On Saturday, Gauntlet Gallery on Larkin Street will debut a group show of three artists which will focus on a variety of existential and abstract themes. Among them will be a solo showing of Sean Newport's latest work: a series of geometric wood sculptures entitled The Dissolution of Boundaries.
Gauntlet opened at 1040 Larkin St. in 2012, after a circuitous but fateful process. Founder Luke Lombardo was a practicing artist who was having difficulty finding a resource that was both affordable and high-quality for giclee canvas prints. After crunching the numbers, he decided to purchase a 44-inch giclee printer and teach himself how to use it. He set it up in his bedroom, and got to work.
Soon he was taking in commissions from other artists, and doing everything from glossing and stretching canvases on the floor of his bedroom. He finally rented a space on 17th and Mission, but already his clients were expressing the need for a space to exhibit and sell their work. While riding his scooter down Larkin Street one day, he saw a "for lease" sign being installed at 1040 Larkin. He hopped off to take a look, and found the future home of Gauntlet Gallery and Gauntlet Collection.
(Photo: Nuala Sawyer / Hoodline)
The doors opened in December of 2012, and since then the gallery has only been gaining momentum. The first floor consists of two rooms: the front main room is often used for several artists to share, with the back room reserved for one artist's solo show.
Upstairs, the giclee printing continues at a rapid rate. Every year sales have doubled, and are predicted to triple this year. Luke and his team are cranking out 50-70 canvas prints a month, and are considering outsourcing production soon due to a lack of time and space. In other words: it's been a rousing success.
The show opening at Gauntlet on Saturday night is unique in that it's the first one Lombardo has curated that will include sculpture pieces. He reached out to local artist Sean Newport, who agreed to show a selection of his work in the space.
Newport went to school for art, but didn't actually start practicing as an artist until 2012. One of the founders and organizers of Engine Works art collective in the Mission, Newport spent much of his time organizing events and recruiting artists and musicians for shows. When Engine Works was shut down to the public by the City in 2012, he built a woodshop in the space and began creating. "One door closed and another opened, and it's so much better this way," he told us.
(Photo: Sean Newport)
Newport's art plays with creating a digital aesthetic through an analog process. What appears at first glance to be one solid piece is actually made up of dozens of small geometric shapes hand-cut out of poplar. Each shape is spray-painted and numbered on the bottom, then assembled onto a flat 18-by-18-inch square, creating a shift of light to dark that varies depending on the angle. "They can be arranged in so many ways," he said.
Also included in tomorrow's art opening will be colorful shows by artists Steven Lopez ("Catharsis") and Zofia Bogusz ("Carbon"). The opening runs from 7:30pm-10pm, and will include refreshments. The exhibition will be up through June 20th, and perhaps even longer.
Later on in the summer, keep an ear out for the third annual Daft Punk Show, a yearly tradition that Lombardo began when the gallery first opened. We'll keep you updated on the details.
