Masako Miki: Midnight March; David Antonio Cruz: stay, take your time, my love; Spotlight: Tau Lewis
May 16, 2025–Decemeber 7, 2025
Solo Exhibitions
Curated by Ali Gass.
Image: Masako Miki. Midnight March, 2025. ICA SF, San Francisco.
Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco (ICA SF)
345 Montgomery Street
San Francisco, CA 94104
+1 415-226-9250
ICA SF Website
ICA SF Instagram
ICA SF Hours
| Monday | Closed |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | Closed |
| Wednesday | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
| Thursday | 11:00 am – 7:00 pm |
| Friday | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
| Saturday | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
| Sunday | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
Overview
Today’s LOVE LETTER TO ART is to Masako Miki’s PHENOMENAL show at ICA SF, Midnight March, curated by Alison Gass, Founding Director and Chief Curator of ICA. This is Miki’s largest solo exhibition to date.
Midnight March is based on the Japanese folklore tale of Hyakki Yagyō (The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons), which describes how, under the cover of night, waves of supernatural beings—yōkai—swept through Japan’s streets in chaotic procession. Villagers barricaded themselves indoors, fearing that the line between the human world and the realm of spirits was about to give way.
Traditionally, the parading yōkai were depicted as grotesque, monstrous figures—frightening precisely because they stood outside the boundaries of humanity.
Artist Masako Miki, born in Osaka and now based in the Bay Area, reinterprets this story by granting these marginalized figures dignity, agency, and emotional depth. Until now, she has mostly reimagined the night parade through two-dimensional works.
Midnight March transforms that approach, placing us inside Miki’s narrative as though we’ve stepped directly into one of her paintings. Her needle-felted creatures gather in exuberant resistance, demanding recognition. Some cluster together in community; others wander independently. Visitors are invited to join their procession, becoming part of this centuries-old myth and engaging with a world of “otherness.”
Miki’s yōkai are deliberately soft, colorful, and approachable, stripping away the darkness that shaped their early portrayals. Yet she isn’t erasing history; instead, she gently urges us to examine the myths that form the foundation of our cultural values. By bridging eras and traditions—from 8th-century Japan to the present—Miki encourages us to let go of assumptions and reconsider how we see one another.
Preview of Masako Miki: Midnight March; David Antonio Cruz: stay, take your time, my love; and Spotlight: Tau Lewis. ICA SF, San Francisco.
Shown here:
1) Midnight March is an interactive show by Bay Area artist Masako Miki, originally from Japan.
2) Inspired by 𝘏𝘺𝘢𝘬𝘬𝘪 𝘠𝘢𝘨𝘺ō—the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons—where yōkai, supernatural spirits and shape-shifters, roam the streets at night.
3) Once seen as scary monsters, Miki gives these yōkai new life with warmth and depth.
4) Step inside her world of needle-felted creatures and join their vibrant procession.
5) Midnight March challenges how we see “otherness” through culture and time.
6) Masako Miki Sculptures in The Cube’s Old BofA Bank Vault
7) Esmeralda crafting her own Masako Miki–style felted friend in the Makers Studio
8) Artist Masako Miki
9) David Antonio Cruz’s stay, take your time, my love honors queer chosen family with vivid, dreamlike portraits rooted in love, resilience, and San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ history.
10) Artist Natalie Cartwright with her daughter Esmeralda & Michelle Kwan from A LOVE LETTER TO ART in the Family Portrait Studio
inspired by the show.
11) Tau Lewis’ Opus (The Ovule) Sculpture
My cousin and dearest friend, artist Natalie Cartwright, first introduced me to her work back in 2019, when we saw her felted miniature sculptures at the San Francisco Art Fair (formerly Art Market).
As a Japanese–Chinese American who loves the mystical and grows more and more curious about my ancestry with age, her portrayal of yōkai in the spirit world speaks to the cultural narratives that are part of my heritage.
