Art in & around San Francisco

Sharing more of the extended research & photography of my month long ARROZidency artist-in-residence.

If you are just starting here, I recommend scrolling to the bottom to start at the beginning. View from a computer for the full experience!
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As another reminder, I've split up the work from my residency into 2 separate tags:

​For my main residency project only, visit:

VENERATING AN ICON

For the full extended roundup of my research during my residency, visit:

ARROZidency

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My month in San Francisco for my ARROZidency was surrounded by art and creatives. I felt/feel incredibly fortunate & grateful for the experience, because I got to meet so many artists, as well as reconnect with artists & friends I hadn't seen in real life for a number of years. It was amazing to feel like I was immersed in a community of creatives again, & also have access to art everywhere. From my residency studio, its facilities & all the people who work there, to the galleries just across the street, to even the temp sublet I was renting in Nob Hill.

Of course, while spending my time getting creative & connecting with other artists, I also got to experience some exhibitions & soak up some inspiration that way. Here's a few shows I got to check out in-person!

​Photographs were created with my Nikon ZF & a 24-70mm lens.

Click any image below to enlarge.

Spirit House at Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University

My residency host invited me, another artist at the studio (who was also a former AIR) & his spouse to check out the last few days of Spirit House at the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University. You can check out a virtual tour of the program on their website. I appreciate that some institutions & arts spaces still offer this accessibility option for the many reasons some cannot make it to art exhibitions in-person. I also did not photograph every single work, just a few of my favorites. So definitely head over to their website to view the full exhibition of works & to learn more!

The artwork themselves were phenomenal, the collection was a great choice, & the placement of everything was very thoughtful. I have no notes or edits on the layout, selection, or the artwork at all. I just have a lot to say about exhibitions like these. However, I'm not an art critic, so I'm saving that discourse for real life conversations. If you know me, you already know how I feel about it. ;)
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Stephanie H. Shih
Offering (Ash Tower), 2023
ceramic and steel
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Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya
What Remains, 2024
​rice boxes, paint, rice, rebar, wood, cast hands, beads, thread, rope, wire, and textile

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right:
Cathy Lu
Banana Tree, 2023
ceramic and joss sticks

left:
Reagan Louie
Window, San Francisco, Chinatown, 2005
archival pigment print
edition 2 of 5

I might be biased, because I love photography (obviously) & didn't see a lot of of it in the exhibition, but Louie's photo was probably my favorite piece in the show. Not necessarily because it was a photograph, but the simplicity of a still life photo down to the smaller scale of the piece compared to the (sometimes) overwhelming size of everything else managed to say a lot. Sometimes less is more, & this piece truly embodied that for me. This was a peak into someone's world, something that was relatable for me in just this one small photo. I'm not Chinese, but it's something about the clutter and maximalism of a small space that speaks to the universal experience of growing up in a small immigrant household.

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Nina Molloy
Shrine, 2021–2022
oil on canvas

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Tuan Andrew Nguyen
Nothing Is Ever Lost, Nothing Ever Gained, 2022
brass from artillery shells, mounted on black stainless steel

Nothing Ever Dies, 2022
singing bowl pounded from 122 mm brass artillery shell, tuned to note G at 410 Hz

Tidawhitney Lek
Refuge, 2023
acrylic, pastel, and oil on canvas

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Dinh Q. Lê
​Cambodia Reamker #29, 2022
​Epson inkjet print on Epson double-weight matte paper, acid-free double-sided tape, and PH-neutral linen book tape

Maia Cruz Palileo
Big Lolo, Little Lolo, 2021
wood, milk paint, table

Korakrit Arunanondchai
Shore of Security, 2022
repurposed wooden dollhouse made by the artist's mother, wood, house paint polyurethane, fabric sculpture, ceramics snake skeleton, and LED lights

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Namita Paul
Testimony, 2023
canvas and gifted textiles, thread, gold leaf, gold spray paint, lentils, wheat berries, and photo transfer

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I don't think these tapestries were technically part of the exhibition? There seems to be no clickable description about them in the virtual tour — so, unsure!

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Friend & residency co-host Malou with her baby girl, Habibi!

