"Oddkin" Group Exhibition

SAN FRANCISCO—There’s more than one way to make “oddkin.” Ecofeminist Donna Haraway coined the term to urge us to make multi-species connections for planetary survival—to see a part of ourselves in an unfamiliar other. The mix of Bay Area-born, -based, and -linked artists in the group exhibition Oddkin at Hashimoto Contemporary expand the term from its interspecies origins, celebrating unusual kinship relations from supernatural animal connections to the joy and heartache of interpersonal love. Together, the eclectic styles, mediums, and narratives on view show the many ways we can create and stay in relation while expanding whom (or what) one can be in relation with. 

Predators like lizards and hawks might not typically be classified as heartwarming animals, but artists Kristen Liu-Wong and Ben Venom embrace these peculiar human-predator connections. Liu-Wong’s painting on wood panel depicts a crazed reptilian-looking woman gorging on noodles as she hand-feeds live mice to her lizards; the bright pinks and saturated blues of Venom’s handmade quilt outline fantastical birds of prey in soft, comforting materials. Artists Serena Viola Corson and Austin Elfio Montanari honor human-animal relationships through the lens of myth and sport. Corson paints a blonde Wiccan clinging to her black billy goat amid the heat of apocalyptic flame; Montanari captures the breaking point between a bull and rider as the demonized animal tosses the slim, anonymous cowboy into the air, hurtling towards the ground.

The bonds between our own species are not forgotten. Pro-skateboarder Marbie depicts the angelic love of her friends and community through color-blocked figures embracing each other in paintings and as wooden wall hangings; Annie Duncan’s larger-than-life shaving razors entangled each other in their own private ritual, emphasizing how even our possessions form relationships when we cohabitate. Gina M. Contreras and Chase Irvin center the isolating aspects of being in relation, depicting themselves in intimate interiors, contemplating the pain of having taken a chance and the grief of losing that pleasure. From a bird’s-eye view, Oddkin displays the many forms of relations found and built in the Bay Area and beyond—a celebration of the desire to make oddkin. 

The exhibition opens on Saturday, May 4th, with a reception from 5-7 pm, and will be on view through May 25th. Many artists will attend the opening. For additional information, images, and interview opportunities, contact SF@hashimotocontemporary.com.