Thu July 27, 2023
Opening Reception "NODE MULCH": QBI Artist-in-Residence Inaugural Exhibition: John Walter, Curated by Glen Helfand
SEE EVENT DETAILS
The exhibition runs from July 26-30, 2023
Public reception: Thursday, July 27, 5-8 pm
Walkthrough and discussion with the Artist: Wednesday, July 26, 5-6.30pm
Gallery Hours: 12pm-5pm
SOMArts Cultural Center
934 Brannan St, San Francisco, CA 94103
Node Mulch is an exhibition of new work by London-based artist John Walter, created during his tenure as inaugural QBI artist-in-residence. Starting in the fall of 2022, he worked alongside scientists at UCSF undertaking research into viruses, cancers and the interactions between small molecules. This is an exciting new initiative that brings together the Bay Area's scientific and art communities. The gallery presentation, at SOMArts Cultural Center, showcases the vast and vibrant range of his playfully incisive work. His new body of work comprises painting, drawing, artist's books, sculpture, costume, and video.
Walter, whose previous work has addressed HIV in sexual health and bioscience, eschews existing notions of "Sci-Art", weaving scientific narratives, imagery and ideas together within a broader cultural milieu. He has sought to question the role of artist-in-residence, moving beyond illustrating the science to establish the artist as a divergent thinker, and a sensual visual communicator. As part of the residency he has created a new series of paintings for Ward 86, HIV Care Center at San Francisco General Hospital.
The title Node Mulch refers on one hand to the nodes in network diagrams created by QBI scientists, and on another hand to Walter's analogy that art-making is analogous to farming, involving the breeding and decomposition of images (mulching). Walter's art mulches a diversity of artistic references from Hieronymus Bosch to Keith Haring. The work created during the residency draws inspiration from alchemical emblems - allegorical images that illustrate early science.
Walter's residency included research into regional histories. Of particular interest were The Sydney Ducks, a Gold Rush gang of Australian immigrants who were notorious denizens of the Barbary Coast. His NFT project, Sydney Ducks, is set in a parallel future San Francisco, where global warming and earthquakes have reshaped life in the Bay Area. The inventive narratives expand Walter's interest in Darwinist theory of human production and biologist Richard Dawkins' idea of the meme as a unit of cultural replication.
The exhibition is curated by Glen Helfand, critic and chair of Graduate Curatorial Practice at California College of the Arts. "Walter's work is deceptively playful. Beneath his universe of fluorescently colored characters are provocative takes on the human body, health, and art history. It is edifying fun," Helfand says. "It's also exciting to see this new residency bringing artists into the Bay Area's active scientific community."
John Walter says "This has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a major new body of work, in an exciting new place, within the context of cutting edge science".
Walkthrough and discussion with the Artist: Wednesday, July 26, 5-6.30pm
Join artist John Walter, QBI scientist Antoine Forget, and curator Glen Helfand for conversation on the themes of art and scientific research.
Register for the event on Eventbrite.
ABOUT QBI
The Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) fosters collaborations across the biomedical and the physical sciences, seeking quantitative methods to address pressing problems in biology biomedicine. Motivated by problems of human disease, QBI is committed to investigating fundamental biological mechanisms, because ultimately solutions to many diseases have been revealed by unexpected discoveries in the basic sciences.
ABOUT THE QBI ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE
The QBI artist-in-residence program aims to pave an intersection of science and art in the San Francisco Bay Area. The program aspires to stimulate creative processes in the biosciences by connecting bold scientists with curious artists to form collaborations that facilitate imaginative discoveries.
Follow QBI
qbi.ucsf.edu | Facebook.com/qbiucsf | Twitter.com/qbi_ucsf | YouTube.com/qbitvucsf
ABOUT JOHN WALTER
Dr John Walter is a British artist (born 1978) based in London. This is his first exhibition on the West Coast of the USA. He received a BFA (Hons) from the University of Oxford, an MFA from UCL, and later a PhD from the University of Westminster. He is known for large-scale installations comprising painting, video and performance, such as Alien Sex Club (2015) and CAPSID (2018), which address HIV as a crisis of representation. He curated Shonky: The Aesthetics of Awkwardness for Hayward Touring Exhibitions. He has undertaken a number of residencies including Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (2012), and The British School at Rome (2006-8). His work has been collected by institutions including the Arts Council Collection and the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool.
