UNTITLED, San Francisco: 2017 Programming Highlights

Complementing a diverse roster of world-class exhibitors, Untitled, Art will debut a dynamic series of partnerships with esteemed Bay Area institutions and non-profit organizations including UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 500 Capp Street, Contemporary Jewish Museum, Headlands Center for the Arts, Kadist, The Lab, and Wattis Institute for Contemporary Art, among others. Produced in close collaboration with each of the key cultural organizations, the fair’s inclusive programming includes major site-specific installations, curated presentations, dynamic talks and related events, all taking place at the historic Pier 70, which has been re-envisioned as an immersive and dynamic environment for exhibitors and visitors alike by the renowned architectural firm Ogrydziak Prillinger Architects (OPA). Untitled, San Francisco will take place from January 13-15, 2017.  

Known for its unique curatorial approach and emphasis on artistic collaboration, Untitled, Art is led by a curatorial team consisting of Christophe Boutin, Omar López-Chahoudand Melanie Scarciglia, along with Amanda Schmitt, Untitled’s Director of Programming, and Juana Berrío, Programming and Development Advisor, Untitled, San Francisco. For its San Francisco debut, Untitled, Art is proud to partner with some of the world’s most recognizable and exciting artists and cultural innovators to bring the first international art fair to the Bay Area, while at the same time showcasing the local arts community and celebrating the city’s emerging importance as a global center for contemporary art.

500 Capp Street, home of renowned artist David Ireland, will present a series of framed, never-before-seen works on paper by the artist, and host a Dumbball making workshop—a ubiquitous David Ireland sculptural series which he produced from 1976 and that encompasses the artist’s philosophy of art making.  

The Wattis Institute for Contemporary Art, part of the California College of Arts, has an international reputation for commissioning new work by young and underrepresented artists, but it is also known in the Bay Area for its rigorous discursive programs, which take place in the Wattis Bar, an intimate gathering place designed by the artist Oscar Tuazon. At Untitled, San Francisco, the Wattis plans to merge these two themes by building a temporary bar on-site at the fair, which will serve as the hub for Untitled, Radio, a site to host public programs, and a meeting place throughout the course of the fair. The Wattis will also commission several local artists to make unique coasters for the bar. Programming will include conversations between Wattis Director & Chief Curator Anthony Huberman and collectors, curators, and artists, exploring themes such as: collecting contemporary art in San Francisco; commissioning new work in institutions, and presenting exhibitions in artist-run spaces. These programs and others will be broadcast live, on-site through Untitled, Radio.  

In addition, the Wattis Institute will present at Untitled a series of limited editions designed by artists specifically for the institute including recent editions by Joan Jonas and Sam Lewitt, among others.  

Critically acclaimed as a longstanding platform for experimental art, The Lab, along with Oakland-based artist Constance Hockaday, will produce Attention! We’ve moved, a floating performance and exhibition space installed on board a boat located adjacent to the fair. The program of experimental performance—movement, noise music, performance art —and visual art will run throughout the course of the fair and address the ongoing displacement of artists and cultural spaces; recreating a temporary version of the underground performance spaces that once existed in the abandoned industrial buildings at Pier 70.  

Other Bay Area organizations participating in Untitled, San Francisco include the UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco - de Young Museum and the Legion of Honor, Contemporary Jewish Museum, Creative Growth Art Center, Headlands Center for the Arts, Kadist, San Francisco Cinematheque, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and Southern Exposure.  

Untitled, Art is also delighted to announce the return of the TOILETPAPER lounge, an artistic collaboration between celebrated artists Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari. Launched by Cattelan and Ferrari in 2010, TOILETPAPER is a bi-annual picture-based publication showcasing vibrant, highly orchestrated images that combine the vernacular of commercial photography with twisted narrative tableaux and surrealistic imagery. Open to all, the TOILETPAPER lounge integrates this aesthetic into an immersive and communal space. Curated by Christophe Boutin and Melanie Scarciglia, the TOILETPAPER lounge first debuted at Untitled, Miami Beach, 2015, to great acclaim.  

  

The fair will also present a diverse program of artist-led projects, residencies, and affordable limited editions. For complete programming information, please visit the official Untitled, San Francisco programming page here.