Fiber Structure

Reception: Friday, January 25, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

The San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) Galleries is pleased to present Fiber Structure, a new installation by San Francisco-based artist Mik Gaspay. This installation is the third installment of ENTER126, a rotating installation program for the Gallery’s entry.

For Fiber Structure, Gaspay looked to the Beaux-Arts architecture of the War Memorial Buildings as a starting point. Using elements of the building’s architecture and, more specifically, its façade, Fiber Structure examines how hierarchies play out in space, from the grand entrances to utilitarian interstices. For this installation, Gaspay collaborated with his mother, May Gaspay and family friend Malleva Abenes to translate the columns, archways, and facades of the War Memorial in quilted fabric, disarming their monumentality and quietly examining their coded language.

About the artists:
Mik Gaspay (b. Quezon City, Philippines) lives and works in San Francisco. Gaspay received his MFA from California College of the Arts in 2011. Gaspay has had a solo exhibition at Alter Space Gallery in San Francisco. He has also participated in various group shows in museums and spaces including the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, Art Gallery at the University of Hawaii in Hilo, WhiteBox Gallery in New York. In 2016, Gaspay was awarded a commission by the Chinese Culture Center in San Francisco for a permanent public art installation in San Francisco Chinatown’s Portsmouth Square Bridge.

Maybeline Gaspay, born and raised in the Northern part of the  Philippines. Immigrated to the US in 1984 with spouse and 4 children. Worked as an RN for 25 years while raising 4 kids and supporting a post-grad husband. Opened a Home-based Daycare. Quilting since 1984 as hobby and now I am a long arm quilter and quilt for others. Lives, quilts and raises kids in Palo Alto , California.

Lleva Abenes, born 1960 in Manila, Philippines. Exhibited at Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show and at East Bay Heritage Quilters Voices in Cloth. Currently quilts to return to zen after a full day’s work in Environmental Health and Safety.