The Travis Somerville solo show, A Great Cloud of Witnesses is an interesting – (if somewhat obvious) take on history and the current state of racial tensions. It has a raw folk art edge we liked, especially the Pinocchio nose on the Lincoln shovel, below.
Exhibit Dates: March 02, 2013 – April 20, 2013
Catharine Clark Gallery, 150 Minna Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
Travis Somerville continues his exploration of historical memory. How is it that certain stories reduced to sound bites and repeated ad nauseam become the collective truth? Through imagery that invites an investigation into the impact of iconographic legacy and the current state of human rights, Somerville critically examines the continued cultural implications of the Civil Rights movement. Bringing appropriated material from the past into dialogue with imagery from today’s “post racial” society, the artist makes complex montages that appose imagery from a bygone era with that of contemporary news stories on the subjects of immigration, child labor in Uzbekistan, and Arab Spring uprisings. The resulting works are confrontational and serve as a springboard for conversations about multiculturalism, truth, and the lasting power of images.
SF Bay Arts 