Image © William Mark Sommer

The inspiration behind Metaphors of Recent Times was compelled by a desire to provide an extended platform for the various themes and concerns voiced by the PhotoAlliance INSIGHT/INCITE 20/20 Portfolio. By providing a call for photographic work that spoke to narratives about our planet, humanity, and societal values, PhotoAlliance highlights not only the spirit of our city’s inclusivity with a group of emerging and established artists in curation, combined with the but also in the impact of presenting relevant, pivotal work in a striking setting at the foundation of San Francisco’s City Hall.

Reflecting off the photographs in PhotoAlliance’s INSIGHT/INCITE 20/20 Portfolio, Metaphors of Recent Times implored artists to share their personal view of the personal, the political and the cultural. Through the narratives of these twenty-four triptychs by local and international artists, this exhibition provokes a range of raw emotions from pride to heartbreak, hope and loss.

In each artist’s work, we hear the voices of advocacy for women and mothers, the catharsis of the moment, the empowerment to convey our uncertain times, and the conflict of the destructive beauty that is this landscape of our current era. While some of the triptychs bring us to some favorite local spots reminiscent of the “lowrider” cruises down Mission Street with its vivid backdrops of murals and graffiti celebrating culture and identity, others take us into reflection of mornings of ecstatic joy of freedom during the while feeling the heaviness of being the sole survivor of their community as a result of the AIDS crisis. The imagery carries us through tender and powerful moments that define human connection amidst the clamor of protest and the struggles of urban life, juxtaposed with others that speak to the painful ironies we are faced within our landscapes laden with consumerism.

PUBLIC OPENING RECEPTION

No reservation required. Free and open to the public.

Thursday, January 16, 2025, 5:00 - 7:00 P.M.
San Francisco City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102

CURATOR WALKTHROUGH

Led by exhibition curator BETH DAVILA WALDMAN

Thursday, February 27, 2025, 12:00 - 1:00 P.M. Meet in the North Light Court.
San Francisco City Hall, 1 Dr Carlton B Goodlett Pl, San Francisco, CA 94102

ARTIST PANEL: Caring, Nurturing, and Aging

Featuring artists PABLO BAUTISTA, MARNA CLARKE, GERMÅN HERRERA and panel moderator EMILY WILSON

Wednesday, April 16, 2025, 6:00 - 8:00 P.M. (Door open at 5:30 P.M.)
SFAC Main Gallery, 401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102

PHOTOCOLLAGE WORKSHOP

Workshop with LIZ STEKETEE

Saturday, May 10, 2025, 1:00 - 4:00 P.M.
SFAC Main Gallery, 401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102
Space is limited. Email sfac.galleries@sfgov.org to register

Metaphors of Recent Times | A Dialogue of the Personal, the Political and the Cultural will feature a multitude of incisive visual perspectives based on diverse identities and backgrounds. We invite photo-based artists whose work raises awareness and provokes dialogue in alignment with the themes in PhotoAlliance’s INSIGHT/INCITE 20/20 portfolio to submit, using the common ground of image as a tool for reflecting, sharing, and learning about issues faced in contemporary culture. We encourage submissions that are not just a historical view, but a portrayal of our times seen through individual perspectives.

Curated by PhotoAlliance founder and creative director Linda Connor, the portfolio INSIGHT/INCITE 20/20 serves as the paradigm for this exhibition, which will be held at City Hall. Presented as 20 limited edition prints by local, regional, and international photographers, Connor envisioned INSIGHT/INCITE 20/20 as a distillation of the creative responses artists have made to the upheaval seen in our political, cultural, environmental, and personal spheres in recent years. The works in INSIGHT/INCITE 20/20 speak to the challenges, hope, and resilience that humanity faces as we grapple with profound issues ranging from Covid-19 to Black Lives Matter, from climate change to the new “culture wars,” and from ongoing struggles with ageism and sexism to mass migration. Nearly five years later, these themes remain urgent, making this call for entry a vital extension of the dialogue initiated by INSIGHT/INCITE 20/20.

Linda Connor
Artist, Educator
PhotoAlliance Creative Director

Beth Davila Waldman
Artist, Curator & Educator
PhotoAlliance Board of Directors

Lewis Watts
Artist/Professor Emeritus of Art
University of California Santa Cruz

Photo: SFAC Main Gallery Exhibition: Carlos Villa: Roots and Reinvention, 2022.
Photo by Aaron Wojack.

The San Francisco Arts Commission is the City agency that champions the arts as essential to daily life by investing in a vibrant arts community, enlivening the urban environment and shaping innovative cultural policy. Our programs include: Civic Art Collection, Civic Design Review, Community Investments, Public Art, SFAC Galleries, and Art Vendor Licensing.

To learn more, visit sfartscommission.org.

Photo: Wesaam Al-Badry sharing his art practice at Bayfront Theater at Fort Mason
December 8th, 2024

PhotoAlliance is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to supporting the understanding, appreciation, and creation of contemporary photography. They foster community connections by hosting public lectures with noteworthy photographers, professional development through their portfolio review program, and inspiring workshops for artists of all backgrounds. PhotoAlliance is a no-membership organization, and their events have been a meeting place for the San Francisco Bay Area photo community since 2002.

The San Francisco Arts Commission Galleries makes contemporary art accessible to broad audiences through curated exhibitions that both reflect our regional diversity and position Bay Area visual art production within an international art landscape.

The Arts Commission founded its exhibitions program in 1970 with the opening of Capricorn Asunder, a gallery space located across from City Hall at 155 Grove Street. Over the years, the gallery has evolved into the SFAC Galleries, a dynamic contemporary art program that has shown more than 4,400 local, national and international artists in over 480 exhibitions at two unique Civic Center locations. By commissioning new works, collaborating with arts and community organizations and supporting artist’s projects, the SFAC Galleries provides new and challenging opportunities for contemporary art to engage with a civic dialog.