David Ireland: THE CONDITION WHERE ART WOULD DISAPPEAR
June 24, 2023–August 26, 2023
Curated by Lian Ladia
Image: Installation View The Condition Where Art Would Disappear. 500 Capp Street, San Francisco.
500 Capp Street (David Ireland House)
500 Capp Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
500 Capp Street Website
500 Capp Street Instagram
500 Capp Street Hours (David Ireland House)
| Monday | Closed |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | Closed |
| Wednesday | Closed |
| Thursday | Closed |
| Friday | 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm |
| Saturday | 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
Overview
THE CONDITION WHERE ART WOULD DISAPPEAR is currently on view at the 500 Capp Street Foundation, referred to also as the David Ireland House, a non-profit art organization, gallery, museum, and archive celebrating the late San Francisco conceptual artist, David Ireland. It is an EXTRAORDINARY place to visit if you love conceptual art.
Upstairs Walk-Through of THE CONDITION WHERE ART WOULD DISAPPEAR
In this show, curated by Lian Ladia, featuring 25+ works available for sale by Anglim Trimble, Ireland posthumously welcomes you into his world of smiles and clever puns. Conceptual art with a sense of humor is the best type of conceptual art in my opinion because it is relatable—a piece of the puzzle that commonly escapes these types of works.
For instance, In My Knees Cups, Saucers, Ireland takes plaster casts of his knees and turns them into wonderfully impractical drinking vessels. His many literal “earthquake detectors” are concrete and wire forms designed to tip over in the event of a large shake up.
Marcel B., 1980–94 is a sculpture and sound piece, a tribute to Belgian artist Marcel Broodthaers. 500 Capp Street, San Francisco.
THE CONDITION WHERE ART WOULD DISAPPEAR could be worked into any David Lynch film and is in my TOP 3 FAVORITE SHOWS OF THE YEAR. Loved it.
It runs alongside Bart Sanchez and The Angels, a collaboration with Guillermo Gómez-Peña and La Pocha Nostra. (Gómez-Peña is also featured in A LOVE LETTER TO ART’s post on Rafael Lozano Hemmer’s incredible TECHS-MECHS show from earlier this year). Both Close December 16, 2023. Marcel Pardo Ariza: Orquídeas is Pardo Ariza‘s celebration of trans kinship through photography, installations, and events. Runs October 19, 2023–February 17, 2024.
Tour Docent, Artist Rebecca Kaufman, Discusses 100-Year-Old Water in Grandmother’s Cabinet
David Ireland House History
The David Ireland House is every artist’s dream in that it preserves the living aesthetic of the artist. The very first time I walked in, I could sense it was a special place. First off, the natural lighting on the second floor is beautiful unto itself, and provides an ideal and easy setting for showing art. Energetically, something is there, but it is quiet and observing, which is not at all surprising to me, since the home was built in 1886—surviving the 1906 quake and fire like many of the structures in the Mission District. God bless the “Little Giant” fire hydrant that could and did save the Mission.
Ireland purchased the home from an accordion maker in 1975, and dedicated the rest of his life (he passed in 2009) to its preservation, which included exposing the cracked plaster walls and lacquering them in the glossiest finish possible, which creates a mirror-like effect when combined with the house’s lighting.
Though the architectural style of the home is Victorian, the interior has a very mid-century feel as most the furniture seems to be from that era. The basement level and terrace, where the Paule Anglim Archive Room is located however, is as modern as any blue-chip gallery space.
The conservation efforts for the David Ireland House was headed by Jensen Architects. Stabilizing the structure and maintaining its aged aesthetic without creating more stress on the building was a challenging process for the team, due to Ireland’s digging experiments under the house.
Exciting things have been happening at 500 Capp Street under the recent leadership of Jennifer Rissler (Dean Emerita SFAI), the foundation’s interim Executive Director and Curator Lian Ladia. The opening of Paule Anglim Archive Room back in June was a momentous event (SEE A LOVE LETTER TO ART‘s post on their inaugural summer show).
🗓 THE CONDITION WHERE ART WOULD DISAPPEAR runs until December 16, 2023 at 500 Capp Street.
💌 Did you see the show? What did you think? Let us know in the comments (in the Reviews section located on the second tab at the top of the page).
QUICK GUIDE: 500 Capp Street
⭐ EXHIBITIONS: THE CONDITION WHERE ART WOULD DISAPPEAR and Guillermo Gómez-Peña and La Pocha Nostra: Bart Sanchez and The Angels (Closes Dec 16, 2023); Marcel Pardo Ariza: Orquídeas (Oct 19, 2023–Feb 17, 2024).
⭐ LOCATION: The 500 Capp Street Foundation is located at 500 Capp Street (corner of 20th Street). It is a 9 min walk from the 24th Street Bart Station and a 10 min walk from the 16th Street Bart Station.
⭐ HOURS: Open Friday 2–5 p.m.; Saturday 12–5 p.m. *Guided Tours (60 min/$20) are available on Fridays at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.; Self-Guided Tours on Saturdays 12-5 p.m.
⭐ ADMISSION: ADMISSION IS ALWAYS FREE to 500 Capp Street. *Donations at the front door and online are welcome!
⭐ PROGRAMS: The foundation also provides artists’ residencies, classes, internships, and events.
⭐ EVENTS: FREE THIS THURSDAY, OCT 19, 2023 from 6–8 p.m. is Orquídeas Opening Night (reserve online); FREE Orquídeas Memoria Trans SF from 5–7 p.m. on Oct 23; Nov 9; Nov 30 (reserve online); Orquídeas Drag Make-Up Workshops on Oct 25 and Nov 8 from 6–9 p.m. (tickets $20/email visit@500cappstreet.org to reserve); FREE Nov 17 from 10 p.m–1 a.m. is Orquídeas Las AtreDivas Drag Show (reserve online); FREE Dec 1 from 8–11 p.m. Orquídeas Café Porno (desserts and drinks by artist and chef Salimatu Amabebe and Marcel Pardo Ariza. Reserve online.) All donations will benefit sex workers in the Mission District. *Amabebe’s solo show, SON, is currently on view at MoAD, which will be included in my write-up of their Fall/Winter shows.
👍 TIP: 500 Capp Street is a great place to visit if you’re wanting to see experimental art in a more intimate, less chaotic space than, say, a traditional museum. I recommend booking the guided tour (tickets are $20 online) as the docents’ narrative adds an additional level of appreciation to the experience.
SEE MORE ART Near 500 Capp Street
There are quite a few galleries all within LESS THAN A 10 MINUTE WALK from 500 Capp Street. A LOVE LETTER TO ART RECOMMENDS:
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Author: ALoveLettertoArt
