Free Opening Reception for Local Artists at Femina Potens Gallery

http://www.feminapotens.com
Exhibit Dates: April 7th – April 28th, 2006

Femina Potens Gallery presents Greetings From the Future, a mixed-media installation featuring Brooke Leigh Fletcher and Francesca Berrini, from April 7th – April 28th, 2006.

Examining human relationships from an outsider’s perspective, Brooke Fletcher’s large scale figurative sculptures translate uncomfortable human traits into darkly grotesque caricatures. Fletcher splices her otherwise cherubic figures with distorted features and animal-like characteristics, speaking to the perspective of one who is stationed at the social margins. Pop-Surrealist Francesca Berrini displays selected works from her collection of hand-rendered mixed media collage. Combining seemingly disparate images from vintage texts and other found objects, Berrini works with the intent to “exploit humor” from the traditional and wages a jarring, if tongue-in-cheek, critique of media-based narratives. Together, their works depict subversive elements belying oft idealized, nostalgia-inducing visions of the past.

The public is invited to a free reception with the artists on Friday April 7th, 7-10pm at Femina Potens Gallery.

Brooke Fletcher received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics with Distinction from The California College of Arts and Crafts (CCA) in 1999. Currently, she and her boyfriend, along with their three dogs and kitty, reside in Richmond, California. When Brooke is not busy with her space-themed band, “Space Vacuum From Outer Space,” she is working hard at creating more artwork. You can visit Brooke’s art website at http://www.fletcherarts.com and her band’s website at http://www.spacevacuum.com.
A native of San Francisco, California, Brooke has exhibited in art shows and galleries throughout the United States. Her work can be found in private collections throughout the country. Her expression of humor and reverence for memories of people, things and situations is expressed through her sculptures.

Francesca Berrini is a visual artist whose sculptural and two-dimensional work explores innovative combinations of found materials. Whether working with scraps of metal or old schoolbooks, her process transforms them into pieces that carry an evocative sense of place and history. She is influenced equally by her study in the Furniture Design Program at the Rhode Island School of Design, as well as her professional experiences as a metal fabricator and finisher. Her work has been featured on the cover of the Stranger and Tablet weekly newspapers, as well as in the pages of Rivet, The Seattle Weekly, The Seattle Post Intelligencer, and a book of anti-war signs published in both the United States and Europe. She currently lives and maintains a studio near Portland, Oregon.

Femina Potens is a nationally recognized art gallery and performance space dedicated to the advancement of women and trans-folk through art. Sponsored by Sister Spit and the Queer Cultural Center, with support from the San Francisco Arts Commission and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Femina Potens is one of the leading queer organizations in San Francisco. Femina Potens has been featured on the Australian television show, Out and About, Q-Television, the documentary TranArchy, Japan's Foil Magazine, Bitch Magazine, and the San Francisco Guardian, which called Femina Potens a crucial bit of justice.

Femina Potens is located at 465 South Van Ness, San Francisco. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.