The Oakland Museum of California is currently showing Fertile Ground: Art and Community in California, which is an exhibition focused on the “histories and social forces that changed the face of art in—and beyond—the Golden State.” The show includes early influnces by Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in San Francisco in the 1930s, all the way to the vibrant new Mission scene from the 1990s through the present, including Barry McGee, Chris Johanson, Margaret Kilgallen, and Amy Franceschini.
The outdoor installations are organized by artist Ruby Neri, and they feature an emerging generation of artists in the area making vital work today. The installations combine works by Francesco Deiana, Sahar Khoury, Chris Lux, and Willy Reed, several of whom have works in the Mission scene section of the show. While different in their visual language and mediums used, this installation shows the strong spirit of collaboration and informality that these artists are known for. From Deiana’s ballpoint pen ink drawings on geo objects to Khoury’s paper-mache sculptures, this particular installation is focused on the accomplishment of a group rather than individual artists.
Photo credit by the artists and OMCA.
