Solo Exhibition by Kelly Tunstall | Opening Reception: Thursday, September 8 | 5PM-late |

The art of Kelly Tunstall has recently been chosen for the interior of Alcazar Palm Springs.

The Secret State examines civilization’s long romance with the examination of the space that we inhabit and our scale within it; the exhibition itself is aimed not at providing any comprehension of our universe’s truths, but instead, at celebrating the joy of discovering new clues to their elaborate puzzles and the spaces between.  Large and small works present a think tank of characters; a seer, a scientist/naturualist, an astronomer, and a doctor/engineer all bravely led by Alexander the Great and a shape-shifting machine.  This solo exhibition includes the largest works of Tunstall’s career, some archaic drawing methods, some site-specific installations, and a reinterpretation of the Eames’ classic power of 10.  Join us at 111 Minna in exploring our greatest human powers: curiosity and imagination; where freckles become entire star systems and seemingly empty spaces become maps to constellations of atoms.

Kelly Tunstall (born 1979) received her BA from California College of Arts and Crafts, San Francisco.

Coded languages, the adaptive nature of the human psyche and unsettled optimism are the driving forces behind Kelly Tunstall’s body of work.

Working in acrylic, collage, spraypaint, pencil, pen and ink, gold leaf and some secret sauce, the experimental, yet classically grounded works live somewhat comfortably in a space between graphic expression, stylized representation, surrealism, and sketch. The patina of age and calligraphic drawing methods lend further depth to her story-filled worlds.

The simplicity of the messages are enhanced by the underlying vitality and complex layering within the work. In her portraits, Tunstall renders stylized female figures and their pets, prey, powers, dreams and whims in symbolic environments: nests built of painted boards held together by drawn nails or far off planets. The physical form and its accompanying exterior become a mirror for internal thought processes and turmoil.

For instance, frequent themes such as mermaids, twins, or extra limbs concede a desire, a reliance, an adaptation, or more simply, an aspiration to something greater than being in a painting they inhabit.

Also working in illustration, installation, and multimedia projects, Tunstall plays with the contrast between a compositional formality and a more casual revelation of method.

Tunstall has shown nationally and internationally, often in collaboration with her husband, Ferris Plock. Her work is on permanent view at the restaurants a16 and Bar Crudo, both in San Francisco.

Common themes reflect the contrasting dualities of Tunstall’s imagined ladies: interior and exterior realms; concrete reality and the dreamscapes of the supernatural. The resulting body of work is a comprehensive study of the modern and sometimes not so modern woman.

The Long Story

I’m not sure I set out to contemplate the very nature of matter and the universe itself, but it seems that is where I’ve ended up.  The blame lies squarely on a series of Fresh Air discussions on NPR.

First, there was the report on single cell organisms and their astonishing ability to thrive in utterly impossible environments. Like deep within sub-arctic ice. Or volcano vents.  Even falling to earth in meteors from space.

The second discussion followed particle collision experiments using Switzerland’s Large Hadron Collider, which have resulted in the potential discovery of a force different and perhaps more powerful than nuclear.  Pondering a force beyond nuclear only underscored how little ground it feels we’ve conquered in our campaign to understand the forces around us.

The last report focused on Alexander the Great, and revealed his reliance on a think tank of advisors to succeed in building the Macedonian Empire.  The feature was a step removed from the first two Popular Science stories, but led me to wonder: How much more do we actually know than Alexander the Great knew way back then (or really not so long ago)?  The notion of a think tank created the perfect context for exploring the nature of what we know and what we are yet to learn in this world. So I cast Alexander the Great with a think tank (along the lines of the team that was originally assembled, minus anything extraneous or unnecessary; warriors and accountants need not apply): a seer, a scientist/naturalist, an astronomer, a doctor/engineer, and a scale warp machine and set them out to see what they might, hoping my theory of the universe might work itself out along the way, and fully expecting it to be rather offbeat.  Join me in celebrating our greatest human powers: curiosity and imagination… where freckles become star systems, and cells are planets.

Websites
http://www.kellytunstall.com
http://www.kefeinc.com

Selected Solo and Duo Exhibitions

2010 Out and About | Giant Robot | New York, NY

2010 Untitled | FTC | Tokyo, Japan*

2009 Sea of Love | 111 Minna Gallery | San Francisco, CA

2008 Reconstruction | Limited Addiction Gallery | Denver, CO*

2008 Circus | 111 Minna Gallery | San Francisco, CA*

2007 Subterranea | Fuse Gallery New York, NY*

2006 Saints and Sinners | 111 Minna Gallery | San Francisco, CA*

2005 Pet Show | Compound Gallery | Portland, OR*

2005 Old Soul | Future Primitive Sound San Francisco, CA

2004 Fragile | Robert Casterline Gallery New York, NY

2004 Remedios | 111 Minna Gallery | San Francisco, CA

2003 Little Seekers | J&M Davidson | London, UK

2002 Princesses, ballerinas, Strippers | 111 Minna Gallery | San Francisco, CA

2002 Handbag Girls | Gallry 5b | Hackney, UK

2002 Edo| San Francisco, CA

*= With Ferris Plock

Selected Group Exibhitions

2011 | Bitches Brew | Park Life
With Aiyana Udesen, Marci Washington, Hellen Jo and Rebecca Ebeling. Co-Curated by Marci Washington and Kelly Tunstall

2009 | Kokeshi | Japanese American National Museum

2009 | Trace Elements | San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery

2006 Hopscotch | Giant Robot 2 | Los Angeles

The Gallery will host an artist reception Thursday, August 6 at 6pm.
The reception is FREE and open to the public. All guests must be 21 or older.