In the cosmologies of both Japan and China, countless gods, spirits, and shapeshifting beings populate the everyday—sometimes appearing as animals, children, beautiful women, or even ordinary household objects.
It reminds me of my Japanese–Okinawan–Hawaiian American Buddhist grandmother and her sister, who spoke a lot about spirits and grew up working the farmlands of pre-WWII Hawaii.
I’m a little sad to see the ICA’s time at “The Cube” come to a close—it’s such a fantastic space, with that incredible atrium, and I have to say, it’s a pretty spectacular sight, seeing Miki’s sculptures in the old Bank of America safety-deposit box vault. That said, I’m also excited and curious to see how the ICA’s new chapter as a nomadic museum unfolds.
We really enjoyed the Family Portrait Studio, a space where visitors can stage their own portraits in the spirit of David Antonio Cruz’s stay, take your time, my love, an exhibition celebrating queer chosen family through lush, dreamlike paintings and installations.
💌 Did you see the show(s) or try any of our recommendations? 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: ICA SF
⭐ ADMISSION: ADMISSION IS ALWAYS FREE.
⭐ LOCATION: ICA SF is located at 345 Montgomery Street between California and Pine Streets.
⭐ HOURS: The museum is open Wednesday–Sunday 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. and Thursdays 11:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.
⭐ EXHIBITIONS:
- ON VIEW: Masako Miki: Midnight March | Closes Dec. 7, 2025
- ON VIEW: David Antonio Cruz: stay, take your time, my love | Closes Dec. 7, 2025
- ON VIEW: Spotlight: Tau Lewis. *Also featured in BAMPFA’s Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection from earlier this year. | Closes Dec. 7, 2025
- UPCOMING: *Stratagems by Tara Donovan and EARTHSEED DOME by Lily Kwong at Transamerica Pyramid Center from Jan. 17–July 31, 2026; Dominique Fung & Heidi Lau opens May 2026. Location TBA
⭐ EVENTS:
- FREE: Stitching the Midnight Sky: Collaborative Embroidery Workshop with Jasmine Narkita Wiley on Dec. 6, 2025 from 1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.
- FREE W/RSVP: Artist Talk with David Antonio Cruz, Masako Miki, and LYRA Foundation Curator Meghan Smith; Catalogue Launch + Closing Party at the Jay Hotel on December 6, 2025 at 6:00 p.m.
- FREE: Elsewhere: A Fashion + Gift Experience features a curated marketplace of Bay Area designers, books, antiques, coffee journeys, scent works, an edible installation, a live DJ set, BYO garment screen printing, and on-site gift wrapping on Dec. 6 & 7, 2025 from 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
⭐ NEARBY PARKING:
- 555 California Parking Garage at 555 California Street | 1-min walk // 1-min drive
- 7 Spring Street Garage (alley) at 550 California Building | 2-min walk // 3-min drive
- St. Mary’s Square Parking Garage at 433 Kearny Street | 3-min walk // 1-min drive
- Jessica Silverman (Chinatown) | SF Gallery representing a PHENOMENAL selection of artists, including Masako Miki. UPCOMING: Rebecca Manson and Trevor Paglen from Jan. 8–Feb. 28, 2026 | 4-min walk // 4-min drive
- Rebecca Camacho Presents (Jackson Square) | Terrific contemporary art gallery located in Jackson Square. ON VIEW: Stephanie Crawford: Portrait of an Ex-Drag Queen and Jamil Hellu: In the Studio from Nov. 13–Dec. 19, 2025 | 6-min walk // 2-min drive
- Gallery Wendi Norris (Jackson Square) | Innovative contemporary and modern art with an exceptional roster of artists. ON VIEW: Selva Aparicio: What Remains from Nov. 14, 2026–Jan. 10, 2026 and Max Ernst at Transamerica Pyramid Center from July 17–Dec. 14, 2025 | 7-min walk // 5-min drive
- Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco (Chinatown) | Org with nearly 60 years of history dedicated to Chinese culture and heritage, featuring a FANTASTIC art gallery located on the 3rd floor of the SF Chinatown Hilton. UPCOMING: TBA | 6-min walk // 3-min drive
