Alexander Cheves: I wouldn't have called anyhow

Curator. San Francisco Arts Commission Galleries: Grove St. Window Installation Site. May - August 2014

Visitors to the San Francisco Arts Commission Galleries Grove Street Window Installation Site will get a rare glimpse into the dream world of Bay Area artist Alexander Cheves. His installation, I wouldn’t have called anyhow, consists of large-scale painted wood constructions that form a cast of abstract characters referencing iconic man-made and natural shapes such as swimming pools, farm houses, corner stores, empty fields and open skies. The forms are positioned to tell a story, which as the artist describes, “is a scene from a dream. It is a simple but personal narrative—an allegorical exercise in understanding fear.”

SFAC Galleries Director Meg Shiffler says, “I’ve been following Cheves’ work for years and am thrilled about this new commission for our Grove Street site. He is truly one of the Bay Area’s under recognized extreme talents.” Cheves’s installation engenders a sense of foreboding as a pair of rounded sculptures tries to make their way through the space where lankly, saw-toothed objects and their prominent shadows dominate the terrain. No resolution is implied. It is merely a snapshot of a moment inviting interpretation. According to Shiffler, “The almost-recognizable sculptural forms in this new installation are powerful and imposing, but also loaded with his signature dark sense of humor that allows an entry point for anyone to be drawn into the work.”