First Friday: Halloween Weekend Edition
Inspiration & Updates from Brian Madden Studio
“Your fear should always be allowed to have a voice, and a seat in the vehicle of your life. But whatever you do — don't let your fear drive.”
-Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic
Hi friends,
Thanks to everyone who stopped by for the open studio weekend in October! It was such a joy to see all the old and new friends, and I am so grateful for this community.
The days are growing eerily short here in this part of the northern hemisphere, and I’m not sure if everyone’s aware, but there’s an election coming up. So if things have felt a bit spooky to you, that may be why.
But jokes aside, Fall is my favorite season, and while things are heating up with studio projects, I’m enjoying the autumn routine, working on my art practice, visiting galleries and studios, getting active, and catching up with friends and loved ones. On that note, this Thanksgiving, keep an eye out for something special!
In this Halloween weekend edition of First Friday, I’ll share:
WHAT I’M SEEING: San Francinspiration
WHAT I’M READING: The Wendy Award, by Walter Scott
WHAT I’M SHOWING: SNKRS Mosaics at Nike WHQ
WHAT I’M HEARING: Season of the Witch
You’re getting First Friday because you’ve supported my creativity, visited the studio, or otherwise signed up to stay in touch.
Thank you!
WHAT I’M SEEING: San Francinspiration
October was a fantastic month for seeing art around San Francisco. Here’s a roundup of what I was inspired by this month:
Ashwini Bhat commission unveiling at the Asian Art Museum
First up was a visit to the Asian Art Museum for the unveiling of Sonoma County-based artist Ashwini Bhat’s bronze sculpture and sound installation recently commissioned by the museum, called What Will It Take / For Us To Awake?. It was inspiring to hear Ashwini share how her practice has evolved from dance to sculpture and sound-based art, as well as the inspiration she finds in the Calla Lily. You can see her work permanently installed in the second floor gallery of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco’s Civic Center. Thanks for hosting, Jeff!
Pablo Manga in the Gather group show at Seed Gallery
Next stop was Seed Gallery in SOMA for the opening of Gather, highlighting the diversity and richness of Bay Area art. When a colorful piece by Oakland based artist Pablo Manga called Smile at the Abyss caught my eye, I was surprised to learn it was made of packing tape! Pablo’s visual art practice centers on painting with semi-transparent colorful packing tape he has collected while living and working in Mexico City. As someone who also loves to collect ephemera and repurposed materials for my own artwork, the element of found materials was what drew me the most to Pablo’s work.
Léonie Guyer solo exhibition at House of Seiko
Later in the month I visited House of Seiko in the Mission to celebrate the opening of a solo show, Three and Three and One by San Francisco-based artist Léonie Guyer. Léonie is known for her decades-long practice of deploying idiosyncratic shapes on antique and salvaged paper, marble remnants, panels, walls and windows. I’m also into the remnants so I loved seeing Léonie’s marble work up close. I’m gaining a greater appreciation for the patience it takes to build up a career-long practice through curiosity, collecting, and consistency. Her work is on view at House of Seiko until November 24, 2024. Thanks for hosting, Cole!
Tyler Willis Solo Exhibition at Gallery 181
The next week at Gallery 181, we celebrated the opening of Portraits by Tyler Willis, an American-Brazilian visual artist with a background in architecture and engineering. He’s also a good friend and fellow artist at the American Industrial Center. Tyler’s paintings, drawings, and prints filled the gallery near the top of 181 Fremont, the tallest mixed-use building this side of Chicago, and the highest art gallery in the world. I loved meeting Tyler’s community and learning more about his multimedia portraiture through his conversation with Matt Lituchy, Chief Investment Officer for the Jay Paul Company, the building’s developer. And I already knew Tyler is multi-talented, so it was even more inspiring to hear that he had a hand in the creation of the building itself during his architecture days! The evening was a beautiful celebration of creativity and community. Portraits by Tyler WIllis is on view at Gallery 181 until February 28, 2025.
