CURATOR’S STATEMENT

All of Us All of Us celebrates collaborative contemporary photography projects produced by Bay Area makers. In addition to challenging the familiar concept of a solitary photographer addressing aesthetic, technical, or socio-political matters, the four featured projects exemplify collaborators striving as equals to answer the same questions, and more.

Portraiture is one of the oldest and most relatable photographic genres. Yet, in the 21st century, it is not wholly inclusive. Both behind and in front of the camera, queer artists are interrogating ongoing discrimination. Walking through All of Us All of Us, visitors will witness multiple portrait series. By design, they are highlighted to demonstrate the conceptual breadth of such projects and how they advance representational equity.

After weathering two and half years framed by pandemic-fueled uncertainty and isolation, All of Us All of Us honors the profundity of human connection. Collaboration in any form, but particularly artistic practice, demonstrates that tending to the psychological wounds inflicted by racism, socio-economic, and gender-identity discrimination cuts a meaningful path forward. Sharing its title and many key themes raised in Marianne Boruch’s poem, the photographic projects animating the exhibition encourage us to consider how and with whom we build community, who is missing, and how we embrace them moving forward.

–Roula Seikaly

This exhibition was made possible with generous support from our sponsors, Carol Covington and the Blow Up Lab. Installation photos by Minoosh Zomorodinia.

Tristan Crane

TRISTAN CRANE’s Here combines personal statements and environmental portraits of gender nonconforming Californians. Working intimately with sitters to determine where and how they want to be portrayed, Crane fosters a safe and inclusive representational platform for trans and nonbinary community members.

Tristan Crane, Venus (from the series Here), 2019, archival pigment print, 34 in. x 25 in. Image courtesy of the artist.

Tristan Crane, Rabbit (from the series Here), 2019, archival pigment print, 34 in. x 25 in. Image courtesy of the artist.

Tristan Crane, Emilia (from the series Here), 2019, archival pigment print, 34 in. x 25 in. Image courtesy of the artist.

Marcel Pardo Ariza

MARCEL PARDO ARIZA’s Una Linda Realidad centers celebration and resilience in Latinx trans communities. Pardo Ariza presents their collaborators through text and objects that activate pleasure, capturing a powerful counter-narrative to popular media portrayals of trans life as abject or defined by rampant personal violence.

Marcel Pardo Ariza, La Corona, 2022, archival pigment print, 20 in. x 40 in. Courtesy of the artist and CULT Aimee Friberg Exhibitions. Photo by Minoosh Zomorodina.

Marcel Pardo Ariza, La Ventana, 2022, archival pigment print, 20 in. x 40 in. Courtesy of the artist and CULT Aimee Friberg Exhibitions. Photo by Minoosh Zomorodina.

The Q-Sides

Photography imperfectly captures our personal and shared narratives. Deconstructing those cultural arcs helps us understand who or what is missing and how we may embrace those whose experiences are marginalized. Filmmaker VERO MAJANO, DJ BROWN AMY (Amy Martinez) and photographer KARI ORVIK restaged the legendary East Side Story LP album covers with queer participants. The Q-Sides portrays queerness as a vital element in San Francisco’s lowrider and Latinx culture, and renders an otherwise established cultural moment more fluid and open.

Vero Majano, Brown Amy and Kari Orvik, The Q-Sides, Volume 2 (featuring Tia and Joaquín Martinez), 2015, archival pigment print. 31 in. x 24 in. Image courtesy of the artists.

Vero Majano, Brown Amy and Kari Orvik, The Q-Sides, Volume 4 (featuring Mayra Lopez-Rocha), 2015, archival pigment print. 31 in. x 24 in. Image courtesy of the artists.

FIRST EXPOSURES

Participating Mentees: Ty’Ler Banks, Gisella Chan, Sabrina Denman, Jacob Fernandez, Frida Calvo Huerta, Nicole Lee, Camila Martinez, Delilah Ponton, Michelle Zhao, Ezra Zimmer

Participating Mentors: Alex Fulks, Andrea Gomez, Jermaine Jackson Jr., Jose Portillo, Colin Roberson, Mariano Rossetti, David Schultz, Sophia Schultz Rocha, Selby Sohn, Selina Weiss

Photography connects people, often defeating seemingly intractable social and economic hurdles. For nearly three decades, San Francisco’s FIRST EXPOSURES have leveraged the power of mentorship and photography to help young people thrive, explore creativity, and prepare for leadership roles in their communities. Work by student mentees and professional mentors in this installation demonstrate the exceptional creative potential born of dedicated mentor-mentee relationships.

Delilah Ponton, Vote!, 2020, archival pigment print, 21 in. x 14.25 in. Image courtesy of the artist and First Exposures.

Gisella Chan, Starting Point, 2021, archival pigment print, 21 in. x 15 in. Image courtesy of the artist and First Exposures.

Jermaine Jackson Jr., Lakeside, 2019, archival pigment print, 21 in. x 17 in. Image courtesy of the artist.

 

Artists in Conversation

Artists in Conversation: First Exposures Mentors & Mentees (recording from June 3, 2022)

Artists in Conversation: Tristan Crane & The Q-Sides (Brown Amy, Kari Orvik, Vero Majano)