charles linder
invisible fencing luminaries
Charles Linder Invisible Fencing Luminaries September 11-November 7, 2015 Charles Linder presents his fourth solo exhibition at Gallery 16, Invisible Fencing Luminaries. The show includes new sculptural work and paintings that draw upon the metaphor of the workshop. In a scuplture titled Pinocchio, Linder crafted a mirror with an intricate handcarved moulding. In the center of the mirror a common bathroom plunger protrudes, emulating Pinnochio’s famous nose. In another piece Geppeto’s Work Table, a bullet ridden table has been powder-coated in pristine white paint and adorned with an elegant glass top, upon which sits two unopened whiskey bottles. A lingering reminder of the tempations of a life of creative work. For some, the merger of art and life is an intellectual process, more thought than action. John Cage famously said, “Ideas are one thing and what happens is another.” For Charles Linder, the integration of his life and his artwork is unconscious. He is an instigator of experiences. In the mid 1990s, when I first began working with Charles, he was operating Refusalon, an influential, amorphous exhibition/ lifestyle/living space located in his residence on Natoma Street in San Francisco. It was both domicile and stage, there was no implied neutrality between making, presenting, and experiencing art. To visit Refusalon was a journey into Linder’s world, one in which artists, writers, patrons, chefs, and thieves mingled around activities of his choosing. In his interview for the Smithsonian’s Archives of American art, Paul Karlstrom describes Linder’s Refusalon as “created in part as his conceptual art piece investigating the often conflicting worlds of creative idealism and business realities; ultimately turning the gallery over to his partner in early 1999 when finding that, as an artist, he could not reconcile the two.” Linder himself explains, “I’ve found myself more preoccupied with lifestyle than product. I feel fortunate and lucky enough to be able to live in a way where work doesn’t necessarily dominate my life. I’m good at balancing work and play on a functional level so that it becomes effortless. With the aspect of going on adventures -- if I don’t do that, the work doesn’t happen. I have to be able to factor in that kind of time to find what might not necessarily be a thing, but an inspiration.” Griff Williams Gallery 16, San Francisco
gallery 16 / 501 Third st / san francisco, ca / 415 626 7495 / gallery16.com
Page 2. Caveman hyper realism (tete e tete) 2015, wood Page 3-4. Hummingbird, 2015, pigment print on canvas, 16’’ x 20’’ Page 5-6. Pinnochio, 2015, Hand carved wooden frame, mirror, plunger, 34’’ x 22’’ Page 7-8. Geppetto’s Work Table, 2015, Restored table, glass, towel, whiskey bottles 31’’ × 60’’ × 6.75’’ Page 9-10. Installation View (pinnochio, american icon) Page 11. Shitfaced, 2015, Oil on canvas, 30’’ x 20’’ Page 12. FYPM, Inc. 2015, Oil on panel, 20’’ × 16’’ × 3’’ Page 13. Minaret (bottle tree)2015, Lathe turned fir, 150’’ x 9’’ Page 14. Fire Circle (thanks Zo), Stolen Caution Signs, Sewn into bags, firewood. Page 15. American Icon, 2015, Metal on wooden panel with shot up can and wire, 88’’ × 56’’ × 9’’ Page 16. Verdigris (double spire), 2015, Copper and whiskey bottles on wooden panel, 76’’ x 56’’ Page 17-18. Installation View Page 19. Carnitas, 2015, Copper on wooden panel with mexican cookware, 122’’ x 22.5’’ Page 20. Starry Eyes, 2015, Aluminum on wood panel with candles Page 21. Installation View Page 22. Immobile (snowstorm), 2015, Oil on panel with Mobile sign, 106’’ x 120’’ x 9’’ Page 23. Sawyeresque, 2015, Oil on panel with paint jars. 84x 56 x 1.5 Page 24. Whitmanesque, 2012, resin on wood, 70’’ x 48’’ Page 25. Grasshopper, 2004, Office stickers and epoxy on wooden panel, 48 x 36 x 3
Gallery 16 Gallery 16 was founded by artist Griff Williams in 1994. Since then, Gallery 16 and its fine art imprint Gallery 16 Editions has produced exhibitions with over 250 artstis and published over 800 prints, artist books, and multiples with artists including Ari Marcopoulos, Jim Goldberg, Colter Jacobsen, Bill Berkson, Harrell Fletcher, Lynn Hershman, Amy Franceschini, Adam Lowe, William Kentridge, Tucker Nichols, Rebeca Bollinger, Libby Black, Deborah Oropallo, Jim Isermann, bell hooks, Ann Chamberlain, Elliot Anderson, Carol Selter, Rebeca Bollinger, Rex Ray, Margaret Kilgallen and Rudy VanderLans.
Charles Linder’s artwork is available through Gallery 16. Gallery 16 is located at 501 Third Street, San Francisco, CA 94107. Inquiries may contact Griff Williams at 415-626-7495. All images Š Charles Linder gallery16.com