Kokoro Studio

Preview, 7pm Thursday 3.1.2012: Artist Reception, 6pm Saturday 3.3.2012 “EARTH MOVEMENT”

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:22:00 -0500

EARTH MOVEMENT

Opens March 1st at 7PM for preview and again on March 3rd at 6PM with artist reception

Kokoro Studio is proud to announce “EARTH MOVEMENT,” a group art show featuring young creatives in collaboration with established artists. One year ago last March, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck Japan. It claimed the lives of more than 15,000 people, triggered nuclear accidents and moved earth on its axis. In acknowledgment of the anniversary of the tragic Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, co-curators Jeremy Brautman and Cooper Berella have assembled a show of support and solidarity from over 50 next generation emerging artists. Each artist (ages 2-16) was invited to collaborate with family and friends on artwork about nature’s powerful forces. There are many ways the earth moves: it spins, it shines, it shakes, it quakes… sometimes its effects are awesome, and other times, they are devastating. EARTH MOVEMENT is a visual conversation about this duality.

EARTH MOVEMENT’s artists come from diverse backgrounds, but most share Japanese art and culture as a source of inspiration. San Francisco locals Brixton (with Ferris Plock & Kelly Tunstall), Mia & Mason (with Kirkland Jue), James (with Julie West) and Max (with Mark Nagata) will show their work alongside painting progeny Kayleigh (with Dave McDowell), Arata & Akira (with Jeremiah Ketner), Madison (with Lou Pimentel), and Anke & Majda (with Travis Lampe) and toy designer descendants Sam (with 64Colors), Anneliese (with Jeff Lamm), Gabriella (with Jermaine Rogers), Lyla Belle (Scott Tolleson), Will, Aidan & Mae (with MAD) and Daelyn, Jordan & Madison (with Sket One). In addition to the collaborations, EARTH MOVEMENT will feature stand out solo work from young artists, plus friends of kids everywhere including: Dankeschoen, Gary Baseman, Luke Chueh and Shin Tanaka. Kokoro Studio’s walls will be covered with art by kids and the grownups who love them!

Kokoro Studio is located in San Francisco, a city that’s no stranger to “earth movement”. Come out and join us for an evening of art, family fun, and light refreshments. EARTH MOVEMENT is the gallery debut for most of the show’s young artists. The curators and many artists will be in attendance at the opening reception on March 3rd. A portion of proceeds from EARTH MOVEMENT will be donated to Arts for Hope, a Japanese group that provides mental care to earthquake survivors through creative activities.

For more information, and the latest updates, please visit: www.earthmovementart.tumblr.com

For interviews with artists and curators, please contact jeremy [at] artkivers [dot] com

EARTH MOVEMENT is happy to donate between 20%-100% of proceeds from the sale of each artwork in our show to ARTS FOR HOPE.

7pm Thursday 2.9.2012: Art Opening: “It Hurts to Let You Go” by Levi Pata

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:35:00 -0500

Kokoro Studio announces
Levi Pata: It Hurts to Let You Go

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—Kokoro Studio is pleased to announce It Hurts to Let You Go, an exhibition of new work by Levi Pata, on view through February 23. It Hurts to Let You Go is Pata’s first solo exhibition in the United States.

Levi Pata’s work is influenced by the surprising disconnections he observes in fleeting moments. His recent solo exhibition in Japan, titled Continuous Gunfire and Greek Music, was inspired by the closed-captioned description of two ambient noises in a scene of The Godfather. When devastating earthquakes struck Tokyo in March, Pata’s exhibition was halted. That night, as he and the rest of the city wandered fretfully, worrying about loved ones and trying to find their ways home, Pata paused to watch two white swans swim contentedly in a smooth moat. In his work, Pata sets the disparate elements of the world against each other to find out what they have in common, or, at least, how they manage to co-exist.

His search for understanding is evident in Pata’s painting style. Tension is built from opposites. The color choices are both muddy and bright, and paint is both layered up and scraped away. The images are mostly abstract, but figures emerge to compound the non-sequitur. A sense of discomfort prevails. Everything you see is on the canvas, but doesn’t feel peaceably restrained by those boundaries. Pata lets the discomfort and tension take over his work, just as he chooses to let the world be out of his control, to let it go on with its indecipherable contradictions.

