The area around Sixth and Market is changing. Known as one of the most poverty-stricken parts of the city, Central Market has seen a recent surge of new businesses moving in alongside old stalwarts. The neighborhood is peppered with indie shops and boutiques, restaurants, and a host of cultural organizations. Among the newest galleries is Satellite66. Since opening in August, the space has hosted a string of forward-thinking exhibitions by the likes of Fernando Orellana and Anja Leonora Ulfeldt. It recently served as the center of a "200 Yards" show, featuring photographs that captured the complexities of life within 200 yards of the gallery. The newest exhibit opens tonight (Friday), "Gregory Eltringham: Something for Everyone," and gives the district another strong cultural jolt.
At first glance, Eltringham's paintings look like they might have hung in your grandparents' living room -- domestic interiors and portraits with a distinctly retro feel, rendered in loose, confident brushstrokes. Upon closer inspection, a kinky undercurrent comes through the Savannah artist's work. The matched pieces Nag and Filly each depict a woman wearing not much more than a horse's head.<
Paintings Suck and Crawl Space, meanwhile, are even more blatantly sexual. Eltringham creates his own world of half-perceived encounters and mysterious goings-on, and he encourages the viewer to peer into the shadows with him.
The opening reception for "Gregory Eltringham: Something for Everyone" starts tonight (Friday, March 17) at 7 p.m. (and the exhibit continues through April 7) at Satellite66, 66 Sixth St., S.F. Admission is free.
