Clare Rojas: Clare's Balls | Jessica Silverman | San Francisco | April 25–June 1, 2024

Clare Rojas: Clare’s Balls

April 25–June 1, 2024
Clare Rojas Solo Exhibition
Curated by Jessica Silverman
Image: Clare Rojas. What Remains, 2024. Jessica Silverman, San Francisco. 

Jessica Silverman
621 Grant Avenue 
San Francisco, CA  94108
+1-415-255-9508

Jessica Silverman Website 
Jessica Silverman Instagram

Jessica Silverman Hours

Overview

The past couple weeks have been a whirlwind of gallery hopping. After seeing Hayv Kahraman at ICA, Leonor Fini at Weinstein Gallery (which I’ll post about shortly), and Clare Rojas at Jessica Silverman, I have to say that San Francisco is having a serious surrealist moment—and I absolutely LOVE it!

Clare’s Balls features 23 paintings from 2023 and 2024 by California artist Clare Rojas.

Preview of Clare Rojas: Clare’s Balls. Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

“Variously overt and hidden, abstract and literal, funny and serious, the balls foster engagement and change. They are cradled, swept, and teetered upon. Some glow in the night sky; others suggest body parts. Both planetary and cellular, the spheres connect our innermost selves to the outer reaches of the cosmos.”

Her works in this show are witchy and esoteric, characterized by orbs that signal the energetic exchange of, well, everything. She demonstrates this through the mindfulness and mindlessness in tasks such as cleaning (Sweeping Away the Static and Negative Energy) or not eating (The Stallion).

Clare’s mastery of snark is unrivaled, as seen in the ‘manspreading’ in The Stallion and the loss of patriarchal power in Eclipsed.

Her narrative is as observational as it is critical regarding what it means to be a woman in society. The nature of society is to judge (eye imagery); thus, we (women) become mirrors, reflecting and receiving judgment in turn. I mean, can’t we all just retreat to Egg Rock and live happily ever after like The Golden Girls? I’m down for that.

🗓 Clare’s Balls runs alongside Guimi You: Neighborhood at Jessica Silverman in San Francisco’s Chinatown neighborhood. Both close on June 1, 2024.
💌 Did you see the show(s)? 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: Jessica Silverman

⭐ LOCATION: Jessica Silverman is located at 621 Grant Avenue between California and Sacramento streets (12 min walk from Montgomery Street Station) in San Francisco’s Chinatown neighborhood.
⭐ HOURS: Tuesday–Saturday 10:00 a.m.–6 p.m.
⭐ NEARBY ART: CHINATOWN: Micki Meng Chinatown (3 min walk/5 min drive), Edge on the Square (3 min walk/3 min drive), Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco (5 min walk/2 min drive), Chinese Historical Society of America (5 min walk/2 min drive); JACKSON SQUARE: Gallery Japonesque  
⭐ NEARBY FOOD/DRINK: (ALL within 15 min walk/6 min drive) CHINATOWN: Mister Jiu’s, Empress by Boon, R & G Lounge (Classic Cantonese), House of Nanking (Casual Cantonese), Sam Wo Restaurant (A favorite of Herb Caen, who made it famous by writing about Edsel Ford Fong, dubbing him “the world’s rudest waiter,” though he apparently wasn’t rude to my parents!), Good Mong Kok (FAST deli-style dim sum); Li Po Cocktail Lounge. JACKSON SQUARE: Cotogna (*Get the ravioli. I once saw Joe Montana there and mistook him for Jean Paul Gaultier. LOL!!), Quince, Bix, Kokkari NORTH BEACH: Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, Tosca Cafe (*Great old-school Italian restaurant ambiance. Get their boozy cappuccino, you won’t be sorry!), Vesuvio (bar).
💌 More nearby suggestions are always welcome. Feel free to add in the comments!

A LOVE LETTER TO ART RECOMMENDS

NEARBY ART

CHINATOWN

Home | Micki Meng

Micki Meng is an absurdly small vitrine gallery featuring works for sale by leading local and international contemporary artists. Our gallery borders San Francisco’s historic Chinatown and downtown Financial District.