It Hurts to Let You Go will be on view at Kokoro Studio from February 9 to February 23, 2012. There will be a public opening reception on Thursday February 9 from 7pm to 10pm. Kokoro Studio is located at 682 Geary Street in San Francisco, just a few blocks from Union Square. Open hours are Tuesday through Friday from 2pm to 8pm, Saturday from 12pm to 7pm, and by appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.kokorostudio.us.

7pm Thursday 12.15.2011 “Yule” Winter Group Show/Holiday Party

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 23:34:24 -0500

Happy holidays from Kokoro!

Please join us this Thursday for our holiday party and December opening -

“Yule” by Kokorostars

Our special guests, Mr.Santa Claus will be stopping by to make your winter dreams come true! Much of the art featured in “Yule” is themed and priced for the holidays. Come celebrate, champagne, wine, ginger cookies, photos and dancing with Santa! Art, t-shirts, cards, and holiday goods, possibly pick up a holiday gift for yourself or someone special.

“Yule”
Thursday 12/15 7pm-10pm (opening/party) through Thursday12/22
at Kokoro studio
682 Geary street (@leavenworth)
San Francisco, CA 94102

For more information please contact: info@kokorostudio.us

http://www.kokorostudio.us
info@kokorostudio.us
Hours: Thu,Fri 2-8pm Sat 1-7pm

7pm Thursday 11.3.2011: Art Opening: “The Squared Circle” by William Emmert

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 23:10:03 -0400

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—Get into the ring… Kokoro Gallery presents a solo exhibition of new work by William Emmert, on view through November 24th. “The Squared Circle” is Emmert’s first solo exhibition in San Francisco, and will feature mixed media works on childhood wrestling posters and a handmade VHS tape collection.

William Emmert’s playful and fantastical art harvests new discoveries from the dusty artifacts of an average childhood. Remaking and painting over imagery from wrestling magazines, baseball cards, and bad movies, Emmert’s pop explosions deliver a chair shot of cool composition and absurd iconography. Filled with firm lines, bright hues, and drop kicks of adolescent memories, his paintings celebrate the strange poses of macho heroes and the imaginary landscapes they inhabit.

Emmert’s colorful bursts of distorted ephemera aim to highlight forgotten fantasies and the need to time-travel within one’s own personal history. Conveying blurred references to bedroom posters, teenage collections, and hero worship, the artworks serve as stand-ins holding the place for a desired myth. Emmert’s reinventions remind us of the curious and beautiful forms lurking underneath even the silliest displays of popular art and mass marketing.

William Emmert is from Seattle, Washington, and is currently based in San Francisco.

“The Squared Circle” will be on view at Kokoro Studio from November 3 to 24, 2011. There will be a public opening reception on Thursday, November 3 from 7 to 10pm. Kokoro Studio is located at 682 Geary Street in San Francisco, just a few blocks from Union Square, and is open Thursday through Friday from 2pm to 8pm, Saturday from 12pm to 7pm, and by appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmertwilliam and http://www.kokorostudio.us.

TRICK OR TREAT! Halloween Party this Saturday 9pm- Late

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 18:51:27 -0400

TRICK OR TREAT!

Halloween Party with Live Painting by Anyone with Costume!

Host: Kokoro Studio
Place: Kokoro Studio
Start: 9pm - Late
Music: DJ Raymond Sebastien

BYOB. Colors and Canvas are provided. Free Entry.

7pm Thursday 10.6.2011: Art Opening: “Kokoro” Kokoro Second Year Anniversary Group Show

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 02:12:43 -0400

Kokoro Studio is proud to mark our second anniversary, reflecting on the essence of Kokoro Studio: a portal toward new ideas and worlds within.

This month we present the return of Kokoro artists Maria Berrio, Sara Christian, Yuriko Katori, Mayumi Tanaka, and an interactive projection by Superdeux. We are also pleased to present a collaboration with Japanese calligrapher Aoi Yamaguchi.