Learn more at http://www.johnwalter.net
For more on Walter, see this video interview.
The artist is available for interviews.
show less
Public reception: Thursday, July 27, 5-8 pm
Walkthrough and discussion with the Artist: Wednesday, July 26, 5-6.30pm
Gallery Hours: 12pm-5pm
SOMArts Cultural Center
934 Brannan St, San Francisco, CA 94103
Node Mulch is an exhibition of new work by London-based artist John Walter, created during his tenure as inaugural QBI artist-in-residence. Starting in the fall of 2022, he worked alongside scientists at UCSF undertaking research into viruses, cancers and the interactions between small molecules. This is an exciting new initiative that brings together the Bay Area's scientific and art communities. The gallery presentation, at SOMArts Cultural Center, showcases the vast and vibrant range of his playfully incisive work. His new body of work comprises painting, drawing, artist's books, sculpture, costume, and video.
Walter, whose previous work has addressed HIV in sexual health and bioscience, eschews existing notions of "Sci-Art", weaving scientific narratives, imagery and ideas together within a broader cultural milieu. He has sought to question the role of artist-in-residence, moving beyond illustrating the science to establish the artist as a divergent thinker, and a sensual visual communicator. As part of the residency he has created a new series of paintings for Ward 86, HIV Care Center at San Francisco General Hospital.
The title Node Mulch refers on one hand to the nodes in network diagrams created by QBI scientists, and on another hand to Walter's analogy that art-making is analogous to farming, involving the breeding and decomposition of images (mulching). Walter's art mulches a diversity of artistic references from Hieronymus Bosch to Keith Haring. The work created during the residency draws inspiration from alchemical emblems - allegorical images that illustrate early science.
Walter's residency included research into regional histories. Of particular interest were The Sydney Ducks, a Gold Rush gang of Australian immigrants who were notorious denizens of the Barbary Coast. His NFT project, Sydney Ducks, is set in a parallel future San Francisco, where global warming and earthquakes have reshaped life in the Bay Area. The inventive narratives expand Walter's interest in Darwinist theory of human production and biologist Richard Dawkins' idea of the meme as a unit of cultural replication.
The exhibition is curated by Glen Helfand, critic and chair of Graduate Curatorial Practice at California College of the Arts. "Walter's work is deceptively playful. Beneath his universe of fluorescently colored characters are provocative takes on the human body, health, and art history. It is edifying fun," Helfand says. "It's also exciting to see this new residency bringing artists into the Bay Area's active scientific community."
John Walter says "This has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a major new body of work, in an exciting new place, within the context of cutting edge science".
Walkthrough and discussion with the Artist: Wednesday, July 26, 5-6.30pm
Join artist John Walter, QBI scientist Antoine Forget, and curator Glen Helfand for conversation on the themes of art and scientific research.
Register for the event on Eventbrite.
ABOUT QBI
The Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) fosters collaborations across the biomedical and the physical sciences, seeking quantitative methods to address pressing problems in biology biomedicine. Motivated by problems of human disease, QBI is committed to investigating fundamental biological mechanisms, because ultimately solutions to many diseases have been revealed by unexpected discoveries in the basic sciences.
ABOUT THE QBI ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE
The QBI artist-in-residence program aims to pave an intersection of science and art in the San Francisco Bay Area. The program aspires to stimulate creative processes in the biosciences by connecting bold scientists with curious artists to form collaborations that facilitate imaginative discoveries.
Follow QBI
qbi.ucsf.edu | Facebook.com/qbiucsf | Twitter.com/qbi_ucsf | YouTube.com/qbitvucsf
ABOUT JOHN WALTER
Dr John Walter is a British artist (born 1978) based in London. This is his first exhibition on the West Coast of the USA. He received a BFA (Hons) from the University of Oxford, an MFA from UCL, and later a PhD from the University of Westminster. He is known for large-scale installations comprising painting, video and performance, such as Alien Sex Club (2015) and CAPSID (2018), which address HIV as a crisis of representation. He curated Shonky: The Aesthetics of Awkwardness for Hayward Touring Exhibitions. He has undertaken a number of residencies including Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (2012), and The British School at Rome (2006-8). His work has been collected by institutions including the Arts Council Collection and the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool.