Edge on the Square | Contemporary Art | 800 Grant Avenue, San Francisco, CA, USA

Welcome to Edge on the Square, the contemporary art hub located at the heart of San Francisco Chinatown. Our year-round programming is designed to bring together creators and educators for a well-rounded cultural experience. Our space welcomes Asian American artists for our twice annual art exhibitions and our signature annual contemporary art festival, as well as music events and community gatherings that foster cultural exchange and understanding.

Arts & Culture Nonprofit | Chinese Culture Center Of San Francisco | California

Rooted in SF Chinatown since 1965, Chinese Culture Center creates safe spaces for artistic expressions and creative engagement that build resilient, vibrant, and healthy communities. Our artistic programs are located at CCC’s Visual Art Center, 41 Ross, throughout Chinatown public spaces and beyond.

Homepage

Chinatown’s Museum

JACKSON SQUARE

Gallery Japonesque

Located in Jackson Square, San Francisco, Koichi Hara’s Gallery Japonesque features a Japanese aesthetic from ancient to contemporary. Includes stone artist Izumi and wood sculptor Iwashita.

NEARBY FOOD/DRINK

CHINATOWN

mister jiu’s

Mister Jiu’s is a contemporary Chinese American restaurant and bar located in a historic Chinatown building which previously housed the iconic Four Seas and Hang Far Low restaurants.

Empress by Boon

Michelin-starred Chef Ho Chee Boon offers an elegant seasonal menu of modern Cantonese fare in the former Empress of China space in San Francisco’s Chinatown.

R&G Lounge - San Francisco’c Iconic Cantonese Cuisine

Renowned San Francisco restaurant serving authentic Cantonese dishes since 1985.

House of Nanking | Chinese Restaurant in San Francisco, CA

House of Nanking was opened in 1988 by Peter Fang. Over the course of these past decades, House of Nanking has solidified itself as a veritable landmark and institution in San Francisco.

Sam Wo Restaurant

Authentic Chinatown fare
Since 1908

Good Mong Kok Bakery - San Francisco’s Dim Sum & Dessert Haven

Discover the best of dim sum and Chinese desserts at Good Mong Kok Bakery in San Francisco’s vibrant Chinatown. Savor a variety of flavorful dishes and enjoy takeout options. Check out reviews, menu, and hours on our official website.

JACKSON SQUARE

Cotogna

A celebration of Italian cuisine. Located on the corner of Montgomery and Pacific Avenues in San Francisco’s historic Jackson Square, Cotogna is an Italian restaurant known for housemade pastas, spit-roasted and grilled meats, and seafood roasted in the restaurant’s wood-burning oven

Bix San Francisco - BIX

BIX San Francisco offers modern American cuisine and the best classic cocktails served in a soaring two-story dining room to the strains of live jazz.

Quince Restaurant

Situated in San Francisco’s historic Jackson Square, Lindsay and Chef Michael Tusk’s celebrated Quince features Californian contemporary cuisine with Italian influences. Quince serves nightly-changing tasting menus highlighting the restaurant’s unique partnership with Fresh Run Farm where Michael and Peter Martinelli plan the plantings in the singular microclimate of Bolinas each season.

Kokkari Estiatorio – San Francisco - a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant

Kokkari Estiatorio – a MICHELIN restaurant. Free online booking on the MICHELIN Guide’s official website. The MICHELIN inspectors’ point of view, information on prices, types of cuisine and opening hours on the MICHELIN Guide’s official website

NORTH BEACH

Tony’s Pizza Napoletana – Tony Gemignani – San Francisco, CA – Restaurant

- Vesuvio Cafe

Vesuvio: This world-renowned San Francisco saloon located in North Beach just across from the infamous City Lights Bookstore, was first established in 1948 and remains an historical monument to jazz, poetry, art and the good life of the Beat Generation.

Tosca Cafe - San Francisco, Ca.

Tosca Cafe

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