We invite you to celebrate with us as we remember the past two years, and embark on another year of discovery.

“Kokoro” will be on view at Kokoro Studio from October 6 to 27, 2011. There will be a public opening reception on Thursday, October 6 from 7 to 10pm. Kokoro Studio is located at 682 Geary Street in San Francisco, just a few blocks from Union Square, and is open Thursday through Friday from 1pm to 8pm, Saturday from 12pm to 7pm, and by appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.kokorostudio.us.

7pm Thursday 9.8.2011: Art Opening: "Smile to Your Life!" by Jonathan Wallraven

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 18:01:51 -0400

Kokoro Studio announces

“Smile to Your Life!”
by Jonathan Wallraven

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—Kokoro Studio is pleased to announce a solo show of new work by Jonathan Wallraven, on view through September 29. “Smile to Your Life!” is Wallraven’s first San Francisco solo exhibition, and will feature black-and-white ink drawings on panels and wall-hung sculptures.

Wallraven’s drawings depict slightly grotesque women, open-mouthed, with their words and thoughts spelled out inside irregular speech bubbles. Phrases like “Smile to your life!” “Add it up!” and “Embrace nothing” are imperative statements bordering on the non-sensical. Wallraven likens these phrases to zen koan, short questions or statements that require intuition, rather than rational thinking, to decipher. The nonsense quality, along with heartfelt sincerity and a healthy sense of humor, disarms the audience to reveal deeper truths about the self.

This absurd language is accompanied by equally absurd images. The unrealistic, Photoshopped women found in magazines and print advertising are the source material of Wallraven’s figures. He alters their already distorted forms through a transformative drawing process. A small original drawing in made in his distinctive style, then a skewed projection of that drawing is traced onto the wall or a panel. Recently, Wallraven added another layer of distortion by projecting his final drawings onto three-dimensional surfaces. The images stretch and warp across the object’s planes, becoming unrecognizable at certain points. The result, although far removed from reality, replicates the combination of discomfort and humor that marks everyday life.

Jonathan Wallraven is an American artist who was born and raised in Tennessee. He studied studio art at Middle Tennessee State University, where he was trained in printmaking, drawing, and sculpture. He is currently an MFA candidate at California College of the Arts. Wallraven lives and works in San Francisco.

“Smile to Your Life!” will be on view at Kokoro Studio from September 8 to 29, 2011. There will be a public opening reception on Thursday, September 8 from 7 to 10pm. Kokoro Studio is located at 682 Geary Street in San Francisco, just a few blocks from Union Square, and is open Thursday through Friday from 2pm to 8pm, Saturday from 12pm to 7pm, and by appointment. For more information, please visit www.jonathanwallraven.com and www.kokorostudio.us.

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7pm Thursday 7.7.2011: Art Opening: Kokoro Summer Group Show!

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 18:11:13 -0400

Kokoro Studio Presents: KOKORO SUMMER GROUP SHOW

Where: Kokoro Studio. 682 Geary st San Francisco, CA 94102

When: 7pm-10pm 7.7.2011(opening) 7.7-8.26.2011(on view)

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Celebrate summer with Kokoro Studio at our Summer Group Show. Come enjoy the familiar and explore new discoveries as we feature our favorite known and new artists. We are pleased to welcome back several artists who have exhibited in our gallery in recent months, as well as inviting new artists into our space for the first time. The Summer Group Show is your sneak preview into the upcoming season at Kokoro. Artists include Catrine Bodum, William Emmert, Alex Braubach, Courtney Johnson, Yuriko Katori, Hyesu Lee, JiandYin, Ignacio Murua, Mayumi Tanaka, and Jonathan Wallraven.
Join us at the opening reception on Thursday July 7 from 7pm to 10pm!

The Summer Group Show will be on view at Kokoro Studio from July 7 to August 28, 2011. Kokoro Studio is located at 682 Geary Street in San Francisco, just a few blocks from Union Square, and is open Tuesday through Friday from 2pm to 8pm, Saturday from 12pm to 7pm, and by appointment.