- Edge on the Square (Chinatown) | Contemporary art gallery focused on culture and community. ON VIEW: All Eyes on Us: Invention & Ingenuity During Artistic Diasporas feat. Bhumikorn Kongtaveelert, David Huang, Jeanette Lazam, Jiabao Li, Ko Si Hing, Leland Wong, Sun Park, Terry Luk, Yumei Hou, and Yuqian Sun. ONGOING. | 7-min walk // 3-min drive
- Micki Meng Chinatown (Chinatown) | Contemporary art arbiter Micki Meng’s Chinatown gallery with additional locations in SF’s Dogpatch, Chelsea and Paris. UPCOMING: TBA | 6-min walk // 2-min drive
- Chinese Historical Society of America (Chinatown) | The museum (housed in the Julia Morgan designed YWCA BUILDING) is the oldest and largest archive and research center on Chinese American history in the U.S. ON VIEW: We Are Bruce Lee: Under the Sky, One Family; The Underground: We Love Bruce Lee; Living in Chinatown: Memories in Miniature, Created by Frank Wong; and Challenging a White-Washed History: Chinese Laundries in the U.S. *Earlier this year, they announced plans to commission a bronze Bruce Lee statue in Chinatown’s Portsmouth Square. | 10-min walk // 4-min drive
⭐ NEARBY DINING:
- The Vault Garden (Financial District) | An all-weather outdoor restaurant conveniently located adjacent to the museum, serving elevated brasserie-style dishes and craft cocktails. *Also check out, The Vault Steakhouse, located inside 555 California. | 1-min walk. BOOK The Vault Garden on Open Table HERE. BOOK The Vault Steakhouse on Open Table HERE.
- Tadich Grill (Financial District) | Old-school seafood restaurant, a San Francisco institution, and the longest operating restaurant in California (since 1849), with incredible charm. Love their booths! | 5-min walk // 4-min drive. BOOK Tadich Grill on Open Table HERE
- Café Sebastian (Financial District) | Miami restaurateur Brad Kilgore’s farm-to-table bistro at the Transamerica Pyramid Center, next door to his Japanese–Italian fusion Hi-Fi lounge, Ama (one of our romantic picks—see below!) | 6-min walk // 4-min drive
- MadLab Kakigori (Financial District) | Kilgore’s GLORIOUS gelato + shaved iced desserts inside Café Sebastian. | 6-min walk // 4-min drive
- Sohunan of Henry’s Hunan (Financial District) | Henry’s Hunan original location in the FiDi revamped as Sohunan. | 3-min walk // 3-min drive
- Schroeder’s (Financial District) | Historic German beer hall serving hearty fare and steins since 1893. | 6-min walk // 5-min drive
- Pagan Idol (Financial District) | A tiki escape in FiDi from the team behind Bourbon & Branch. | 5-min walk // 4-min drive
A LOVE LETTER TO ART’S CHEAP & CHEERFUL PICKS
- Escape From New York Pizza (Financial District) | New-York style pizza sold as pies or by the slice. *Check out their happy hour on Mon-Fri from 4-6 pm with $3 slices and $3 beers. | 3-min walk // 3-min drive
A LOVE LETTER TO ART’S CASUAL DINING PICKS
- R & G Lounge (Chinatown) | Classic Cantonese famous for their salt-and-pepper Dungeness crab—a SF FAVE OF ANTHONY BOURDAIN. *CHECK OUT THEIR $15–$17 LUNCH SPECIALS. | 5-min walk // 3-min drive
💖 A LOVE LETTER TO ART’S ROMANTIC DINING PICKS
- AMA (Financial District) | Miami restaurateur Brad Kilgore’s GORGEOUS Japanese-Italian fusion Hi-Fi lounge. | 4-min walk // 4-min drive
- Leo’s Oyster Bar (Financial District) | FABULOUS oyster bar and seafood restaurant with romantic vintage vibes. *Check out their happy hour on Mon–Fri from 3:00–5:00 p.m. | 3-min walk // 4-min drive. BOOK Leo’s Oyster Bar on Open Table HERE
- Wayfare Tavern (Financial District) | Tyler Florence’s elevated take on American comfort food in an elegant, old-world setting. Everyone raves about the fried chicken, but my fave is the burger. | 5-min walk // 6-min drive. BOOK Wayfare Tavern on Open Table HERE.