Learn more at http://www.johnwalter.net
For more on Walter, see this video interview.
The artist is available for interviews.
The exhibition runs from July 26-30, 2023
Public reception: Thursday, July 27, 5-8 pm
Walkthrough and discussion with the Artist: Wednesday, July 26, 5-6.30pm
Gallery Hours: 12pm-5pm
SOMArts Cultural Center
934 Brannan St, San Francisco, CA 94103
Node Mulch is an exhibition of new work by London-based artist John Walter, created during his tenure as inaugural QBI artist-in-residence. Starting in the fall of 2022, he worked alongside scientists at UCSF undertaking research into viruses, cancers and the interactions between small molecules. This is an exciting new initiative that brings together the Bay Area's scientific and art communities. The gallery presentation, at SOMArts Cultural Center, showcases the vast and vibrant range of his playfully incisive work. His new body of work comprises painting, drawing, artist's books, sculpture, costume, and video.
Walter, whose previous work has addressed HIV in sexual health and bioscience, eschews existing notions of "Sci-Art", weaving scientific narratives, imagery and ideas together within a broader cultural milieu. He has sought to question the role of artist-in-residence, moving beyond illustrating the science to establish the artist as a divergent thinker, and a sensual visual communicator. As part of the residency he has created a new series of paintings for Ward 86, HIV Care Center at San Francisco General Hospital.
The title Node Mulch refers on one hand to the nodes in network diagrams created by QBI scientists, and on another hand to Walter's analogy that art-making is analogous to farming, involving the breeding and decomposition of images (mulching). Walter's art mulches a diversity of artistic references from Hieronymus Bosch to Keith Haring. The work created during the residency draws inspiration from alchemical emblems - allegorical images that illustrate early science.
Walter's residency included research into regional histories. Of particular interest were The Sydney Ducks, a Gold Rush gang of Australian immigrants who were notorious denizens of the Barbary Coast. His NFT project, Sydney Ducks, is set in a parallel future San Francisco, where global warming and earthquakes have reshaped life in the Bay Area. The inventive narratives expand Walter's interest in Darwinist theory of human production and biologist Richard Dawkins' idea of the meme as a unit of cultural replication.
The exhibition is curated by Glen Helfand, critic and chair of Graduate Curatorial Practice at California College of the Arts. "Walter's work is deceptively playful. Beneath his universe of fluorescently colored characters are provocative takes on the human body, health, and art history. It is edifying fun," Helfand says. "It's also exciting to see this new residency bringing artists into the Bay Area's active scientific community."
John Walter says "This has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a major new body of work, in an exciting new place, within the context of cutting edge science".
Walkthrough and discussion with the Artist: Wednesday, July 26, 5-6.30pm
Join artist John Walter, QBI scientist Antoine Forget, and curator Glen Helfand for conversation on the themes of art and scientific research.
Register for the event on Eventbrite.
ABOUT QBI
The Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) fosters collaborations across the biomedical and the physical sciences, seeking quantitative methods to address pressing problems in biology biomedicine. Motivated by problems of human disease, QBI is committed to investigating fundamental biological mechanisms, because ultimately solutions to many diseases have been revealed by unexpected discoveries in the basic sciences.
ABOUT THE QBI ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE
The QBI artist-in-residence program aims to pave an intersection of science and art in the San Francisco Bay Area. The program aspires to stimulate creative processes in the biosciences by connecting bold scientists with curious artists to form collaborations that facilitate imaginative discoveries.
Follow QBI
qbi.ucsf.edu | Facebook.com/qbiucsf | Twitter.com/qbi_ucsf | YouTube.com/qbitvucsf
ABOUT JOHN WALTER
Dr John Walter is a British artist (born 1978) based in London. This is his first exhibition on the West Coast of the USA. He received a BFA (Hons) from the University of Oxford, an MFA from UCL, and later a PhD from the University of Westminster. He is known for large-scale installations comprising painting, video and performance, such as Alien Sex Club (2015) and CAPSID (2018), which address HIV as a crisis of representation. He curated Shonky: The Aesthetics of Awkwardness for Hayward Touring Exhibitions. He has undertaken a number of residencies including Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (2012), and The British School at Rome (2006-8). His work has been collected by institutions including the Arts Council Collection and the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool.
Learn more at http://www.johnwalter.net
For more on Walter, see this video interview.