The latest large-scale collaborative exhibition by San Francisco-based artists Ferris Plock and Kelly Tunstall, SEA OF LOVE is an entirely new body of work that explores relationships between sailors and mermaids, stories of lost love and misguided navigation, the diversity of creatures inhabiting the oceans and their individual roles as different vessels of possibility.

Plock and Tunstall share a studio space in San Francisco’s Alamo Square and their collaborative work for this exhibit exudes a playful, colorful and whimsical tone, with a fluid intermingling of each artist’s point of view.

Working in acrylic, collage, spray paint, pencil, pen and ink, gold leaf and some secret sauce, the experimental, yet classically grounded works live somewhat comfortably in a space between graphic expression, stylized representation, surrealism, and sketch. The simplicity of the messages are enhanced by the underlying vitality and complex layering within the work.

In her studied portraits, Tunstall renders stylized, leggy female figures and their pets, prey, powers, and dreams. Their physical forms and accompanying exteriors represent and mirror internal thought processes ad turmoil. For instance, frequent themes such as mermaids, twins, or extra limbs concede a desire, a reliance, an adaptation, or more simply, an aspiration to something greater than being a painting. Tunstall has gone on to exhibit internationally and nationally. Tunstall’s has been exhibiting regularly at 111 Minna since 2003.

In contrast, Plock’s work centers on the inner animalistic tendencies and reactions reflected by humans (transfigured into monsters, in some cases) in the context of modern life. Disgruntled animals trying to capture clowns, animals teaching their young how to escape their predicament and even animals that don’t always socialize coming together to aid each other feature prominently in this new exhibit. Born in New Jersey, Plock has been showing his work for over eight years.

111 Minna Gallery is delighted to present Ferris Plock+Kelly Tunstall’s SEA OF LOVE, a new body of collaborative works, from August 6 – 29 2009.

The latest large-scale collaborative exhibition by San Francisco-based artists Ferris Plock and Kelly Tunstall, SEA OF LOVE is an entirely new body of work that explores relationships between sailors and mermaids, stories of lost love and misguided navigation, the diversity of creatures inhabiting the oceans and their individual roles as different vessels of possibility.

Plock and Tunstall share a studio space in San Francisco’s Alamo Square and their collaborative work for this exhibit exudes a playful, colorful and whimsical tone, with a fluid intermingling of each artist’s point of view.

Working in acrylic, collage, spray paint, pencil, pen and ink, gold leaf and some secret sauce, the experimental, yet classically grounded works live somewhat comfortably in a space between graphic expression, stylized representation, surrealism, and sketch. The simplicity of the messages are enhanced by the underlying vitality and complex layering within the work.

In her studied portraits, Tunstall renders stylized, leggy female figures and their pets, prey, powers, and dreams. Their physical forms and accompanying exteriors represent and mirror internal thought processes ad turmoil. For instance, frequent themes such as mermaids, twins, or extra limbs concede a desire, a reliance, an adaptation, or more simply, an aspiration to something greater than being a painting. Tunstall has gone on to exhibit internationally and nationally. Tunstall’s has been exhibiting regularly at 111 Minna since 2003.

In contrast, Plock’s work centers on the inner animalistic tendencies and reactions reflected by humans (transfigured into monsters, in some cases) in the context of modern life. Disgruntled animals trying to capture clowns, animals teaching their young how to escape their predicament and even animals that don’t always socialize coming together to aid each other feature prominently in this new exhibit. Born in New Jersey, Plock has been showing his work for over eight years.

Curated by: Gabe Scott
May 1-30, 2008

Their previous, and first, collaborative exhibition at 111 Minna , Saints and Sinners, was well received, as was their Fall 2007 show, Subterranea, at Fuse Gallery in New York. Further integration of the two styles have resulted in an elegant and expanded view on the masculine and feminine dialogue, as well as evolving their concepts and separate artistic processes into a continually evolving combination of drawing and painting methods.

Working in acrylic, collage, spray paint, pencil, pen and ink, gold leaf (and some secret sauce), the experimental, yet classically grounded works live comfortably in a space between graphic expression, stylized representation, surrealism, and sketch. The simplicity of the messages is enhanced by the underlying vitality and complex layering within the work.

In her studied portraits, Tunstall renders stylized, leggy female figures and their pets, prey, powers, dreams and. Their physical forms and accompanying exteriors represent and mirror internal thought processes ad turmoil. For instance, frequent themes such as mermaids, twins, or extra limbs concede a desire, a reliance, an adaptation, or more simply, an aspiration to something greater than being a painting. Tunstall has gone on to exhibit internationally and nationally. This is Tunstall’s fourth major exhibition at 111 Minna.

In contrast, Plock’s work centers on the inner animalistic tendencies and reactions reflected by humans (transfigured into monsters, in some cases) in the context of modern life. Disgruntled animals trying to capture clowns, animals teaching their young how to escape their predicament and even animals that don’t always socialize coming together to aid each other feature prominently in this new exhibit. Born in New Jersey, Plock has been showing his work for over eight years.

Established in 1993 in downtown San Francisco 111 Minna Gallery is in the business of Art & Leisure. The gallery showcases a unique blend of local and international artists, world class DJ’s, live performance, and film screenings in an elegantly urban and ever-changing 4,000 square foot space. The gallery is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday 12-9 pm and nightly on a rotating schedule for special events. 111 Minna Gallery is located at the corner of Minna and 2nd Street in downtown San Francisco. The Gallery offers a full bar and welcomes ages 21, and over.

Curator Contact: Gabe Scott, 415.974.1719 scott.gabe@gmail.com

For more information go to www.111minnagallery.com