Since 1999, Upper Playground has been a Lower Haight institution, and its adjoining gallery FIFTY24SF has helped to bring many local artists, such as Sam Flores and Jeremy Fish, into the national spotlight. The gallery's name was derived from an initial goal to show 24 shows a year (switching out roughly every two weeks), but these days, it rotates exhibitions at a much more manageable pace.
The guy behind the scenes, along with Upper Playground founder Matt Revelli, is Trevor Martin. We sat down with him the other day to talk installations, Upper Playground's longevity, and what the gallery has in store for the future.
How did you decide you wanted to work in art?
Originally, I'm from Los Angeles. I grew up near Malibu Creek State Park in Las Virgenes Canyon. I think it all started when I was working at a magazine stand in the San Fernando Valley and came across Juxtapoz magazine. I really fell in love with the whole pop surrealist and urban contemporary movement through that magazine.
My mom also happens to be a fabulous plein air painter, and she exposed me to a lot of stuff growing up. She would even come into my elementary school and teach us about the masters, the impressionists and so on. I stumbled upon Dali, fell in love with surrealism, then saw Hajime Sorayama in the 25th-anniversary issue of Penthouse and was captivated. I think that's when the power of art really hit me.
How did you come to work at Upper Playground?
I was working with a sustainable clothing brand out of Topanga Canyon, and ended up doing a bunch of trade shows and stuff. That's where I got to meet Adam and Matt, the founders of Upper Playground. When I moved up here in 2010, I tried to get a job with them. They didn't have an opening at the time, but I ended up becoming friends with Burns, who was the COO at the time. I stayed in touch with him, and when it came up in conversation between him and Adam that they were maybe looking for a sales manager or a wholesale sales guy, Burns tee'd me up and was like 'Call Trev!'
What is your current role here at Upper Playground?
Gallery Director. They originally hired me as the wholesale sales guy, but I got the chance of a lifetime to be the Gallery Director. It was by luck, really. Right place, right time.
When did that happen?
2011. I started here as the wholesale guy, did pretty well, and then the gallery director at that time left to go work for a big gallery down near Geary Street. They had confidence in my sales abilities, knew that I really liked the artwork, and they decided to let me give it a go.
My first show was Jeremy Fish's Where Hearts Get Left, which was a whole love letter to the city, back in 2012. Jeremy is amazing, and that was a great start for me and a great confidence-building experience to kind of share that body of work with people.
Tell us about 'Daydreams and Nightmares,' the Sam Flores show that is up right now.
Well, it stems from the previous show we had with him last year, A Light In The Darkness. One image was my favorite piece of the show (pictured above), and that's what inspired this installation.
It's called "Follow Me,' and it's a bunch of misfits kind of gelled together. Every single character in this menagerie represents things that people deal with in their life. I was captivated by it. It allows a dialogue where people can talk about what they are really doing in their lives.
I love the feeling of the swamp and the lanterns and I really, really wanted to bring that to life for people. I like to do installations, and they're fun. It was during the holidays, and I wanted it to be something special for kids too, since his stuff is really all-ages, and not everything we show here is like that.
To what extent did you assist in the installation itself?
I did it all. I rented a U-Haul trailer, hooked it up to my truck and drove up to Fort Bragg and back collecting driftwood. I spent a whole day collecting Spanish moss down south, then I went and bought all the flowers. I had a couple of interns, but I basically conceived it and put the whole thing together.
What are the general criteria you're looking for when you're selecting who will be showcased in the gallery?
Well, we have a pretty distinct niche that we work with, so it's got to fit within pop surrealism, lowbrow, or urban contemporary—which is fancy talk for graffiti artists that have decided to try and make a living.
But really, the guy with the eye and the genius behind FIFTY24 is [founder] Matt Revelli. Everything has got to go through him. I try to send him things that I like, but it's always a tough one, because you want to balance out what you want to show to people with what's going to pay the bills. I think something that actually sets us apart from other galleries is that we can afford to take chances on a show that we're not sure is going to have spectacular sales, because Upper Playground has our back. We can't afford to do that every show, but it's cool that we have been able to try different things over the years even if we weren't sure of the outcome.