The artist is available for interviews.
read more
Public reception: Thursday, July 27, 5-8 pm
Walkthrough and discussion with the Artist: Wednesday, July 26, 5-6.30pm
Gallery Hours: 12pm-5pm
SOMArts Cultural Center
934 Brannan St, San Francisco, CA 94103
Node Mulch is an exhibition of new work by London-based artist John Walter, created during his tenure as inaugural QBI artist-in-residence. Starting in the fall of 2022, he worked alongside scientists at UCSF undertaking research into viruses, cancers and the interactions between small molecules. This is an exciting new initiative that brings together the Bay Area's scientific and art communities. The gallery presentation, at SOMArts Cultural Center, showcases the vast and vibrant range of his playfully incisive work. His new body of work comprises painting, drawing, artist's books, sculpture, costume, and video.
Walter, whose previous work has addressed HIV in sexual health and bioscience, eschews existing notions of "Sci-Art", weaving scientific narratives, imagery and ideas together within a broader cultural milieu. He has sought to question the role of artist-in-residence, moving beyond illustrating the science to establish the artist as a divergent thinker, and a sensual visual communicator. As part of the residency he has created a new series of paintings for Ward 86, HIV Care Center at San Francisco General Hospital.
The title Node Mulch refers on one hand to the nodes in network diagrams created by QBI scientists, and on another hand to Walter's analogy that art-making is analogous to farming, involving the breeding and decomposition of images (mulching). Walter's art mulches a diversity of artistic references from Hieronymus Bosch to Keith Haring. The work created during the residency draws inspiration from alchemical emblems - allegorical images that illustrate early science.
Walter's residency included research into regional histories. Of particular interest were The Sydney Ducks, a Gold Rush gang of Australian immigrants who were notorious denizens of the Barbary Coast. His NFT project, Sydney Ducks, is set in a parallel future San Francisco, where global warming and earthquakes have reshaped life in the Bay Area. The inventive narratives expand Walter's interest in Darwinist theory of human production and biologist Richard Dawkins' idea of the meme as a unit of cultural replication.
The exhibition is curated by Glen Helfand, critic and chair of Graduate Curatorial Practice at California College of the Arts. "Walter's work is deceptively playful. Beneath his universe of fluorescently colored characters are provocative takes on the human body, health, and art history. It is edifying fun," Helfand says. "It's also exciting to see this new residency bringing artists into the Bay Area's active scientific community."
John Walter says "This has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a major new body of work, in an exciting new place, within the context of cutting edge science".
Walkthrough and discussion with the Artist: Wednesday, July 26, 5-6.30pm
Join artist John Walter, QBI scientist Antoine Forget, and curator Glen Helfand for conversation on the themes of art and scientific research.
Register for the event on Eventbrite.
ABOUT QBI
The Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) fosters collaborations across the biomedical and the physical sciences, seeking quantitative methods to address pressing problems in biology biomedicine. Motivated by problems of human disease, QBI is committed to investigating fundamental biological mechanisms, because ultimately solutions to many diseases have been revealed by unexpected discoveries in the basic sciences.
ABOUT THE QBI ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE
The QBI artist-in-residence program aims to pave an intersection of science and art in the San Francisco Bay Area. The program aspires to stimulate creative processes in the biosciences by connecting bold scientists with curious artists to form collaborations that facilitate imaginative discoveries.
Follow QBI
qbi.ucsf.edu | Facebook.com/qbiucsf | Twitter.com/qbi_ucsf | YouTube.com/qbitvucsf
ABOUT JOHN WALTER
Dr John Walter is a British artist (born 1978) based in London. This is his first exhibition on the West Coast of the USA. He received a BFA (Hons) from the University of Oxford, an MFA from UCL, and later a PhD from the University of Westminster. He is known for large-scale installations comprising painting, video and performance, such as Alien Sex Club (2015) and CAPSID (2018), which address HIV as a crisis of representation. He curated Shonky: The Aesthetics of Awkwardness for Hayward Touring Exhibitions. He has undertaken a number of residencies including Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (2012), and The British School at Rome (2006-8). His work has been collected by institutions including the Arts Council Collection and the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool.
Learn more at http://www.johnwalter.net
For more on Walter, see this video interview.
The artist is available for interviews.
show less
Date/Times:
934 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
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