Transforming the Mundane

John Waters, best known for creating trashy and outrageous films, is the curator of "Home Improvements," the inaugural exhibit at FraenkelLAB, a gallery opening next week in Hayes Valley.

On Friday, April 15, less than a week after Waters' "trash trilogy" film retrospective closed at the Roxie Theater (Arts & Culture, March 31), the new gallery show will feature 13 artists whose works "transform the mundane and pay tribute to quotidian domestic materials: shopping bags, a wall mirror, bath towels, staples, a stroller," according to the gallery.

The works "reveal unexpected aesthetic pleasure in overlooked fixtures of the home, such as a light switch, a floor mat, stereo equipment, a breaker box, toilet paper, and kitchen sponge," according to the gallery. The exhibit includes a sculpture by Waters, a bondage-themed baby stroller decorated with raunchy logos of defunct and existing sex clubs, which is equipped with a leather harness, entitled "Bill's Stroller."

In an interview with the B.A.R., gallery co-owner Jeffrey Fraenkel said he met Waters many years ago at the Fraenkel Gallery, his world-renowned photography gallery at 49 Geary. Both passionate art collectors, the two became friends, Fraenkel said.

As Frankel developed the concept for a new gallery, "a place we could show adventurous artwork in any medium," he thought Waters would be the perfect person to curate the opening show.

Shortly after the space at 1632 Market Street in San Francisco was leased, Fraenkel and Waters were having dinner across the street at Zuni Cafe. After dinner, Fraenkel showed the space to Waters, following up with an email asking Waters if he'd consider the job. "He said yes pretty quickly," said Fraenkel.

Waters' inspiration for creating "Bill's Stroller" came from Provincetown's Gay Family Week, he said in an interview in Artforum (Dec. 29, 2014). "Bill is my fake son," explained Waters. "I had him made. He is an angry baby with bad hair. He was also my Christmas card one year, and people believed my fatherhood was true," he said. In creating the gay-themed carriage, "I'm trying to pay tribute to the passing of time for an outlaw minority that is now eager to be middle-class," he explained.

The "Home Improvements" show, said Waters in a press release, features "humble but surprisingly imperious paintings, sculptures, photographs, and drawings." Describing the exhibit as "a celebration of the low-tech concept of 'remodeling,'" Waters said the show "will hopefully make any serious property owner want to throw caution to the wind, pack up their living space, and start over."

In explaining the opening of a new gallery, Jeffrey Fraenkel said in a press release that FraenkelLAB "will be a versatile space that allows us to expand the horizons of our programming, and work with an even broader community of artists and collectors."

Frish Brandt, the gallery's co-owner, said, "We often encounter artwork of immense interest that we are unable to incorporate" into their main gallery. "FraenkelLAB gives us an open-ended schedule and a flexible space for work in any medium. FraenkelLAB should also be an uncommonly welcoming venue for unpredictable events that involve our dynamic and ever-growing arts community."

The "Home Improvements" exhibit features 13 contemporary artists: Martin Creed, Moyra Davey, Vincent Fecteau, Paul Gabrielli, Gelitin, Paul Lee, Tony Matelli, Doug Padgett, Karin Sander, Gedi Sibony, Lily van der Stokker, George Stoll, and John Waters. The opening reception will be held April 15, 5-9 p.m. During the remainder of the show, the gallery hours will be Wed.-Fri., 5-9 p.m., Sat, Noon-7 p.m., Sun., 11 a.m.-3 p.m., and by appointment.

The gallery's next show, June 3-July 2, will feature the work of Richard T. Walker, currently based in San Francisco. Walker creates videos, photographic works, installations, and performances focusing on the experience of our surrounding environments.