Divisadero Community Gallery Presents:
Common Fold
A Site-Specific Installation by Niki Shapiro
September 3rd – Oct 12th 2009
Opening Reception: September 3rd 2009, 7-10 pm
August 12th, 2009 – Throughout September 3rd until Oct 12th, 2009 Niki Shapiro will transform the Divisadero Community Gallery into a public archive by “up-cycling” paper donations into a site-specific sculptural catalogue. The opening reception will be held in conjunction with First Thursday and the Divisadero Art Walk on September 3rd.
Visitors attending the opening reception are invited to exchange their Common Fold event flyer for a piece of sculpture from the installation to take home with them. Throughout the exhibition visitor are encouraged to contribute magazines and catalogues through DCG’s drop-mail box for ongoing incorporation in Shapiro’s projects.
Drawing upon folk traditions such as gift exchange customs, origami and basket weaving histories, Shapiro has spent the past two years collecting magazines and catalogs in return for small hand made paper tokens of appreciation. Using potential green house gas emitters as artifacts for investigation, Shapiro rips, sorts and z-folds glossy, color saturated quarter pages. Armed only with her staple gun, Shapiro’s continuously growing webs link basic behavior pattern with form.
Originally an experiment to understand dimensions proposed by string theory models, Shapiro’s process oriented sculptures become examples that juxtapose human ingenuity with mass-produced disposable material. Through community driven arts, Niki Shapiro creates alternative products meant to support and enhance daily existence without displacing necessary elements for popular survival.
Divisadero Community Gallery is located at 537 Divisadero St. San Francisco between Fell and Hayes. The Divisadero Community Gallery is open for appointment. Parking is limited but public transportation is central.
For more information, visit www.divisaderocommunitygallery.blogspot.com or email Jayna Swartzman at J_Swartzman@yahoo.com.
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