Oscar yi Hou
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, aka: Bushwick Bleeding Hearts Club, 2022
oil and gouache on canvas

Cian Dayrit's LibertIEs Were Taken at Root Division

I got to check out Cian Dayrit's solo exhibition Liberties Were Taken at Root Division during SF Art Week, a week-long celebrations of San Francisco's art scene that takes place across multiple galleries and creative spaces. I attended a curator-led walkthrough of the exhibition that was very informative, & the curator was a very professional presenter, making it was clear they did a lot of research and studying for this exhibition. Also got to meet a rad fellow photographer, Hunter, who works at the gallery & took this photo of me in action, haha!

Here were some of my fav pieces from the show. While I did enjoy the Spirit House exhibition a lot, I have to say I liked this one more. And not because the artist is Filipino, but I appreciate smaller community art spaces like these more over large institutions.

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Minnesota Street Project's Dark Matter for SF Art Week 2025

Last but not least, I got to check out Dark Matter presented by The Space Program at Minnesota Street Project for SF Art Week, one of the main events of the week.

I was very lucky to have been located so close to this event, with the studios being just across the street. One of the artists at the studio whom I'd gotten to know over the month also had work part of this program. I also learnt this night, that the owner of Re.riddle (one of the gallery spaces at Minnesota Street Project) was also the curator of the exhibition I got to see at Edge on the Square! It was really amazing in the end how all my experiences connected with each other.

Below are a few of my fav pieces from Dark Matter, but here is a full list of works if you'd like you see what else was shown. Some of the work below was not part of the Dark Matter​ program, but from exhibitions at one of the galleries that were open during the opening night — so make sure to check out that image list for accuracy!

Maria A. Guzmán Capron and Seth Capron
Lap Chair
powder coated aluminum
19"x55"x55"
2025

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Ben Venom
Night Flyers, 2024
hand-made quilt with fabric
39” x 51”

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Rachelle Reichert
​Wildfires, 2024
San Francisco Bay salt, redwood ashes from California wildfires, and mixed media on panel
48" x 48.5"

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Jud Bergeron
Layered #1-4, 2024
ink and copper leaf on paper
33" x 25"

left:
​Richard Colman 
Untitled (Aluminum Leaf), 2024
20” x 23”
silkscreen, acrylic and aluminum leaf on paper

right: 
Untitled (Gold Leaf), 2024
20” x 23”
silkscreen, acrylic and gold leaf on paper

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Demetri Broxton
Just Beyond the Waters, 2025
sequins, glass and wood beads, rayon tassels, silver, quartz,
and cowrie shells on sateen cotton, linen, wool, and birch
21" x 38"

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Andy Diaz Hope
Future Memory: Juniper, 2023
17" x 26" unframed
digital and physical collage, silkscreen, and photography on paper

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left:
Oliver Hawk Holden
Watermelon inflatable in solidarity with Palestine, 2023
Ripstop nylon, HVAC fan, plywood, and sheet metal 
8' x 8' x 16'

​top right:
Jay Howell 
22” x 24”
Untitled, 2024
​5 color silkscreen

​bottom right painting: 
Yarrow Slaps
Castles burn and new grounds rise, 2024
12" x 12"
acrylic on canvas

bottom right sculptures:
Yarrow Slaps
Star Lady Plant Head and King Bruh Bruh w the glasses, 2024
ceramic

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Charlene Tan
Kumot ng Bata, a Homage. 2024
silver leaf, abalone, capiz, cowrie shell, airport reflective glass beads, micro beads, paint, glue, and digital print on aluminum panel
54” x 72”

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Gianluca Franzese
Arteries of the Earth, 2024 
aluminum leaf, silver leaf, copper leaf, 12k white gold leaf, 18k and 22k gold leaf with acrylic glazes on panel
48 x 60.75"

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​Mildred Howard's Bottle Houses at Anglim/Trimble.

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Kira Dominguez Hultgren’s Our daily parenthetical at Eleanor Harwood Gallery.

Works from Rena Bransten Gallery's Summoning group exhibition.

left: 
Lava Thomas
I Walk in the Light of My Ancestors' Prayers, 2024
altered tambourines, acrylic marker on metallic leather, mirrored acrylic disks, grosgrain ribbon
59.5" x 115.25" x 2"

​right:
​Viviana Paredes
Everywhere / nowhere, 2018
cast glass, ceramic beads, steel plate
sculpture: 6" x 13" x 10"
steel plate: 15" x 13" x 0.25"

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A final post & conclusion of my photos & research from my residency are forthcoming & will be tagged under ARROZidency.

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If you've read this far, thank you! Please feel free to share your thoughts or any questions in the comments.