For more information, please contact info@kokorostudio.us

7pm Thursday 5.5.2011: Art Opening: "Unhealthy" by Mayumi Tanaka

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 20:12:00 -0400

Kokoro Studio announces

“Unhealthy,” a Solo Exhibition by Mayumi Tanaka

Reception: May 5. 7pm - 10pm

Performance by Spobra starts at 9pm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—Kokoro Studio is pleased to announce “Unhealthy,” a solo show of drawings, craft, and performance by Japanese artist Mayumi Tanaka, on view through May 5 - May 26, 2011. The exhibition will commence with a special opening night performance by Tanaka’s dance and acting group, SpoBra.

Mayumi Tanaka treads a thin line of quirky cuteness. She stands at once on both sides of the cute aesthetic, embracing and undermining it in the same work. Brightly colored drawings bely insidious content; child-like costuming and game-show music contrast with the sincerity of her performances. Dualities are recurrent in Tanaks’a art, because she uses drawing and performance to attempt an honest translation of human feelings. Her newest body of work explores her own secret bad habits, with an emphasis on their reality. To Tanaka, the reality of bad habits is their duality: seductive, but unhealthy, tempting, but destructive.

The resulting drawings can take the viewer by surprise. The immediate impact of the luscious color palate and cartoonish contour lines feels carefree and naive. A closer look, however, reveals drooping faces, ghostly shadows, graying skin, and the undeniable impression that something is wrong.

Mayumi Tanaka was born in Tokyo, Japan, and lives and works in the Culver City arts district of Los Angeles. She graduated from Asagaya Art College in Tokyo. Her artwork and performance have been exhibited throughout the state of California.

“Unhealthy” will be on view at Kokoro Studio from May 5 to May 26, 2011. There will be a public opening reception on Thursday, May 5 from 7pm to 10pm. Kokoro Studio is located at 682 Geary Street in San Francisco, just a few blocks from Union Square, and is open Tuesday through Friday from 2pm to 8pm, Saturday from 12pm to 7pm, and by appointment.

For more information, please visit www.mayubonne.com, www.spobra.net, and www.kokorostudio.us.

- written by Christine Peterson

Photo

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 23:33:28 -0400

Rise Japan: Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fundraiser: April 2. at Kokoro Studio and Gallery Heist

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 21:09:00 -0400

Surreality in Reality x Gallery Heist x Kokoro Studio presents:
Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fundraiser
“RISE JAPAN”

Saturday April 2nd, 2011 | 7PM - 12AM
Gallery Heist: 679 Geary St, SF
Kokoro Studio: 682 Geary St, SF

In response to the devastating disaster that has struck Japan, S.I.R, Gallery Heist & Kokoro Studio have joined together to raise money in an effort to provide relief and aid for the people effected by the earthquake and Tsunami.

Please join us for one night only salon-style art exhibition and performances on Saturday April 2nd, 2011 from 7PM-12AM.

All artwork will be priced at $100 or below.
100% of the proceeds will be donated to Give2Asia: JSNC Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund
For more information, visit http://give2asia.org/japan society

Artists:
Artworks / Prints by:

Akko Terasawa
Alex Brauham
Andy Baron
Aoi Yamaguchi
Brett Amory
Daryll Pierce
Elsa Kawai
Freegums
Hugh Leeman
Jason Ashley
Junko Maegawa
Noa-
Kenta Shimbo
Koji Nagao
Taiko Fujimura
Takashi Akamatsu
John Felix Arnold III
Manay Fabregas
Mario Ayala
Matthew McDonald
Maria Bellio
Mayumi Tanaka
Mia Christopher
Micke Tong
Nathan Waren
Robert Bowen
Ryan McGinness
Satoshi Terawaki
Stacy Tang
Superdeux
Zack Lewis
… more & more artists TBA!

Books by:
Last Gasp Books

Performances by:
Naoko Nozawa and Bob Nozawa/
The Ass Baboons of Venus from Tokyo
Spobra from Tokyo

Media Sponsors:
Warholian.com
Society Theory

Food by:
ONIGILLY http://onigilly.com/
Onigilly [Oh-Knee-Ghee-Lee] is traditional Japanese food made with brown rice and gourmet filling wrapped with seaweed!

