Thursday, April 4, 2013

Review of "Storytellers" in Daily Californian

Daily Californian article by AJ Kiyoizumi

Oakland revived by Art Murmur

“Storytellers”
If you enjoy people-watching, you will enjoy Jhina Alvarado-Morse’s vintage film-still protagonists in her newest series, “Storytellers,” opening at Manna Gallery on Friday. Our habit of contemplating a person’s life based on a glance causes us to imagine pasts and futures for Alvarado-Morse’s familiar-seeming subjects — and you don’t have to worry about feeling creepy staring at canvases rather than people.

Each subject, paired with minimal surroundings, seems to envisage their futures or desires as realities, causing the viewer to dream for them as well. In “Soaring High,” an aviator rests below a soaring bird. A similarly titled piece, “Flying High,”depicts a handsome man mid-dive with nothing below him save for a shiny thin strip of graphite at the bottom of the canvas. The mid-century styled characters draw faint similarities to John Baldessari’s figures, but instead of amusing or shocking us, they gently endear viewers with their curiosity and earnestness.

The artist, who was named one of San Francisco’s Top 20 Artists by Asterisk San Francisco Magazine, will be present at the gallery from 3 to 6 p.m.

Manna Gallery
473 25th St
Oakland, CA


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