Are you looking to escape the wintery weather? Stop by the Wriston Art Center and take in a new exhibit by Kayla Bauer, on display in the Hoffmaster Gallery until Mar. 8. Titled “The End of Somewhere,” the exhibit honors Bauer’s deep appreciation for San Francisco.
The exhibit is made up of her photography, text and found imagery. Entering the gallery, I found it hard to breeze by. The minimalist presentation of the art and text felt like more than just an exhibit; it felt like a story through time and space.
Each wall contains imagery, but the quantity and arrangement depends on which wall you look at. As someone who often struggles to engage with art in a gallery setting, I was surprised and pleased that the display pulled me in.
There are many recurring themes in the exhibit. Photographs of water and trees are in direct contrast with city scenes, battered buildings and unnamed people. The muted shades and subtle hints of pink running through the walls tie the images together.
The nostalgic photographs, paintings and prints are not the only forces at work here. Bauer also uses bits of text and poetry to unite and expand her images. Scattered throughout the space, thoughtful questions haunt and enliven the art.
One of my favorite frames reads “there’s something in the air or maybe that’s just the fog.” While it sounds so simple on its own, the surrounding art makes it seem layered. Beneath the text, there’s an image of a woman in a white dress. Who knows what she is thinking, or why her photograph was taken?
Perhaps she is looking towards the fog, or perhaps the fog is a metaphorical lens with which to view the photographs around it. Similar images of antiquity fill the exhibit, juxtaposed with pictures and words of modernity. Bauer creates a relationship between the two, using art and text to transcend the constraints of reality.
Another image from the exhibit is a run-down street corner. The words “Europa Plus” and “Alexa Dria” stood out to me first, giving the idea of an impoverished city that is somehow still beautiful. I thought the photograph felt slightly uncomfortable, but in retrospect I appreciated what it added to the scene.
The intrigue I felt towards that image, I also felt towards many others. Each image stands alone, as does each bit of text. Yet, they all complement each other and build upon one another. Certain clusters of images and text seem to be in conversation, as do certain walls.
Looking at the exhibit as a whole, it is full of nostalgia for San Francisco. Bauer presents a cohesive work that not only suggests the intimacy of a space over time, but the way it can easily be judged as desolate or urbanized. As her art reminds us, there is beauty in the things that appear dismissable.
I do wonder how this exhibit would affect someone who has experienced San Francisco themselves. Whatever your connection to the city, I think Bauer creates room for a myriad of emotions and thoughts in her art.
If you want to experience “The End of Somewhere” for yourself, I highly recommend visiting the Wriston Art Center. You don’t need to spend a lot of time in the gallery to enjoy the exhibit. Even a quick, 10-minute visit could provide a necessary break from studying or practicing.
You can also check out the other two exhibits, “The Night Parade” by Cori Nakamura Lin and “Organic/Inorganic.” The Wriston Art Center is open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.
Happy exploring!