Drinks by:
Sapporo USA Inc.

Sponsors:

PsPrint Online Printing

Mochi Media, Inc.

Organizers:
Surreality in Reality x Gallery Heist x Kokoro Studio
http://www.sir-sf.net/
http://galleryheist.com/
http://kokorostudio.us/

7pm Thursday 4.7.2011: Art Opening: “Lightweight” by Catrine Bodum

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 21:15:37 -0500

Kokoro Studio announces “Lightweight,” a Solo Exhibition by Catrine Bodum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—Kokoro Studio is pleased to announce “Lightweight,” an exhibition of new paintings by Catrine Bodum, on view through April 28. “Lightweight” is Bodum’s first exhibition in the western United States, and will include a selection of works in watercolor on muslin.

Catrine Bodum’s special interest in painting lies in the potential of layers, as both a literal build-up of paint on canvas, and a metaphor for time and experience. She recently transitioned from oil paints to watercolor, and now utilizes the paint’s ability to mottle, bleed, stain, veil, and resist on the muslin surface. Bodum describes her works as “containers of information.” As new information layers over what came before, the image is both revealed and confused. In this world, “different things can take place in the same place.”

These new works are delightfully colorful, built in thin veils where each color combines with others to make many. Under these vibrant surfaces, portions of unprimed, natural muslin peek out in contrast. The patterns recall other layered environments: tree branch after tree branch in a forest, paper and paste residue on old billboards, sea foliage floating on the ocean’s surface, the accidental composition on a painter’s studio floor.

Catrine Bodum is a Swiss/Danish artist who lives and works in both London and Lucerne, Switzerland. She received her BFA from Parsons School of Design, New York City, and her MA in fine art from Byam Shaw School of Art, London. Her work has been exhibited in London, New York City, and Lucerne.

“Lightweight” will be on view at Kokoro Studio from April 7 to April 28, 2011. There will be a public opening reception on April 7 from 7pm to 10pm. Kokoro Studio is located at 682 Geary Street in San Francisco, just a few blocks from Union Square, and is open Tuesday through Friday from 2pm to 8pm, Saturday from 12pm to 7pm, and by appointment.

For more information, please visit http://www.catrinebodum.com , or contact info@kokorostudio.us

Thursday 3.3.2011: Art Opening: "Bahama Kangaroo" by Yukako Ezoe

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 04:40:40 -0500

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Kokoro Studio announces
“Bahama Kangaroo”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—Kokoro Studio is pleased to host “Bahama Kangaroo,” the solo exhibition of artist Yukako Ezoe. A Japanese-American artist, designer, and teacher, Ezoe investigates history and mythology through stylistic references in her fictional landscapes and invented personalities. She mixes cultures and media to narrate a world of romantic, dream-like imagination, whether on the side of a building or a pair of shoes.

Ezoe’s varied art practice includes collage, painting, installation, video, and drawing. Her interests are just as varied, and past projects have dealt with topics as divergent as religious media control and the mythology of cultural ritual. Japanese pop artist Yokoo Tadanori’s work of the 1960s and 70s is an evident influence on Ezoe’s high-contrast color choices and her compositional style. At the same time, she finds inspiration for natural subject matter in field studies, such as the bird paintings of wildlife artist John James Audubon. For her solo show, Ezoe is creating new work in the form of self-portraits. Through extensive use of personal symbolism, she represents aspects of historical and popular culture with which she identifies. Her materials reflect herself: bits of Japanese kimono fabric, dark colors representing her love of the night, the image of a percussion instrument that allows her to imagine the elongated resonance of its music upon sight.

