SF Weekly: MINI MARKET press

"Mini Market"

Date/Time:Daily from Fri., August 22 until Sat., August 30

Because You Can’t Wear a Painting

By Traci Vogel

Last year, artist Takashi Murakami erected a Louis Vuitton shop in the middle of Los Angeles’ Museum of Contemporary Art. It caused something of an uproar. Art critic Lee Rosenbaum said that the shop “co-opts museums as shameless corporate marketing tools.” The New Yorker’s Peter Schjeldahl, however, thought it provided “a haven from the strident grotesquerie of what might be termed Murakami’s fine-art product lines.” Despite the divergent opinions about Murakami’s show, there’s no disputing that it’s becoming increasingly fashionable to blend boutique commerce and art galleries. The "Mini Market" pop-up store is a fine example of the trend. Gallery owner Jessica Silverman invited fashionista Carolina Amaris to curate all kinds of desirables, including vintage Vivienne Westwood garments; jewelry by Todd Sensoli and Giles & Brother; and the kitsch-a-riffic zebra-striped bodybuilding pants known as Zubaz. Silverman describes "Mini Market" as a “concept shop,” so the merchandise may rotate, but the artsy aesthetic remains. Catch it tonight before it transforms back into plywood. There will be fresh local food catered by Keiko Takano, nail painting by Beauty Bar grad Tanya Wischerath, and “homemade tarot” by Jessica Miller.

Zubaz @ Mini Market

For a limited time only San Francisco can try on, rock and flaunt Zubaz. Available at Mini Market until August 30. $40 - what a steal! They come in 2 color and 3 color!

On a monumental day during the early 1990's two bodybuilders, Dan Stock and Bob Truax were tired of lifting weights in pants that didn't have a zebra print on them. So the two put their bright minds together and decided to make a pair of pants that did have a zebra print in every color combination imaginable and were comfortable and functional for weighlifting. The results were these bad boys.

According to Wikipedia, in 1991, Zubaz sold 100 million worth of product.

Press: Nylonmag.com

SUPER MARKET SWEEP

Your shopping habit can actually turn you into an art collector.

Art and commerce have always been bedfellows, but San Francisco’s Silverman Gallery and Look Boutique are making the bond that unites a bit stronger through the pop-up shop Mini Market.

“In an art show, we are very inconspicuous about pricing. My co-curator, Carolina Amaris and I were really interested in seeing how people would react if things were packaged in a different way,” explains Jessica Silverman, director and curator of the gallery hosting the store through August. “Here we have labels that have picked up on the language of a supermarket. There’s no type of guessing game.”

The result is a genre-bending collection of items for sale, including T-shirts by graphic designer Chris Rubino, posters by General Idea, earrings by May In December, and gold-plated pieces from CITIZEN:Citizen’s Coke Spoon collection. Prices—ranging from $1 for a button to $800 for a limited edition work of art—reflect this diversity.

It’s not just wares that Mini Market is peddling; one-off events, like a discussion on punk and fashion and an evening of tarot card reading, are scheduled until the pop-up shop closes at the end of the month. As Silverman explains, “Sometimes talent doesn’t come in a neatly packaged pair of earrings. What better way to do it than give them a space for a few hours in the afternoon and let them sell their product?”

Our favorite from the lineup is nail artist Tanya Wischerath, whose literal take on art results in fingernail-sized paintings of the Venus de Milo. It may not have the scope of the Sistine Chapel, but her nail art proves that masterpieces can come in small, easy-to-travel sizes.
REBECCA WILLA DAVIS

Mini Market, 804 Sutter Street, San Francisco

This story was published on August 14, 2008.

Press: JCREPORT.com

Mini Market Goes Big

August 13th, 2008 - San Francisco

Thanks to London's Portobello Road, Paris' Les Puces and Sydney's Paddington Bazaar, markets are highly regarded as hotbeds of art, fashion and commerce. Now, thanks to San Francisco's Silverman Gallery, Look Boutique and design collective Citizen:Citizen, the Bay Area has a destination market of its own.

The three entities have joined forces to present Mini Market, a month-long project that recreates the camaraderie and creative exchange of a great flea market. "We wanted to show artists and designers we love, but can't fit in our already tight exhibition schedules," says Jessica Silverman, whose eponymous gallery shares space with Carolina Amaris' avant-garde lifestyle boutique, Look. "It’s all about opening up a platform for new ideas and discussion," she adds.

