Lindsay Benedict
dirty domestic
Saturday, November 16th, 2013 - Sunday, January 19th, 2014
Susannah Magers has written a Shotgun Review of Lindsay Benedict's "dirty domestic" at DailyServing.
dirty domestic’s premise benefits from its location in the home gallery of Indira Martina Morre and Farley Johnston Gwazda, integrating (and imposing) Lindsay Benedict’s life with their own.
Azin Seraj
Sublunar
Saturday, May 11th, 2013 to Sunday June 30th, 2013
Katherine Sherwood, Professor of Painting and Disability Studies at UC Berkeley, has published on Square Cylinder an in-depth review of Azin Seraj's "Sublunar" at Martina }{ Johnston, as well as her friend and artistic peer David Gregory Wallace's "Friends, Family, Neighbors" at Royal NoneSuch Gallery.
Seraj and Wallace seek to expose the means by which the U.S. effects geopolitical change, calling attention to the violence and suffering caused. They use appropriated images and call on nature as a symbol of transcendence, as in Seraj’s use of the moon, water, and dirt, and Wallace’s projected birds. Both artists present work about a specific political theme, their goal being neither to inform viewers of specific details of the issue, nor to convince them to adopt a specific opinion, but rather to take a challenging issue with enormous implications and break it down, re-presenting it on a human scale so that viewers can make up their own minds.
Additionally, Alex Bigmam, of the East Bay Express, has penned an article "Azin Seraj's Unsettling Art Vehemently Criticizes US Sanctions on Iran" which addresses how Seraj tempers her political statements with a personal language of imagemaking.
Martina }{ Johnston Gallery featured in East Bay Express
February 27th, 2013
Alex Bigman, of the East Bay Express, leads off "Beyond The White Cube", a discussion of East Bay alternative art spaces, with a glowing depiction of Martina }{ Johnston.
When one enters Martina }{ Johnston Gallery ... one also enters the home of Indira Morre and Farley Gwazda, for they are the same place. This makes a visitor not only a "viewer," to use the abstraction typically given to those who enter white cube museums and galleries, but also a guest. Don't be surprised if the resident co-founders offer you tea and engage you in discussion about the works that occupy their space. You are in the white cube no longer.
The article includes an image of participants at Sonya Rapoport's data gathering event:
Sonya Rapoport, "ImPOSSIBLE CONVERSATIONS", interactive multimedia data gathering event, 2013.
Levente Sulyok
All the Paranoid Monoliths
May 5th, 2012 to June 30th, 2012
"Levente Sulyok's Pregnant Silences" is an appreciative and poetic review by Alex Bigman at the East Bay Express.
Anne Walsh
An Annotated Hearing Trumpet, Preface and Figures
Chris Kubick
Surprise!
September 8th, 2012 to October 28th, 2012
Alex Bigman, of the East Bay Express has published this thoughtful analysis of Anne's exhibition.
A glowing Shotgun Review of Anne and Chris' exhibition by Lea Feinstein at Art Practical.
Anne Walsh, "Casts of My Movie"Dimensions Variable, 2012.
An interesting write-up of Anne and Chris's exhibition by Heidi De Vries at Engineer's Daughter.
Keith Wilson
Collapse
May 5th, 2012 to June 30th, 2012
Praise for Keith Wilson's exhibition at Artcards, San Francisco.
Aaron Harbour at 9th Floor Radio wrote about Martina }{ Johnston in "Independent Art Spaces", a piece about three East Bay galleries.
Jaime Cortez
DiviNation
February 18th, 2012 to April 15th, 2012
Patricia Miye Wakida of ARTSlanT San Francisco wrote this insightful review, "DiviNation: Superpowers, the physical form and the process of forging national identity".
On February 4th, 2012, Jaime Cortez was interviewed by DJ Margaret Tedesco, of [2nd Floor Projects], on her show Roll Call on KUSF in Exile (you can hear the show at the linked archive).
CORPOREAL
December 3rd, 2011 to January 29th, 2012
Review: "Corporeal" by Heidi J. De Vries at Engineer's Daughter.
Alex Nowik
PERCEPTION AND ECONOMY OF FORM
September 24th, 2011 to November 20th, 2011
Review: "Perception and Economy of Form" by Dewitt Cheng at the East Bay Express.
Alex Nowik, "Cherries with Books" Acrylic on canvas, 18 x 24 inches, 2011.
Martina }{ Johnston awarded Alternative Exposure Grant!
October 28th, 2011
We are happy to share with our artists, supportive public, and collectors that Martina }{ Johnston has been selected for a generous Alternative Exposure Grant from Southern Exposure. This will allow us to make improvements to our space in order to better present our artist's work to the public and to tackle some ambitious projects over the coming year. Many thanks to Southern Exposure and to the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
Veronica De Jesus and Regina Clarkinia
SANCTUARY
May 28th, 2011 to August 14th, 2011
Review: "Sanctuary" on Engineer's Daughter by Heidi J. De Vries.
Review: "Sanctuary" on "Passionate Ornithology."
Review: "Roundabout: Three July shows for your urgent consideration" by DeWitt Cheng at the East Bay Express.
Renée Delores
RESIDUE
April 9th, 2011 to May 22nd, 2011
In-depth article: "Residue" by Valerie Imus at Art Practical.
Review: "'Domicile Tendencies' and 'Residue'" by DeWitt Cheng at the East Bay Express.
Ali Dadgar
UNBELIEVABLYBELIEVABLE
February 12th, 2011 to March 27th, 2011
"Ali Dadgar - Five Minutes of Infinite Solidarity" - "Iranian of the Day" at Iranian.com.
Rose Khor and Matthew Troy Mullins
BROUGHT TO LIGHT
December 11th, 2010 to February 6th, 2011
In-depth interview with Matt: "Matthew Troy Mullins: Loving Archives, Loving Ourselves" by Kim Bennett at Article Journal.