Ezoe received her BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2006. As a San Francisco resident, Ezoe cites the local cost of living and community concern for the environment as catalysts for being resourceful in art making. She limits the materials she purchases from art supply stores, and supplements with found and used materials, with a goal of creating the least possible amount of waste in the process. Her professional involvements in the San Francisco community include teaching art with Larkin Street Youth Services, a non-profit that provides rebuilding resources to at-risk, runaway, and homeless youth. She is also a teaching artist with Precita Eyes Mural Arts Association, where she has participated in the creation of a dozen community mural projects since 2006. Besides teaching, Ezoe applies her artistic skills to curating, graphic design, live painting events, and her current project, Bahama Kangaroo, a line of jewelry and silk-screened t-shirts made in collaboration with her husband, Naoki Onodera.

“Bahama Kangaroo” will be on view at Kokoro Studio from March 3 to March 24, 2011. There will be a public opening reception on Thursday, March 3 from 7pm to 10pm.

Kokoro Studio is located at 682 Geary Street in San Francisco, just a few blocks from Union Square, and is open Tuesday through Friday from 2pm to 8pm, Saturday from 12pm to 7pm, and by appointment.

For more information, please contact info@kokorostudio.us
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Thursday 2.3.2011 :Art Opening: “Bomba 4” by ignacio murúa

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 19:33:56 -0500

—- Kokoro Studio proudly presents “Bomba 4,” a solo exhibition of new work by Chilean artist Ignacio Murua. Murua takes advantage of the malleable quality of printed ink to obscure and distort the female form. The body that is digitally perfected is presently manually degraded as Murua comments on women and social issues, while also exploring new possibilities in the medium of painting.

Ignacio Murua lives and works in Santiago de Chile and Brooklyn, NY. He is inspired the Chilean yellow press newspapers that publish images of ideal female bodies as the “women of the week.” What the popular culture esteems as perfection, Murua translates as uncomfortable and grotesque. By its denial of the familiar, flawed (normal) body, such perfection is encountered as a deformity. Murua uses a unique process of “painting without using paint” to contrast the disturbingly artificial perfection with smeared and dripping strokes. He works quickly to manipulate the wet pigment of a freshly printed photograph, causing the very substance of the image to be distorted, obscured, erased, or washed away. Remaining is a blurred silhouette, the suggestion of a posture that replaces individual identity. In a global society preoccupied with age and beauty, the work of Ignacio Murua disregards time, wiping out both perfection and its potential for decay.

“Bomba 4” will be on view at Kokoro Studio from February 3 to February 24, 2011. There will be a public opening reception on Thursday, February 3 from 7pm to 10pm.

Kokoro Studio is located at 682 Geary Street in San Francisco, just a few blocks from Union Square, and is open Tuesday through Friday from 2pm to 8pm, Saturday from 12pm to 7pm, and by appointment.

For more information, please visit www.ignaciomurua.net and www.kokorostudio.us.

Thursday 1.20.2011 :Art Opening: "Shy Peacocks" by Sara Christian

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:16:00 -0500

Kokoro Studio announces “Shy Peacocks”

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—Bay Area artist Sara Christian will show new work this January at Kokoro Studio in her solo exhibit, “Shy Peacocks.” Christian’s illustrative combination of painting, drawing, and collage tells a multi-faceted story of femininity. From confidently striking a pose, to moments of self-awareness, Christian depicts the female figure in various states of reveal. Christian’s work is often reminiscent of fashion illustration, but swathed in color that both frames and obscures the figure. The inspiration of the layered texture of an urban environment is evident, and reveals itself in the artist’s process. As she collages, Christian loves “piling on and ripping off paper, leaving pattern and textures” behind.

For “Shy Peacocks,” Christian will present a new body of work that has evolved to include life-sized “ladies” that emerge from obsessively repeated layers of doodles, pattern, paint, and cut and collaged paper. The new body of work is inspired by the way women restrict or trap themselves in order to follow trends. Like a vibrant bird hiding its colors, these “ladies” impede their own expression of themselves by covering up with someone else’s expectation of beauty.

“Shy Peacocks” will be on view at Kokoro Studio from January 20 to January 27, 2011. There will be a public opening reception on January 20 from 7pm to 10pm.

Kokoro Studio is located at 682 Geary Street in San Francisco, just a few blocks from Union Square, and is open tuesdays to fridays from 2pm to 8pm, saturdays 12pm - 7pm and by appointment.