Matt will send me stuff that he likes, and say 'Hey, you think you could move it?' I'll show him stuff and tell him that I like it, and it's usually a pretty quick yes or no. He's got a great eye, so he knows right away whether he wants to show things or not. He was the editor-in-chief of Juxtapoz for almost a decade, so he really helped define those genres in particular. Matt's a big part of where these genres are at today, and it's humbling to be able to work for someone on that level.
From 'Style is the Limit' by ARYZ, 2013. (Photo: Courtesy of Fifty24SF)
What's your philosophy as a gallery director? What does this job mean to you?
It's a big deal. It puts me in a unique opportunity, especially as a salesperson, to have what I call the 'triple win.' When I sell a piece, it's good for the gallery and the artist, it's good for me, and it's especially good for the collector.
It's great to get the artist paid. It's really vindicating for them to sell a piece of artwork, and that's really nice, to brighten their day up and give them a pat on the back.
Typically, when people are buying fine art, it's a gift for themselves, so being part of that is really nice too. In fact, I think the most rewarding part for me is the psychological aspect of it. Getting to know someone, checking out what they're into, then kind of distilling that down and piecing together things they might not be aware of and hopefully giving them that 'aha moment.'
That's really the job of the gallerist, to kind of convey the feeling and emotion of the artist. They can't be here all the time—they need to be in their studio, working—so we have to be their proxy. It's also not always great for an artist to be selling their own work, either. It's good to have an intermediary there, for negotiations, especially.
Photo: Courtesy of Fifty24SF Gallery
What about Upper Playground has allowed it to last so long?
I think it's because it's intrinsic to its own culture, you know? They haven't sold out, they haven't tried to be Red Bull. They haven't become some corporate blah selling sugar drinks to kids. They've really stayed true to their roots.
The guys who are the creative force behind it have a great sense of humor, and they're able to show that they really get people. I think that's the thing for the brand, that there's a lot of inside jokes. There's a lot of stuff going on within the line that is humorous, and makes people feel like they belong and are in the know.
What sort of relationship does Upper Playground have with the neighborhood?
They've helped define the neighborhood's culture, but they've also embraced it. I mean, we even do graphics that are Lower Haight-specific, stuff you'll see on the block. They can take shoes hanging from telephone wires and make it into an iconic t-shirt. So I think there's a lot of overlap, where we inspire the community and we are inspired by the community as well.
What does the future hold for FIFTY24SF?
I think there's a lot of opportunity. One thing that I think has been cool about our history as a gallery is that Matt has always had such a great eye, both for talent and for potential. Sometimes I think he can see into the future. If you look back into our past, it's funny because we've shown guys that are ultra-famous painters now, but at the time we couldn't give the paintings away. I think that's really indicative of Matt's eye.
This year especially, I'm excited about having some really great talent coming in who I wouldn't say are 'emerging' artists, perhaps semi-established. It's nice to be looking forward to doing a first U.S. show with Rune Christensen and Ozmo this year. I'm also excited about working with Axel Void and Sobekcis. Artists that are definitely on people's radar, but now get to do this big slam-dunk show and it's like, 'Bam, you've arrived.' I think that's something that FIFTY24 has a name for, putting a spotlight on people like that.
A mural by Axel Void. (Photo: Courtesy of Fifty24SF)
What's on the horizon for you professionally?
You know, the gallery is a part-time job, and I'm doing some consulting on the side. I'm actually looking for more part-time work, to allow me to continue to do the gallery work. I'm always looking for new opportunities out there that have flexibility and allow me to continue my work here, because I love it.
I'm always looking for new opportunities to do curation, and I've also always been into product, especially jewelry, fashion, whatever. I'm always looking for new work to allow me to continue to do what I love, working with creatives and creating cool stuff that people enjoy.
"Silk Stockings" by Alberto Vargas. (Photo: Courtesy of Fifty24SF)
What's the next show going up?
The next show is coming up is on March 4th. It's Alberto Vargas, who's the godfather of pin-up art (pictured above). Every spring, people's hormones are raging, so for the last two years, we've done a sexy show in the springtime. It just so happens that I became friends with Vargas' nephew, Jon, so we were able to put that together. I'm really excited about that.
Last year at this time, we showed Hajime Sorayama, 20 years after I first saw his work. Sorayama actually won the Vargas Award in 1997, so I'm trying to build off that and kind of stay true to that theme.
If you're interested in making any gallery inquiries, Trevor can be reached at trevor [at] fifty24sf (dot) com.
