July 10 at 7pm, Sanchez Art Center presents, TAMING FIRE- Igor Josifov, Less is More- Art Guild of Pacifica and Sanchez Studio Artists 2015

Igor Josifov’s Taming Fire headlines new shows at Sanchez Art Center

Three new exhibits will open July 10 at Sanchez Art Center. Taming Fire presents the magical burned paper artworks of Igor Josifov, curated by Hanna Regev. The Art Guild of Pacifica presents a group show, Less Is More; and the East Gallery showcases art created at Sanchez Art Center by studio-holder artists. The opening reception will be held Friday, July 10, from 7 to 9 pm, with music provided by Rob Hughes and Alex Bootzin of Vivacé.

Igor Josifov, a Macedonian-born artist based in San Francisco, began his career as a performance artist. He has now interwoven performance art and creating artworks with fire on paper. Curator Hanna Regev states, “The burned paper works are inseparable from the act of performance. Here the artist successfully merges the two art disciplines to create something that is arresting in its sheer power of beauty and magic.” Regev shares the view of many observers that performance art is a recognized force in shaping many artistic developments in contemporary art and revitalizing interest in museums by drawing new and young audiences to their galleries.

Josifov’s burned paper images focus on the human face and body, sometimes capturing the essence of iconic figures such as Nelson Mandela and Yoko Ono. Other burned paper pieces with many faces have the feeling of a river of images, a fluidity one would not expect to be created with fire. Taming Fire includes burned paper artworks, a mixed media installation, videos of Josifov’s performance work, and photolithographic plates created in collaboration with Anne Olsen during a recent artist-in-residency in Wisconsin.

Two special events are scheduled: At 2 pm on Sunday, July 26, Josifov will offer a short performance showcasing his mastery of taming fire as applied to three layers of heavy archival sheets of paper. Following the performance, the artist will share reflections on his rich experience with performance art and his place in the 100 years of performance art history.

Then at 4 pm on Sunday, August 16, Josifov, with curator Hanna Regev, will discuss his paper burning process and a new body of work, also in Taming Fire—the photolithographic plates produced in collaboration with Anne Olson. See more of Josifov’s work at www.igor-josifov.com.

In East Gallery, over 30 Sanchez Art Center studio artists will exhibit their work, with media ranging from acrylic, oil, and watercolor painting to black and white photography, and from mixed media works, both 2-D and sculpture, to environment-based woven wall hangings such as Manor Beach by Kimberlie Garg-Moutoux. Grace Cohen also celebrates the coast in her richly nuanced oil painting Tide Pools, as does Janet Barker in her beautiful coastal landscapes. In photography, Jan Hanway’s delicate touch suffuses her black and white work, while Samuel Yearout’s arresting Self-Portrait with Buster Keaton’s Hat shows us a different face of this medium. Alice Kelmon’s layered abstract encaustic works have long been a favorite of local art lovers and collectors. Other well-known local artists in the show include Andrew Leone, Kathy Miller, and Charlotte Seekamp. See more at www.sanchezartists.weebly.com. This rare look at the whole spectrum of artwork produced in Sanchez Art Center studios is an exhibition not to be missed.

Art Guild of Pacifica will present a group show of artworks by its members expressing the theme Less Is More. For over 50 years, AGP has been the foundation of the art community in Pacifica. The group shows regularly in Sanchez Art Center’s West Gallery, and its members volunteer as gallery attendants during visiting hours. For information about the Art Guild of Pacifica, visit www.artguildofpacifica.org.

Opening night is Friday, July 10, 7–9 pm; thereafter the galleries are open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 1 to 5 pm, and by appointment, through Sunday, August 16. Sanchez Art Center is located at 1220 Linda Mar Blvd., Pacifica, California, about 1.5 miles east of Highway 1 and the Pacific Ocean. For more information about Sanchez Art Center programs, call 650-355-1894 or visit www.sanchezartcenter.org.