Studio visit with Chelsea Ryoko Wong
Finally, this week I was lucky enough to join my friend Mateo on a visit to the studio of artist Chelsea Ryoko Wong, thanks to the generosity of the de Young Museum and the Fine Art Museums of San Francisco. Wong welcomed us into her world, showing us some upcoming works for Art Basel Miami, explaining her process, and sharing her plans for her current residency at the Oakland Museum. One favorite from the convo was Community Feast, a painting Wong created for a mural installation at the Asian Art Museum. The bright colors and patterns she employs tell such a joyful story of connection, and she even names her custom paint colors based on the subjects they depict in her paintings. I’m hoping to spend more time discussing art with Chelsea in the future and looking forward to taking in her newest paintings with Jessica Silverman in Miami this December.
WHAT I’M READING: The Wendy Award, by Walter Scott
The more time I spend in the art world, and the more I learn, it seems that the more questions I have, and the less I know. And I’m finding that no one’s been able to illustrate the comedy and confusion of this path with as much raw energy and wit as artist Walter Scott has in his ‘Wendy’ graphic novel series. Canadian cartoonist Scott has created a vessel to synthesize art world experiences through Wendy, an artist with her own comic strip called Wanda, that has its own following.
In this fourth installment of Scott’s series, The Wendy Award, we follow Wendy’s journey upon being nominated for a coveted art prize, while battling imposter syndrome and self-sabotage as she works to grow her career and improve her life. Can’t imagine anything more relatable!
His way of storytelling is so vulnerable that I could really feel Wendy’s angst when she was running behind for an artist panel discussion:
When I did a deeper dive into Scott’s work, I also happened upon his monthly back-page story in Frieze magazine about a fictional art world character named Gimley Bunning. For anyone out there who’s spent time at art fairs or art festivals, I think you’ll appreciate this one:
Check out Walter Scott’s work wherever you get your books.
WHAT I’M SHOWING: SNKRS Mosaics at Nike WHQ
This October, I was lucky enough to get back to Portland for a workshop before kicking off some new projects here in SF. Between catch-ups on my old stomping grounds at Nike, I decided to stop by the marble and glass inlay SNKRS mosaics I installed in the Serena Williams building in 2022. Commissioned by Nike and my friends at Open Studio Collective three years after I moved to San Francisco for love, it was a full circle moment. It was my first time seeing the piece since I installed it, and gratifying to see it grow into its home Nike’s campus. Thought I’d take a moment to share it with you.
This project was all about inspiring and educating the SNKRS team and their guests through artful expression in marble, and more personally, a celebration of my time as a Nike designer and a Portlander. The subjects of the mosaics were chosen by the sneakerheads behind the SNKRS App, but the concepts came to life through the intricately installed marble, custom glass, and colorful grout.
There’s an incredible amount of patience and intuition involved with working in stone and multi-colored grout in the way we did, because of the fickle nature of the ingredients, so it was gratifying to see how sturdy it all became as it cured.
I always appreciate when I get surprise pictures from friends when they see my work in the wild. Next time you see something, say something :)
WHAT I’M HEARING: Season of the Witch
This month’s playlist is named for Season of the Witch, a bonus book recommendation that charts the unbelievable story arc of San Francisco between the 1940s and the 1990s. It also feels timely given the spooky season we’ve been in. These songs this month were overheard in Portland (OR), Atlanta, and throughout San Francisco.
A reminder that the First Friday Playlist can only consist of songs I’ve heard, received, discovered, or rediscovered out in the world, songs overheard at coffee shops, restaurants, bars, galleries, concerts, or received from friends and family IRL & online.
By the way, if you’re planning to be in Miami for Art Basel this December, please drop me a line. It would be great to see some familiar faces!
Thanks for reading. Take care and talk soon,
Brian
brian@brianbmadden.com
“At one point in the early years in Paris when he was feeling extremely discouraged, he was just getting nowhere. And he went to see Picasso, and Picasso said ‘Get in line, wait your turn, just pretend you're waiting for the subway.’ It's inevitable that you will meet a failure or two, or three, or four. At the same time the art itself, the product of that obsession, that obsessive kind of way of working, is the paradigm for all that is free and spontaneous.”
– Lyrics from Miro by Berlioz & Ted Jasper, based on an exchange between Pablo Picasso and his artistic successor, Joan Miró.