Christopher Puzio: 'Interactome'
On view at The La Jolla Historical Society through Jan. 15, 2022
Much adored and oft used by the architects and designers of the region, whether it's large-scale sculptures in high-end hotels or whimsical adornments in rural library branches, Christopher Puzio's sculptural works are distinct while still being surprising. Now, Puzio worked with Salk Institute Gene Expression Laboratory researcher and professor Geoffrey Wahl and as a result, will show "Interactome," a sculptural dome, in "Trifecta," a new exhibition of works created by pairing artists and scientists.
The stainless steel work is shiny and hollow, with miniature versions of its oval shape casting mottled light and shadows through the piece. The biological and cellular links are undeniable, but this also feels like a work of pure aesthetics — and maybe a little futuristic.
Details: Through Jan. 15, 2022. Gallery hours: Thursday through Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. La Jolla Historical Society's Wisteria Cottage, 780 Prospect St., La Jolla. Free.
Rizzhel Javier: 'Landsick'
On view at The Front Arte & Cultura Oct. 7, 2021 through Jan. 13, 2022
This month, the Front gallery in San Ysidro marks 15 years of furthering art and community in the border region, and to celebrate, they're hosting an exhibition, "El Devenir / Becoming" of five exemplary artists (Marcos Ramirez ERRE, Rafael Lozano Hemmer, Sama Alshaibi, Tania Candiani and Rizzhel Javier. Javier's work, "Landsick," is part of an ongoing series of works that explore her own relationship to home and history, land and water — and the part that distance plays, literally and geographically, as well as emotionally, even ancestrally.
The piece installed at The Front is a massive, lenticular-style print, blown-up and hand-folded family photographs that Javier has been collecting from her family, mostly her grandmother, in the Philippines. By virtue of its lenticular form, the faces in each image are fragmented but also converged with each other.
And when I say massive, I mean 35 feet wide.
The Front's anniversary exhibition features several events and workshops, including an opening reception Oct. 11, a Nortec: Bostich + Fussible DJ concert Oct. 16, and a workshop by Javier — "Back + Forth: Photo Workshop" on Nov. 12.
Details: Oct. 7, 2021 through Jan. 13, 2022. Gallery hours: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Front Arte & Cultura, 147 W. San Ysidro Blvd., San Ysidro. Free.
Mary Jhun: 'Empire Yellow'
On view at Thumbprint Gallery Oct. 9 through Nov. 6, 2021
Mary Jhun refers to the faces in her work as "the girls." The evocative, wisp-lined silhouettes are adorned with vines, small houses, or markings that seem to emerge from, or become part of, the face. The works feel somewhere between magical realism, hauntings and emotional turmoil.
In a new solo exhibition at Thumbprint, "An Obsession," Jhun will show new works, including "Empire Yellow," a vivid, fiery piece. Jhun's works sometimes use delicate watercolor touches against the steady outline of the face, but this one boasts thick brushstrokes and other mark making techniques that lend a degree of power. "Empire Yellow" is intricate and wild at the same time.
"An Obsession" opens at Thumbprint with a reception on Saturday, Oct. 9 from 5-10 p.m.
Details: Oct. 9 through Nov. 6, 2021. Gallery hours: Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. or by appointment. Thumbprint Gallery, 920 Kline St., La Jolla. Free.
Arzu Ozkal: 'San Diego Women In Resistance'
On view at Art Produce through Oct. 30, 2021
North Park's Art Produce is celebrating their 21st anniversary this fall, with a group show, full of incredible works by artists who participated in Art Produce exhibitions over the past 21 years, housed in their street-side gallery space. Plus, several works — from this past season's artists in residence — are only viewable online.
"San Diego Women in Resistance" by interdisciplinary artist and designer Arzu Ozkal is a striking summation of women's power. Rendered from photoshoots with actual women after an open call several years ago at San Diego Art Institute, Ozkal stylized and abstracted the (clothed) photos into cartoon-like nude figures, scattered across a stark white backdrop. It suggests the vulnerability required to dismantle patriarchal structures, or even just to build community.
Details: Through Oct. 30, 2021. Gallery hours: Wednesday through Friday, 2-5 p.m. or by appointment. Art Produce, 3139 University Ave., North Park. Free.
Duke Windsor: 'Golden Memories'
On view at the Encinitas Library through Nov. 8, 2021
San Diego artist Duke Windsor can turn nearly anything into something sublime — a mundane, dim alley, a mountaintop dotted with radio transmitters, or in this case, a row of hardworking telephone poles. In his paintings, Windsor masterfully and generously employs gold leaf to these scenes, pushing the boundary of the more decorative or iconographic use of gold leaf. In the case of "Golden Memories," the entire sky is awash with gold, and it's a reminder that not only is beauty everywhere, but that it's also temporary: this sort of golden sky depends on the sun's position, the particular cloud cover, the way an onlooker might or might not squint into the brightness. Soon this moment will pass, so pay attention now, Windsor's works seem to suggest.
While this solo exhibition, "Illumination," has been on view since late September, the Encinitas Library gallery will host an artist's reception during Art Night Encinitas on Saturday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m.
Details: Through Nov. 8, 2021. Library hours: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Encinitas Library, 540 Cornish Dr., Encinitas. Free.
