“Shape Shifters” is a metaphorical representation of the lives of queer individuals, showcasing their resilience and strength in navigating a world that often seeks to limit their identity. Abbati’s paintings are a celebration of the beauty and diversity of the queer community and their ability to shape-shift in order to find their place in the world.
Through his art, Abbati creates his own metaverse of the queer community. The exhibit features a collection of figure studies, each one showcasing a unique aspect of the queer experience.
A curation I did for an upcoming opening February 22, 2024 running through March 30, 2024
Join us in commemorating Black History Month as we proudly present an exhibition, “HUES,” featuring twenty-five exceptional Black artists from the Bay Area. Hosted at Senator Scott Wiener’s Office in the State of California Building, San Francisco, this showcase will run from February 22 to March 30, 2024. The opening reception is Thursday, February 22, 2024, from 6-8 pm.
Participating artists include Ajuan Mance, André Renay, Chonto, Jermaine Jackson Jr., Mary Graham, Najee Tobin, Rhiannon Evans MacFadyen, Sharon Virtue, Taylor Smalls, and Tiffany Conway. Additionally, we are proud to feature fifteen artists from Creativity Explored and NIAD studios: Adrianna Simeon, Joseph JayD Green, Laron Bickerstaff, Vincent Jackson, Samedi Djeimguero, Joseph Omolayole, Tranesha Smith-Kilgore, Gerald Wiggins, Daniel Green, Nita Hicks, Eric B. Boysaw, Raven Harper, Dorian Reid, and Halisi Noel-Johnson.
Kindly RSVP to secure your spot at this remarkable event. Note that registration is required for entry into the State of California Building after business hours.
We eagerly anticipate your presence at our exhibition, celebrating the diverse talents and voices of the Black artistic community in the Bay Area.
Curators:Susan R. Kirshenbaum and Catherine Merrill
January 5-28th, 2024 – Sausalito Center for the Arts
The Opening Reception will be held on Saturday, Jan 20th, 2 PM to 5 PM. Refreshments will be served.
The Closing Reception will be held on Sunday, Jan 28th, 3 PM -6 PM. There will be a book talk/sale, curators’ and artists’ talks, a roving model to draw, and more.
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS
Joseph Abbati ~ Douglas Andelin ~ Madelyn Covey ~ Jane Fisher ~ Mary Graham ~ Isidoro ~ Susan R. Kirshenbaum ~ Catherine Merrill ~ Stephen Namara ~ Diane Olivier ~ Sharon Paster ~ Fernando Reyes ~ Alex Rosmarin ~ Randall Sexton ~ May Shei ~ Sandra Speidel ~ Peter Steinhart ~ Charles H. Stinson
Like birds, seeds, insects, trees, and so many other living creatures that overwinter in sheltering environments, artistic concepts spend deep time within their creators before being brought into the light and released into the environment, where they either flourish, or die.
Please join us for a group exhibition from a group of Bay Area artists who are clearly flourishing, producing work that is bursting forth with the vigor and determination to live.
Honored to have been chosen as one of the artists featured in this year’s “The de Young Open” with my artwork “Werk.” Exhibit opens September 30, 2023 – January 7, 2024.
Opening reception is Friday, March 3rd, 5pm to 9pm. Shape Shifters: Queering the Metaverse runs through Saturday, April 29th // Schlomer Haus Gallery, 2128 Market St., schlomerhaus.com, Gallery Hours: Tue – Sat 12-6pm, and by appointment;
San Francisco Artist Joseph Abbati to Open Solo Art Exhibit “Shape Shifters: Queering the Metaverse”
15 February 2023 – San Francisco, CA
Schlomer Haus Gallery is excited to present Joseph Abbati’s solo exhibit, Shape Shifters: Queering the Metaverse. This exhibition is a portal into Abbati’s own metaverse, where his avatars and queer identity transcend the chains of heteronormativity and reclaims its power.
As an emerging space that offers the potential for greater representation and inclusivity for marginalized groups, including the queer community, the metaverse provides a platform for individuals to express themselves in ways that may not be possible in the physical world. With the ability to customize avatars and create virtual spaces, LGBTQIA+ individuals can explore and express their gender identity and sexual orientation in a more comfortable and accepting environment. Abbati’s figurative paintings are a reflection of this, looking at our biases and preconceptions of queer identity. His tondo paintings, circular studies of metamorphosis, offer a surrealist glimpse into the shape-shifting experiences of queer individuals, daring us to recognize the beauty in nonconformity and embrace diversity as the lifeblood of our existence.
Infused with Abbati’s background in graphic arts, each photo-like rendering in these paintings creates a new meta-world, a metaverse where meaning is rooted in the essence of queerness. Through a series of studies, three to four paintings each, Abbati invites us to embark on a journey of exploration to discover the possibilities for constructing a reality not dictated by the confines of a heteronormative society.
Join us at Schlomer Haus Gallery, March 3, 2023 from 5-9pm, where Joseph Abbati’s Shape Shifters: Queering the Metaverse offers a conversation of what our own metaverses may hold.
JosephAbbati.art 