THE TENDERLOIN PROJECT

Thank you so much to everyone who came out to 99% Gallery in Brooklyn last week for the opening of The Tenderloin Project.  It was amazing to bring the project all the way from The Tenderloin to New York.  Much appreciation to everyone who came out to the opening and to everyone who continues to support the project.  Stay tuned for updates on the next exhibition and the final book release…For now enjoy this little video recap from the big apple…

Thank you so much to everyone who came out to the opening last Friday for The Tenderloin Project at ABV Gallery in Atlanta.  The response to the show and the project was incredible!  Amazing to hear such positive feedback from everyone who attended and to realize that a project like this can travel from San Francisco to Atlanta and still hold relevance.  The feedback was a success in and of itself, and it was great to see so much art from the project selling as well.  Everything will now remain on display at the gallery until July 25th.  A special thanks to gallery owner Greg Mike for hosting the show, and to everyone at the ABV team, Tommy, Ash and Priscilla, for their hard work and for helping me to realize my vision for the installation.  A very special thanks to Homa as well for her help in producing the exhibition and for documenting the adventure.  Enjoy the photos below…

Thank you so much to EVERYONE that came out to the show opening at Medicine Agency on Friday night!  The show will remain up at the gallery until May 5th, and then travel to Atlanta in June.

Anyone interested in purchasing art from the project or seeing the show in person should contact info@thetenderloinproject.com for pricing and scheduling.  Mike Giant posters are still available for 40$, and all the art from the project is available for sale as well.

Tenderloin Project collaborative artists Mike Giant and Oliver Black.

Flash came through at the very beginning of the night.

Filmmakers Brian and Austin Chu of The Werehaus.

Tenderloin Project collaborative artist, Francisco Agudo.

Collaborative artist Mark Bode, with his wife Molly.

Flash once again getting involved with the project, painting the gallery windows at Medicine Agency the day before the opening.

The Tenderloin Project is dedicated to Flash.

Special thanks to:

BOB GALLIANI

MEGA

MARK HANSON

HOMA ZARGHAMEE

ALLESE THOMSON BAKER

MIKE GIANT

RON NAJOR

RAMA MAYO

JOHN LACROIX

FRANCISCO AGUDO

OLIVER BLACK

BRIAN & AUSTIN CHU

BOB, JUDI & TERRY DESMOND

JEFF CHAMBERS

The first official show for The Tenderloin Project will have it’s opening reception tomorrow night, Friday April 9th at Medicine Agency in San Francisco.

The show will include a collection of 49 original signed photographs by Sean Desmond, along with 11 collaborative pieces by a variety of artists that include, Mike Giant, Mark Bode, Apex, Oliver Black, Greg Mike, Serge Gay Jr., KC Angel and others…

A poster from the project will be available in an edition of 100, signed and numbered by Mike Giant and Sean Desmond.

A full preview for the show will be released tomorrow on www.thetenderloinproject.com.

Medicine Agency

1262 Mason Street

San Francisco, CA 94108

http://medicineagency.com

We’ve had a number of inquiries about whether or not the reception for the print show at Medicine Agency is open to the public.  The answer to this is YES.

The show will be at Medicine Agency on Friday, April 9th beginning at 7pm and indeed it is open to the public.  1262 Mason Street, San Francisco CA 94108.  http://medicineagency.com for more info.

Thanks to everyone for both new and continued interest in the project.

Medicine Agency is proud to present the first official exhibition of photographs by San Francisco based photographer Sean Desmond. The show will feature a collection of 35 photographs from Desmond’s ongoing Tenderloin Project, a portrait in film and photography of San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood. To many, the Tenderloin is a poor and stigmatized area, to be avoided if possible, rushed through if necessary. As a point of departure, Desmond and the Tenderloin Project withstand such stereotypes and enter the neighborhood with eyes open and active intent.

The images that emerge transcend a mere documentation of what we could all see if we only looked. We witness the Tenderloin through Desmond’s interaction with it, a process explicated in the Project’s films and evident in each photograph. Portraits of the neighborhood’s marginalized dwellers stand alongside portraits of the streets themselves, all—dwellers and streets, alike—caught in the act of living. The starkness of the black and white photography upholds the starkness of the locale, while magnifying the countervailing warm welcome of the subjects and vibrant animation all around. The viewer enters the Tenderloin with Desmond, with the objectivity of an outsider, and is left with the tension of intimacy, raw and tender.

Desmond’s San Francisco show will mark the first official exhibition of his work from the Tenderloin Project. The show will then travel to select U.S. cities, where Desmond’s penetrating images will give broader audiences a personal introduction to understanding what life is like in the Tenderloin.

The show will also feature collaborative pieces by a variety of artists from the Bay Area and beyond, including Mike Giant, Greg Mike, Mark Bode, Apex, Oliver Black and others, with an exclusive silk-screened show poster by Sean Desmond with Mike Giant.

SF-based clothing brand Black Scale will also be releasing their second run of t-shirts and first run of pull-over hoodies featuring original photographs from the Tenderloin Project.

The show opening is April 9th, 2010 at Medicine Agency.

1262 Mason Street, San Francisco CA 94108.