- Mister Jiu’s (Chinatown) | CHIC modern Michelin-starred Chinese cuisine set on historic Waverly Place. | 8-min walk // 5-min drive
⭐ NEARBY SHOPPING (Upscale Retail in Jackson Square):
- Anine Bing | Anine Bing’s SF boutique for her LA-Scandinavian aesthetic. | 1-min walk // 2-min drive
- Isabel Marant | San Francisco boutique of the Parisian-inspired, bohemian-chic fashion house. | 1-min walk // 1-min drive
- Lan Jaenicke | Gorgeous made-to-order cashmere line. | 1-min walk // 2-min drive
- Paul Smith | San Francisco boutique for the designer’s British tailoring of playful prints. | 1-min walk // 2-min drive
- Zimmermann | Get your fill of the Aussie house’s flounces and frills at their SF boutique. | 1-min walk // 2-min drive
- Aesop | Anytime. Anywhere. Anyplace. HUGE fan of their gender-neutral, singular fragranced luxury products. | 1-min walk // 2-min drive
⭐ RELATED VENUES:
- ICA SAN JOSÉ | ON VIEW: Stephanie Dinkins: Data Trust from Sept. 19, 2025–March 22, 2026; Oscar Lopez, Without Them Is Not Us. Ongoing. UPCOMING: Anoushka Mirchandani: My Body Was a River Once from Jan. 16–Aug 23, 2026.
- ICA LA | ON VIEW: Sandra Vásquez de la Horra: The Awake Volcanoes; Liz Hernández: Donde piso, crecen cosas (Where I step, things grow); Reading is Transcendental from Oct. 11, 2025–March 1, 2026. UPCOMING: Speaking in Tongues and Raven Sanchez: Así Sea/So Be It from April 4–Aug. 23, 2026.
- ICA SAN DIEGO | ICA CENTRAL: NextGen 2025 from June 21,2025–Feb.1, 2026. ICA NORTH: Las Hermanas Iglesias from Aug. 16–Dec. 27, 2025; The Sculpture Trail at ICA North. Ongoing.
- ICA BOSTON | ON VIEW: Portraits frome the ICA Collection from Jan. 25–Dec. 28, 2025; 2025 James and Audrey Foster Prize and Portia Zvavahera: Hidden Battles / Hondo dzakavanzika from Aug. 28, 2025–Jan. 19, 2026; An Indigenous Present from Oct. 8, 2025–March 8, 2026. UPCOMING: Say It Loud: AAMARP, 1977 to Now from Feb. 12–Aug. 2, 2026; Derrick Adams: View Master from April 16–Sept. 7, 2026; Leilah Babirye from Aug. 27, 2026–Jan. 18, 2027. *Her show We Have a History on view until May 3, 2026 at the de Young in SF is PHENOMENAL.
- ICA MIAMI | ON VIEW: Joyce Pensato and Andreas Schulze: Special from Dec. 2, 2025–March 15, 2026; Masaomi Yasunaga: 記憶の足跡 | Traces of Memory from Dec. 2, 2025–March 22, 2026; Richard Hunt: Pressure from Dec. 2, 2025–March 29, 2026. UPCOMING: *From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana from Feb. 6–June 14, 2026. Purchase Tickets HERE.
💌 More nearby suggestions are always welcome. Feel free to add in the comments!
A LOVE LETTER TO ART RECOMMENDS
NEARBY ART
NEARBY DINING
NEARBY SHOPPING
RELATED VENUES
RELATED POSTS
Author: ALoveLettertoArt
