Artist Jeremy Fish had his solo show tonight at Fifty24SF Gallery and from the looks of the line to get in, most of the kids in SF went to see it. Jeremy who lives in North Beach titled his show "Ghost of the Barbary Coast" as a tribute to all the scoundrels and fortune seekers that used to live in his neighborhood in the mid 1800's and probably still haunt those very streets. An excerpt from "Lights and Shades of San Francisco" 1876 by Benjamin Lloyd:
"The Barbary Coast is the haunt of the low and the vile of every kind. The petty thief, the house burglar, the tramp, the whoremonger, lewd women, cutthroats, murderers, all are found here. Dance-halls and concert-saloons, where blear-eyed men and faded women drink vile liquor, smoke offensive tobacco, engage in vulgar conduct, sing obscene songs and say and do everything to heap upon themselves more degradation, are numerous. Low gambling houses, thronged with riot-loving rowdies, in all stages of intoxication, are there. Opium dens, where heathen Chinese and God-forsaken men and women are sprawled in miscellaneous confusion, disgustingly drowsy or completely overcome, are there. Licentiousness, debauchery, pollution, loathsome disease, insanity from dissipation, misery, poverty, wealth, profanity, blasphemy, and death, are there. And Hell, yawning to receive the putrid mass, is there also."
All of the pieces look as if they are painted on wood and have this "old timey" feel to them. Part of the gallery was set up to look like a saloon from the 1850's complete with saw dust on the ground and a bar with a weighing device for your gold.
These next three pieces are amazing. Carved in Bali, they are solid wood and weigh close to 160 pounds each. They were selling for $7,000 each...
Of course what would a show be without a video? Turn up the volume !!!
Jeremy Fish Show at Fifty24SF from toybot studios on Vimeo.
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