic and extremely influential renderings of the body in motion.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Or in other words, iconic images of human striving.
The latest show by the contemporary Bay Area artist Veronica De Jesus presents an entirely different take on corporate branding and athleticism — one that nonetheless possesses a friendliness quite akin to Aicher's work. Viewed alongside "München 1972," De Jesus's "Do the Waive" comes off even more sharply as a satirical, at times hilarious, but also troubling take on the tyranny of symbols and supposed meanings wielded by the contemporary sports entertainment complex. Simply put, the logos for CNN and Shell don't have the ingenuity of Aicher's iconography. When De Jesus renders them — or the trademark colors of McDonald's — via child-like scrawlings, the taken-for-granted commercialism woven into daily life to influence kids' aspirant dreams seems questionable and dubious and absurd at its very core. Like Jenny Holzer with a far less dry sense of humor, De Jesus also has a talent for twisting received ideas or language, whether via creative misspelling or isolated bits of media chatter. (Three of her titles: Fry Anyone, Closed for the recession, and my favorite, People are going after the french fries.) "Do the Waive" is packed with treats. I enjoyed the life-size portraits and the connection between homo-affection and homo-aggression drawn — literally — by It's a Battle and All Hugs. But the best works are smaller ones that layer media babble and athletic imagery into visions that are confusing, exhausting, and attractive all at once, like a day's journey through an empire of signs.
Download: VERONICA DE JESUS San Francisco Bay Guardian Review
Associated Exhibitions
Associated News
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News Archive
September 02, 2010
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Art San Diego Contemporary Art Fair |
August 07, 2010
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Amy Casey featured in NY Times Opinionator Blog |
May 21, 2010
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San Francisco Fine Art Fair |
May 15, 2010
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Alison Pebworth
Interviewed on Culture Wire |
April 03, 2010
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Kenneth Baker ( sf chronicle ) reviews Jane Fine at Michael Rosenthal |
April 01, 2010
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Alison Pebworth Receives CCI "Investing in Artists" Grant |
January 15, 2010
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Jillian Mcdonald
Red Rum
Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center
January 15 - February 19, 2010 |
January 02, 2010
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Mutant Anxiety
San Francisco Chronicle
'Mutant Anxiety': Angst, woes in colorful veins
by Patrick Knowles |
December 03, 2009
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Megan Whitmarsh
Recursive Objects
The Wolfsonian
December 3rd - 6th, 2009 |
November 21, 2009
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Lisa Adams
Edenistic Divergence
Riverside Art Museum
November 21 - February 20, 2010
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November 12, 2009
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Megan Whitmarsh
In Stitches
Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller Gallery
November 12 - December 19, 2009
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November 07, 2009
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Jillian Mcdonald
Young Romance
Cambridge Gallery
November 7th, 2009 - January 3rd, 2010 |
November 06, 2009
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Amy Casey
Amy Casey and Jen Omaitz
Art Collinwood Gallery
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October 31, 2009
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Amy Casey
Amy Casey on the Cover of New American Paintings |
October 23, 2009
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Veronica de Jesus
Passport 2009
SF Arts Commission
October 23 + October 24, 2009 |
October 16, 2009
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Inga Dorosz
Team Painting: Stimulus Package
Atlantic Center for the Arts
Opening Reception October 16, 5 - 7pm
September 5 - November 7, 2009 |
October 14, 2009
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Jillian Mcdonald
Horror Makeup
University Art Museum, University of California, Santa Barbara
October 14, 2009 - January 31, 2010 |
October 07, 2009
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Amy Casey
Uncertain Times Review By Lauren Weinberg
Time Out Chicago |
October 05, 2009
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Jillian Mcdonald
Alone Together in the Dark - Social Studies Project 5
Arizona State University Art Museum
October 5, 2009 - February 20, 2010
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September 11, 2009
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Amy Casey
Uncertain Times
Zg Gallery, Chicago
September 11 - October 31, 2009 |
September 11, 2009
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Jane Fine
Glad All Over
Pierogi, New York, New York
September 11 - October 11, 2009 |
September 09, 2009
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Megan Whitmarsh
Yeti Crystal Rainbow
Krets Gallery, Malmo, Sweden
September 9 - October 11, 2009
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September 08, 2009
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Inga Dorosz
In Love With Night
Guggenheim Gallery, Chapman University
September 8 - October 9, 2009
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September 05, 2009
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Jillian Mcdonald
Shapeshifter curated by Michelle Handelman
Issue Project Room
September 5, 2009 8pm |
September 05, 2009
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Inga Dorosz
Team Painting: Stimulus Package
Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach, FL
September 5 – November 7, 2009 |
August 28, 2009
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Tracey Snelling
Evolution of Print: Artists of Kala
Oakland Museum at the Oakland International Airport
August 28 - November 27, 2009
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August 19, 2009
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Jillian Mcdonald
Prozess curated by Jazz-minh Moore
Lyons Wier Gallery, New York
August 19, 2009 |
August 14, 2009
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Veronica de Jesus
Limited Edition Etchings
Now Available |
August 04, 2009
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Annual Biennial
In Your Face
KQED Review |
August 04, 2009
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Annual Biennial
Reception Photographs |
July 24, 2009
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Amy Casey
Interview by Vincent Wilkie
Diskursdisko
July 24, 2009 |
July 22, 2009
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Jane Hambleton
Impressions
Studio Visit
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July 18, 2009
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Mary Conrad
Impressions
Studio Visit
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July 17, 2009
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Megan Whitmarsh
Artists draw on the tradition of comics for exhibit
Review by Jennifer Dean
The Press-Enterprise
July 17, 2009 |
July 16, 2009
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Amy Casey
IdeaStream Video Interview |
July 09, 2009
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Megan Whitmarsh
Now at Michael Rosenthal |
July 08, 2009
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Jillian Mcdonald
We Walk With A Zombie
Review By Johnny Ray Huston, Cheryl Eddy, and Tony Papanikolas
San Francisco Bay Guardian
July 8, 2009 |
July 07, 2009
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Lisa Adams
Interview by Qi Peng
Examiner.com
July 7, 2009 |
June 28, 2009
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Elizabeth Mooney
Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2006 State Museum Purchase Award
The State Museum of Pennsylvania
June 28 - September 20, 2009 |
June 26, 2009
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Lisa Adams
Lisa Pressman Art Blog Interview |
June 24, 2009
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Jillian Mcdonald
Monstrosities Reception Photographs |
June 23, 2009
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Jillian Mcdonald
Artist Talk at Michael Rosenthal
Thursday, June 25 7pm |
June 19, 2009
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Amy Casey
Cleveland Arts Prize |
June 17, 2009
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Jillian Mcdonald
Monstrosities
Written by Johnny Ray Huston
San Francisco Bay Guardian Review
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June 15, 2009
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Veronica de Jesus
Do The Waive
Review by DeWitt Cheng
Shotgun Review |
June 15, 2009
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Amy Casey
The Shiny Squirrel Blog Interview |
May 28, 2009
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Megan Whitmarsh
Visions of the Frontier
Le Institut Valencia d'Art Modern Valencia, Spain
May 28 - November 15, 2009 |
April 16, 2009
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Jane Fine
Middlebury College Student Weekly
Review by Ramona Richards
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September 01, 2007
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Tracey Snelling
Behind Closed Doors
Interview by Chuck Mobley
SPOT Magazine |
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