“Queeries” is Joseph Abbati’s inquiry on the masculine figure and forms of expression from a queer point of view. Masculinity is a social construct, not a gender. Its definition in the queer community has a different context from the prevailing social heteronormative canons. The paintings in this exhibit reveal masculine forms depicting queer identity, kinks, and beauty.
Opening reception Friday, March 6, 2020, 8-10pm at Strut, 470 Castro St, San Francisco, California 94114.
My next curation project for Senator Scott Wiener’s office will open February 14th, 2020. “The Artist as Curator” will be an exhibit by twelve San Francisco Bay Area artists each curating a space on a diverse set of current topics and interests.
The artists curating include: Grey Dey, Paul Goldman, Paul Morin, Heidi Noriko, Tsungwei Moo, Sean O’Donnell, Joseph Abbati, Wendy Ackrell, John J Hartford, Johnny Botts, Carrington Arredondo, and Elaine T. Nguyen. In addition, these artists have also brought together additional artists including Mariya Milovidova, Christian Martin, Ben James, Alex Strysky, Ryan Johnson, Rafael SanHueza-Leni, Rachel Altman, Birthe Lauvdal, Misho, Deb Cook Shapiro, Daniel Becker, Manny Fabregas, and Katja Leibenath.
Opening Reception: February 14, 2020, 5-7pm
Senator Scott Weiner’s Office: 455 Golden Gate Ave., Suite 14800, State of California Building, San Francisco
Exhibition dates: February 14 – March 27, 2020
Please RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/artist-as-curator-tickets-90408623627
Each guest will need to RSVP because this is an after business hour event and the State of California building requires a name to enter.
“LARGER THAN LIFE,” a portrait series of San Francisco drag queens made into tapestries, is on view at San Francisco City Hall in the office of Supervisor Rafael Mandelman. The nine drag queens include Sister Roma, Juanita More!, Peaches Christ, Heklina, Honey Mahogany, Shelix, Turleen, Grace Towers, and Juicy Lui. A reception will be held on December 19th from 4-5:50pm in room 284.
I’ve co-curated the exhibit “Abstrax” with Radian Gallery featuring eleven Bay Area abstract artists. Abstrax features the talent of emerging and mid-career artists working in the Abstract Expressionist style, and whose collected works showcase how their exploration of this genre continues to deliver engaging and evocative creativity.
Contributing Artists: Ali Saif, Ann Phelan, Athena Kim, Cindy Jian, Kees van der Proojen, Olivia Kuo, Robert di Matteo, Tom O’Brien, Usha Shukla, Myke Reilly, and William Salit.
The exhibit will be up November 7 – December 31, 2019. Opening reception November 7th, 6-8pm.
Radian Gallery is located at 440 Brannan St., San Francisco, CA 94107.
These paintings come from the graphic studies I’ve been doing looking at the queer male figure combined with earlier forms from my “Amorfa” series to create a new narrative.
Here is a slideshow video of the “QueerEyes” exhibit I curated for the office of Senator Scott Wiener this past June for Pride 2019.
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I have been creating work in San Francisco since 1978. In the 1980’s I started a menswear collection called Saxon. In 1985 I was named Menswear Designer of the Year by San Francisco Magazine for their Golden Shears Awards.
In the 1990’s I turned my attention to digital arts and began working with photography. I worked as an art director and designer during this period.
The 2000’s brought me into the marketing retail world where I worked as a Creative Director for three Fortune 500 companies. My passion in photography, composition, and form translated well in the commercial sector. Concurrently, I was working on more personal work through photography.
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In 2010 I left the corporate world and started my own business, D Quarters, to fuse my love of photography with decor. I came across a new digital technique that allowed me to…
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D Emptyspace, an app that let’s you post your work in a gallery setting, produced this article on my artwork and curation. To view more of what I’ve been working on click on the link: https://medium.com/@demptyspace/one-californian-curators-quest-to-represent-diversity-c5499f0e0717
“We Belong – Pertenecemos” opens Friday, October 11th, 2019 from 5-7pm at the office of Senator Scott Wiener in the State of California Building in San Francisco. The exhibit will feature twenty-four Bay Area Latinx artists. The artists include: Frederick Alvarado, Adrian Arias, Michelle Bond, Magué Calanche, Jaime Cortez, Samu Cortez, Emily Cruz, Theosis Damian, Daniel Diaz-Tai, Delaram Farzaneh, Wilson Ferreira, Diego Gomez, Alexander Hernandez, Tanya Herrera, Kavin Orantes, Mimi Herrera-Pease, Eugene Rodriguez, Ezequiel Rodriguez, Gala Sadurni, Durba Sen, Cat Sommer, Eddie Valentine, Camilo Villa, and Victor-Mario Zaballa.
Curated by Joseph Abbati
RSVP for this free event here: http://bit.ly/Pertenecemos
I was honored on August 15, 2019 by Senator Scott Wiener with a resolution and recognition of my work in the arts on the Senate floor at the California State Capitol.
