Mercury 20 Gallery 25 Grand Ave. Oakland CA 94612 510-701-4620
Hours: Fridays 4-7pm, Saturdays 12-3pm and first Friday of each month 6-9pm
Contact: Kathleen 510-701-4620
Exhibition dates: February 5 – 27, 2010Opening Reception: Friday, February 5 from 6-9pm (in conjunction with Oakland Art Murmur)
Dave Meeker: Plugged In, 1978-2009
Dave Meeker has liked making things move using motors and other means since he was very young. As a child he had a particular fascination with robots and in fact dreamed of becoming a robot. He grew up an electrician (by trade) and sculptor (by desire) instead. Meeker's kinetic pieces explore different ways to make objects move.
The artist created his first kinetic piece over thirty years ago from scraps of wood, a fan and recycled paper products that his father brought home from his job as an envelope salesman. His current kinetics use air to inflate, deflate and otherwise make move recycled materials. Meeker breathes new life into objects that otherwise would have "died"—destined for a landfill, the burial ground of our culture’s castoffs. His pieces bring new life to these dead objects.
The "air fountain" series is inspired by botanical forms and uses common materials such as plastic bags and condoms for their fabrication. Each goes through a cycle of expansion and contraction; they breathe. They are reanimated with the air that surrounds us, unseen and often unnoticed, until that breath is taken away. It takes only a moment to realize you have lost something essential once it is gone. The artist desires to help others see what can’t be seen, notice the under valued, and to take a moment to breathe.
view more of Dave Meeker's work on his website
Don’t Look Back: sculpture, painting, mixed media
Margaret Chavigny, Kathleen King, Jill McLennan & Charlie MilgrimMargaret Chavigny
Jill McLennan
Charlie Milgrim
Kathleen King
Works on Paper Chela Fielding, Patricia Gillespie, Maya Kabat, Julie Alvarado, Joann Biagini, Anna Vaughan, & Jamie MorganPatricia Gillespie
Maya Kabat
Jamie Morgan
Joann Biagini
Julie Alvarado
Anna Vaughan
Chela FIelding