The Cake Gallery, 290 9th St, San Francisco, CA 94130
March 8 - 15, 2017
Curated by Lucy Foster (Barret Lybbert and Rosa Tyhurst)
A dump truck pouring asphalt down an abandoned dirt quarry in Rome. A winding zigzag trench cut into a desert plateau. Four giant culverts with precisely-placed circles drilled into the sides. Four hundred steel rods penetrating the earth. These compact descriptions recall four of the most influential earth works by land artists Robert Smithson (January 2, 1938), Michael Heizer (November 4, 1944), Nancy Holt (April 5, 1938), and Walter de Maria (October 1, 1935).
As an homage to these artists, Lucy Foster (February 3, 2017) is proud to announce BIRTH WORKS, a group exhibition of artworks that were created on the birthday of the artist, by San Francisco based artists Maggie Beasley (July 15, 1988), Emily Budd (February 24, 1980), Jerry Carson, Yvette Dibos (January 11, 1990) and Billy (January 21st, 1988). Earth works were traditionally created in nature, using natural materials such as soil, rocks and wood. BIRTH WORKS employs an equally natural construct, but is more fluid with it’s choice of materials, durational quality, and with it’s intent. These works consider objecthood in an entirely different way than the monolithic pieces produced in far flung locations. This exhibition, and the inception of the term birth works allows us to reconsider birth, birthdates, and how we ought to spend future birthdays.