Citizen:Citizen's Philip Wood has designed a massive wooden "market stall" installation—filled with merchandise from a roster of emerging art and fashion talent—to greet visitors as they enter the space. Patrons can peruse wares like limited edition prints of Ari Marcopoulos' skate photography, vintage garments from Nasty Gal and sunglasses from Benjamin Eyewear, alongside the design collective's gold-dipped Coke Spoon collection and Quilt.

There's a series of events planned for the month to bring a market-inspired buzz to the space: tarot readings as well as nail art by local artists, and a talk on the intersection of punk music and fashion. As if this weren't enough, the crew is already planning to take their format on the road, with talks in the works for New York, Los Angeles and Miami Mini Markets. We just hope the Portobello traders are taking notes.

—Erin Magner

Press: Refinery29.com

Look Out: Mini Market Sets Up Shop in San Francisco

By Sydney Pfaff

In San Francisco's Downtown neighborhood, this weekend served as the launch for month-long exhibition, Mini Market. Jessica Silverman and Carolina Amaris of Silverman Gallery/Look Boutique fame paired up with Philip Wood of CITIZEN:Citizen—plus many other contributing artists from Berlin, Los Angeles, New York. and more—to create a boutique exhibition bringing "the art of shopping and shopping for art under one roof," in their Sutter Street shop.


The party was packed with fashion experts, including the boys of menswear favorite Nice Collective, Brandon Scott of menswear line B.Son, ex-pro-skateboarder Keith Hufnagel of cult streetwear label Huf, and the ladies of Nasty Gal Vintage.

Bi-coastal artist Junior—also known as Surface magazine publisher Riley John-Donnell— and LA-based Alexander Kroll also attended the show in which they both contributed artwork (and Riley was seen purchasing a sweet sweatshirt from Berlin label Starstyling).



Photos by Philip Nguyen.

MINI MARKET: SCHEDULE and UPDATES

Thank you to all who came out to support MINI MARKET on August 1, 2008.

Unfortunately we will not be hosting our LIQUID SKY screening on August 15,2008.

The rest of the schedule will stay the same:
August 16: Design your own: Nail Art Tanya Wischerath: Nail Painting Jessica Miller: Homemade Tarot 11am-5pm
August 21: Puro Punk Artist, Julio Cesar Morales looks at the influence of punk rock in fashion 8-10pm
August 30: Closing Reception
Tanya Wischerath: Nail Painting Keiko Takano: Fresh, by local chef Jessica Miller: Homemade Tarot 7-10pm

Again, thank you and please note the cancellation of LIQUID SKY On August 15, 2008.

Press: MINI MARKET on http://www.psfk.com/

Mini Market: The Pop Up Art Department Store

by Dave Pinter

Last Friday was the opening of a brand new traveling pop up store for art called Mini Market at the Silverman Gallery in San Francisco. The goal of the shop is to create both a literal and metaphorical space to challenge the contemporary retail monopoly and shopping monotony. Mini Market offers a unique curated collection of work from local and international designers, collectors, retailers and artists who are invited to sell and display their work. It’s also only open for a month. But the temporary setup was intentional and plays into how the work is presented. It’s possible that items will become sold out. Mini Market intends to keep the store fresh by rearranging, restocking, or leaving empty certain areas as a testament to an items presence, popularity and disappearance.

San Francisco based CITIZEN:Citizen collaborated on the curatorial concept and creative direction of the project. The company is recognized for its curation and production of the work of avant garde artists and designers. Cc’s creative director Philip Wood commented on his interest in the project:

One of the growing elements of CITIZEN:Citizen is that of curatorial and creative direction. We develop culturally significant ideas, projects and events for organizations ranging from global fashion houses to galleries and museums. It’s an natural extension of our interest in offering new ways of seeing.

Each future incarnation of Mini Market will be a unique experience and curated differently. Future editions will offer vintage collections as well as new lines, limited editions and specialty services.

MiniMarket
Curated by Jessica Silverman Carolina Amaris, creative direction CITIZEN:Citizen
August 1st 2008 – August 31st 2008
Silverman Gallery and Look Boutique, 804 Sutter Street San Francisco, CA 94109