Series Site
Fraenkel Gallery is proud to announce the return of the Fraenkel Film Festival, an annual cinema series curated entirely by visual artists. Once again, all of the proceeds from the festival will benefit the Roxie.
The Fraenkel Film Festival takes an unprecedented curatorial approach—the 20 films were selected by Fraenkel Gallery artists who love cinema and are deeply sensitive to its subtleties. Highlighting the artists’ distinct perspectives, the selections present an unexpected look at their range of creative influences and intellectual curiosities.
Each artist’s selection offers insight into their thinking and temperament. Martine Gutierrez remarks that Princess Mononoke conjures “the immaterial world”—”the ethereal realm,” she continues, “is what matters, and every day we are convinced otherwise.” Elisheva Biernoff, who makes meticulous paintings recreating found photographs, chose The Princess Bride not just because it “retool[s] the conventions of romantic, picaresque adventure with great affection and humor,” but also “because it’s a long-time family favorite, and also in honor of director Rob Reiner and costume designer Phyllis Dalton—who both died last year.” Kota Ezawa, who often draws from his own Japanese-German heritage when reconsidering the history of visual culture, speaks also of a personal connection to film: “I first saw Hiroshima Mon Amour about 15 years ago and it made a big impression on me. […] I can’t get over this movie because [the lead actors] strongly resemble my parents shortly after they met in Münster, Germany in the early sixties.”
In celebration of the collaborative exhibition “A Slice of the Pie” featuring work from fourteen Bay Area galleries, Fraenkel Gallery will also host a panel featuring representatives from participating galleries: Everything you always wanted to know about the San Francisco art world (but were too afraid to ask). Co-sponsored with the San Francisco Chronicle, Arts & Culture Columnist Tony Bravo will moderate a lively, multi-directional Q&A.