SHORTS @MCASD; Ready to Pop part of the San Diego Asian Film Festival

 by Patricia Frischer

The San Diego Asian Film Festival is November 5–14 in its 27th year bringing its largest program yet to San Diego with 190 films from more than 30 countries and 30 languages. The six short films at MCASD are a tiny taste of what you can expect and they are as varied as the word Asian can be.  There are swimming animations, rock climbing and angel performance artists, calisthenics, a made-up animal, a fire spirit and a heat images vision of a city. You can see descriptions of all the films on their site with brief descriptions of the six films in the first set called READY TO POP.   

The San Diego Asian Film Festival is offering two unique programs of short films on view through a special partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.  SDAFF programs run hourly in MCASD’s downstairs galleries (3^rd floor down near the elevator). 

Regular museum admission allows access to SDAFF’s SHORTS @MCASD films. READY TO POP is Thur. Nov 5 – Sun Nov 8 and is report on here.  PHASE RELATIONS  is Thus. Nov 12 to Sun Nov 15. 

You can also see Visiones Nocturnas: Queer Nightlife in Contemporary Art while you are there which is reported on by SDVAN.  

KARA: THE BURNING WOMAN - Si Kara: Ang Babaye Nga Nagdaba-daba directed by Dale. Amidst killings in their countryside community, residents evolve deadly antibodies with toxic gases fatal to nonresidents. In the city, Kara experiences an extreme increase in body temperature, while her father attempts to cool her down in absurd ways.

KARA: THE BURNING WOMAN - Si Kara: Ang Babaye Nga Nagdaba-daba directed by Dale

KARA: THE BURNING WOMAN - Si Kara: Ang Babaye Nga Nagdaba-daba directed by Dale

THE TIMES ARE CALLING directed by Shu Chutian. Soft resistance comes alive in the midst of one of the most familiar sets of radio calisthenics practiced by Chinese middle and high school students.

THE TIMES ARE CALLING directed by Shu Chutian.

YOUR CITY directed by Ting Su. A fragmented memoir-diary disguised as a disaster film. What begins as a mundane phone call slowly unravels into a storm of uncertainty. Between Shenzhen and New York, cities built by migration and constant change: two queer voices, a river of analog film and thermal imagery.

HEAD OF A CAMEL directed by Shannon Lee. A Korean American woman attempts to connect with her cultural roots by conjuring up a mystical creature from an ancient Daoist recipe.

HEAD OF A CAMEL directed by Shannon Lee

TAMASHI directed by Ashima Shiraishi, Jess X. Snow Water once flowed in the desert of Payahuunadu valley. Ashima Shiraishi, a former child prodigy climber, alongside their butoh dancer father, offers a ceremony of climbing and dance to invite healing to both their fractured relationship and the land of Paiute.

TAMASHI directed by Ashima Shiraishi, Jess X. Snow

TAMASHI directed by Ashima Shiraishi, Jess X. Snow

BEACH DAY directed by Damian Gong.  BEACH DAY Fish, bodybuilders, and soccer games re-materialize in a boy's mind. as part of the San Diego Asian Film Festival 

BEACH DAY directed by Damian Gong.

SHORTS @MCASD part of the San Diego Asian Film Festival
READY TO POP is Thur. Nov 5 – Sun Nov 8
and PHASE RELATIONS Thus. Nov 12 to Sun Nov 15
The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego 
700 Prospect St.,La Jolla, CA 92037
Thursday—Saturday: 11AM—7PM, Sunday: 11AM—5PM
and PHASE RELATIONS Thus. Nov 12 to Sun Nov 15
The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego 
700 Prospect St., La Jolla, CA 92037
Thursday—Saturday: 11AM—7PM, Sunday: 11AM—5PM
Free every second Sunday and third Thursday of the month
The San Diego Asian Film Festival  November 5–14 at various venues

Visiones Nocturnas: Queer Nightlife in Contemporary Art at the Museum of Contemporary Art, La Jolla

 by Patricia Frischer

Andes Payan Estrada

The cross-border theme is an essential part of the San Diego art environment. Although the New York disco scene is one that most people of heard of with dance clubs, dive bars and bathhouses, this show is all about the queer nightlife  of the Latine and Latin American  community. The works in the show are from 1990 to the present and stretch along the border from El Paseo to San Diego with documentation of Los Angeles and as far north as San Francisco.

There are painting, photography, sculpture, textile, collage, video, but you have to use your imagination if you want to fill the space with gyrating half nude figures dancing the night away. Even with the encouragement to come onto the checkerboard dance floor and follow the video’s contained energy, or wonder through the silk curtains of the Visiones Nocturnas, the space seemed empty, and maybe it is that sense of emptiness that is a commentary on the angst of being a queer Latine.  The show was conceived by Andres Payan Estrada and curated at MCASD by Amy Crum. The opening reception party surely gave a whole new upbeat vibe to the exhibition. 

Andes Payan Estrada, detail

Installation view

Joey Terrill

Isa Ybarra

Juan Arango Palacios

Martine Gutierrez's clubbing video

Visiones Nocturnas: Queer Nightlife in Contemporary Art
The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego 
On view until Jan 10, 2027
700 Prospect St.,La Jolla, CA 92037
Thursday—Saturday: 11AM—7PM, Sunday: 11AM—5PM
Free every second Sunday and third Thursday of the month

Sasha Koozel Reibstein: Eternity Utters A Day at Quint Gallery

 By Patricia Frischer

 

Eternity Utters A Day seems to have so much to do with time. Time not just as a way to sequence events, but as a construct. Time could be an object that  can puts stress in our lives…not enough time, not enough hours in the day. But what if time is actually sacred. That is  when we think of time as eternity…a time when time has no end. And time can have no definition at all when we are truly present.

