New exhibit: East meets West in Sonoma

The Sonoma Valley Art Museum's new dual exhibit a sensory feast, with a message.|

Look, Listen, Do: current programming at SVMA

What: Opening Reception

When: Saturday, Jan 19, 6 to 8 p.m. (Member's private viewing at 5 p.m.)

Cost: Members free, General Public $10

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What: Phillip K. Smith, III, in conversation with SFSU professor Gwen Allen

When: Saturday, Jan. 19 at noon

Why: Art History professor Gwen Allen engages light artist Phillip K. Smith, III, in a public conversation about his first Northern California museum exhibit.

Cost: Members $12, General Public $15

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What: Wanxin Zhang workshop and tour

When: Saturday, Feb 2, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Why: Workshop and talk with ceramicist Wanxin Zhang. Create figurative clay forms in SVMA's studio.

Cost: Members $65, General Public $75

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What: Richard Shaw workshop and tour

When: Saturday, March 10, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Why: Walk through the exhibit with artist Richard Shaw. Then transition to the Sonoma Community Center's ceramic studio for focused instruction on groundbreaking technic.

Cost: Members $65, General Public $75

Reservations: SVMA.org, (707) 939-7862

Antiquity and modernity find a point of connection in Sonoma Valley Museum of Art’s new dual exhibit. Featuring the works of ceramicists Richard Shaw and Wanxin Zhang and light artist Phillip K. Smith, the show is a sensory feast, paired with a message that is timely and on point.

It opens Saturday with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m., presenting a lush juxtaposition of two distinct worlds.

In the front gallery, enormous opaque curved surfaces are illuminated by hypnotically soft LED lights, moving so gradually through their spectrums of color that observing the changes forces contemplative pause. Originally part of a monumental 85-foot light pavilion, the works seek to investigate the relationship between light, form, surface and perception. Some color combinations appear to draw the observer near; others elicit a sensation of falling away.

Smith, who lives in Palm Springs, creates works influenced by the spare landscapes of that place. The desert, in its austere, plainspoken beauty, contains the gradually shifting spectrum of color that inspires Smith’s three-dimensional pieces. Though they may seem like simple constructs at first glance, they move the observer to contemplate larger themes.

Two of the vortexes are installed back to back on a specially built 12-foot wall in the center of the gallery; a third coil hangs facing the entrance, where its shifting colors can be seen through windows facing the street. Synched with the daily rhythms of dark and light, the three pieces show different faces through day and night.

Echoing Smith’s ethereal contemplation of the color spectrum, is a series of lit panels in the museum’s long hall. Designed by the museum’s deputy director of engagement and exhibitions, Margie Maynard, the colored panels seem to glow from within. The effect is something akin to entering a prism, where color and light shifts depend on angle and source. There is a funhouse mirror quality to standing before them, and opportunities to interact reflectively with what is seen.

Together, the lighted pieces reflect an avant-garde sensibility, acknowledging the inexorable forward march of time.

In the back gallery, timelessness is contemplated in the ceramic works of Shaw and Zhang. Evoking the ancient culture of China, the pieces are cheekily peppered with modern corruptions. It’s East meets West with an undercurrent of sly, political commentary, a theme that jibes well with today’s headlines.

There’s a gargantuan ceramic panda sprawled on its haunches, lifting a chocolate bar to its mouth. Around it, detritus is strewn, a despoiling collection of discarded bottles of beer. Guarding the back wall are a pair of clay warriors, the Chinese one whispering in the ear of his American compatriot, aware, perhaps, that the message may not translate. Dark themes-like war and man’s subjugation of nature-creep into many of Shaw and Zhang’s pieces. Their collaboration in this exhibit seems natural and right. Shaw was Zhang’s teacher when he was a student, and though their contributions are distinct, they clearly reflect synchronicity of mind.

The exhibition is a collaboration between the University of Santa Clara and SVMA, according to museum director Linda Keaton.

“Shaw and Zhang’s new work in this exhibition will explore the cultural dialogue between China and the West with the artists’ characteristic wit and satire,” said Keaton. “Both artists are well-known pioneers in Bay Area clay and this show will be a great opportunity to see their new works.”

The precision of the clay pieces surprises the viewer, with several pieces appearing convincingly multi-media at first glance. In one, playing cards are stacked precariously on a hardbound book titled “Stupid Stories,” all made exactingly of clay. A collection of ceramic plates holding three-dimensional amphibians are littered with puzzle pieces and other discarded objects, made from clay to look as though they’re not.

The scale of the work moves from dainty to behemoth, and careful study (or an explanation from a docent) is required to fully absorb the politicized message. While this is admittedly a collection of beautiful things, they are first and foremost purposeful pieces, engaging the viewer with both head and heart.

Email Kate at kate.williams@sonomanews.com.

Look, Listen, Do: current programming at SVMA

What: Opening Reception

When: Saturday, Jan 19, 6 to 8 p.m. (Member's private viewing at 5 p.m.)

Cost: Members free, General Public $10

-----

What: Phillip K. Smith, III, in conversation with SFSU professor Gwen Allen

When: Saturday, Jan. 19 at noon

Why: Art History professor Gwen Allen engages light artist Phillip K. Smith, III, in a public conversation about his first Northern California museum exhibit.

Cost: Members $12, General Public $15

-----

What: Wanxin Zhang workshop and tour

When: Saturday, Feb 2, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Why: Workshop and talk with ceramicist Wanxin Zhang. Create figurative clay forms in SVMA's studio.

Cost: Members $65, General Public $75

-----

What: Richard Shaw workshop and tour

When: Saturday, March 10, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Why: Walk through the exhibit with artist Richard Shaw. Then transition to the Sonoma Community Center's ceramic studio for focused instruction on groundbreaking technic.

Cost: Members $65, General Public $75

Reservations: SVMA.org, (707) 939-7862

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