When you are an artist, and you are fully involved in the process of making, you lose track of time. it is the best experience as it removes you from all the outside worries. For Sasha Koozel Reibstein, the outpouring of work in this exhibition including vessels for plants and candles set in an environment of nature, means she has had a windfall of timeless moments.  

The show is joyful and full of surprises. And she is offering you the chance to take home a little piece of her peace. 

Installation view

Sasha Koozel Reibstein: Eternity Utters A Day
Quint Gallery
On view until Nov 25, 2026
7722 Girard Avenue, La Jolla, CA 92037
info@quintgallery.com  858.454.3409
Tuesday-Saturday 11am-5pm

Forest for the Trees - Stephen P. Curry and Jeff Irwin at R.B. Stevenson

 by Patricia Frischer

Stephen P. Curry and Jeff Irwin

You can’t see the forest for the trees is a proverb  that dates back to at least the 16th century in England, appearing in print around 1546 by John Heywood. Basically, you miss the big picture by getting too involved in the details.

But the more fascinating thing about this exhibition is the relationship of these two artists who are colleagues. It is the 17^th century intense lighting of the Baroque that Curry shines on his painted trees, while Irwin’s all white sculptures create the same high relief shadows.  Irwin has long worked with stumps, log and branching shapes, incorporating animal parts to make fantastical objects. Seeing the works side by side is really thrilling as they are so complimentary.

Is this a bigger picture that is missing? Could be, but it is enough to see two such talented artists in the same space. 

 Stephen P. Curry

Jeff Irwin

 Stephen P. Curry

 Stephen P. Curry

Jeff Irwin

Jeff Irwin

 Stephen P. Curry

Stephen P. Curry and Jeff Irwin

FOREST for the TREES - Stephen P. Curry and Jeff Irwin
R.B. Stevenson Gallery
On View until Nov 21, 2026
7661 Girard Avenue, Suite 10, La Jolla, 92037
rbstevensongallery@sbcglobal.net  (858) 459-3917
Tue to Sat: 11:30 to 5 pm

Small Wonder at PHES Gallery

 By Patricia Frischer

 

Gail Schneider

Gail Schneider

Small Wonder at PHES Gallery is the third large exhibition to open in the last couple of weeks that has been reported on this blog. Techne Art Center’s Persistent Vision had multiple works by more than a dozen artists. Cannon Gallery’s 2026 Biennial Everywhere Home showcased 83 works by 84 artists. Now, Small Wonder present 74 works by 32 artists. What makes this show special, besides the high quality of choice for the show by owners Paul Henry and Ellen Speert, is that all the works are priced under $500. 

We don’t have to mention that artists in San Diego need to make sales to afford to stay in our region. So several of the displays contain multiple works and although priced separately, they would be great impact displayed together.

As the holidays approach, please remember that Artist Sunday is Nov 29^th and PHES is a great place to shop to support our locals.  

Gallery Overview

Julia CR Gray

Heidi Rufeh

Alexandra Babic

Nanette Newbry

Barbara Jarman

Richard Hawks

Rosemary KimBal

Lauren Lee Cherry was showing her jewelry creations in a pop up display
on the porch of PHES during the opening reception. 

Gallery Overview

Small Wonder
PHES Gallery
On view until Jan 2. 2027
2633 State Street, Carlsbad Village, Carlsbad, 92008
Thursday - Saturday, 2-7pm and by appointment
More info: Paul Henry  760-696-3022

Persistence of Vision at Techne Art Center

by Patricia Frischer

Chuck Thomas

Techne Art Center is known for its large spaces where it is able to show multiple works by multiple artists. The Persistence of Vision exhibition is no exception. But the persistence of the tile has lots to do with the efforts of owner/director Chuck Thomas. 

You only have to look at Thomas’s own artwork to see that his aesthetic taste is truly reflected throughout the exhibition. Thomas makes highly patterned work with a great deal of detail. They are whole heartedly and fearlessly committed  to color. The fact that walls for this show have been emblazoned and saturated with color is amazingly successful with his choice of these art works. 

To drive home the point, details of some the art is included below and these mini compositions are a proof of the charmingly obsessive nature of the techniques used. The color drenched walls and art are simply joyful to see and the quality of art is so high from both local and New York artist, that the show is highly recommended. In other words, don’t miss this one and if you have not been to the gallery before, this is the one to see. 

Chuck Thomas

 

Chuck Thomas, detail

Overview of the gallery

Cynthia Lin

Cynthia Lin, detail

Daniel Weiner

Daniel Weiner, detail

Daniel Weiner

David Ambrose

David Ambrose, detail

Kim Manfredi

Kim Manfredi

Kaori Fukuyama

Kaori Fukuyama

Kaori Fukuyama

Kaori Fukuyama

Rachel Hellerich

Rachel Hellerich

Eva Struble

Kelly Witmer

Gabrielle Berens

Gabrielle Berens

Doreen McCarthy

Doreen McCarthy

Dave Kinsey

Dave Kinsey

Cat Gunn

You can see more of the works by each of these artists: David Ambrose, Gabrielle Berens, Kaori Fukuyama, Cat Gunn, Rachel Hellerich, Dave Kinsey, Cynthia Lin, Kim Manfredi, Doreen McCarthy, Eva Struble, Daniel Weiner, Kelly Witmer 

Persistence of Vision
Techne Art Center
On view until Jan 23, 2027
1609 Ord Way, Oceanside, CA 92056
Chuck Thomas 917-972-1752
Hours:Thurs. - Sat 1-6pm