For more information, please visit www.sarachristian.com or www.kokorostudio.us.

Happy Winter Holiday!

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 19:48:21 -0500

Happy Winter Holiday!

Tonight 7pm : The Flat Earth Collective presents : The Headbangers Bütterball

Sat, 20 Nov 2010 18:19:00 -0500

The Flat Earth Collective Presents: The Headbangers Bütterball

An evening of poetry, prose, and projection

Kokoro Studio

682 Geary (@ Leavenworth)

San Francisco, CA

7:00 PM Saturday, November 20

Featured Readers:

Lizzy Acker

Andrea Kneeland

Dana Teen Lomax

Dan Sanders

With a short film by Evangelo Costadimas and Syren Johnstone.

For fifteen years, as members of the Flat Earth Collective, Tom Andes, David William Hill, Jim Nelson, and Andrew Touhy have been doing their level best for literature. One year ago (almost) to the day, in the name of recapturing the sturm and drang of their youth, they decided to start a Rush cover band; somehow, they ended up with a reading series. On Saturday, November 20, they’ve invited four of their favorite writers and one filmmaker from the Bay Area and beyond to help them celebrate one year in the business that is no business. They hope you will join them in paving the way for gentrification in San Francisco’s most scenic neighborhood, The Tenderloin.

Lizzy Acker’s work has been published in Nano Fiction and Tramp Quarterly. She was the co-creator/curator, with Amira Pierce, of the San Francisco reading series Funny/Sexy/Sad. Her first book, Monster Party, a novella about boys, drinking, violence, and aliens, was recently published by Small Desk Press. She lives in San Francisco, where she writes short sentences for KQED and blogs daily at lizzyacker.com.

Greek/Italian, born and raised in Ethiopia, Evangelo Costadimas later moved to Canada and began photographing at age 12. He attended part-time photography studies at Niagara College, Algonquin College and Carleton University (all in Canada). He holds associate degrees in Telecommunications Technology and Computer Engineering from Niagara College, a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and professional certification in Exhibition Studies and Art Curatorship from the Hong Kong Art School. He now lives and works in Hong Kong as a photographer, artist and independent curator. Further information is available here http://www.costadimas.com/

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Syren Johnstone studied in Sydney (BA (Hons)), Oxford (MSc) and London (MA) and has multidisciplinary working experience covering arts, psychology, neuroscience, education, law and executive level management. He has published extensively in several of these fields including books and academic journals. A founding partner of NJP STUDIO, a design consultancy that brings inspiration to commercial and urban landscapes, Syren is also active in a variety of arts-related endeavors including motion picture production and screenwriting. A Visiting Fellow at the University of Hong Kong, Syren has lived and worked in Hong Kong since 1994. Further information is available here http://www.costadimas.com/

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Andrea Kneeland’s collection of short stories, The Birds and the Beasts, is forthcoming from Cow Heavy Press in 2011, and she is a web editor for Hobart. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in a number of different journals and anthologies, including American Letters & Commentary, 580 Split, Caketrain, Barrelhouse, Quick Fiction, Whiskey Island, NOO Journal, Smokelong Quarterly and Weird Tales.

Dana Teen Lomax is the author of Disclosure (Black Radish Books) Rx (Dusie), Curren¢y (Palm Press), Room (a+bend), and the co-editor of Letters to Poets: Conversations about Poetics, Politics, & Community (Saturnalia Books). She’s writing “Shhh! Lullabies for a Tired Nation” and editing an anthology of experimental work for children. She teaches at San Francisco State University and Marin Juvenile Hall and lives in San Quentin with her radical family.

Dan Sanders lives and writes near the lake in Oakland. He’s recently been featured as a tour guide on Invisible City Audio Tour’s Heliography. Mr. Sanders works in a non-writing capacity in an office building where he nods at people and writes a novel in the body of an email addressed to nobody. The novel is untitled and backed up in the “Drafts” folder in Microsoft Outlook. So far none of his bosses has asked why he types so much. At the moment, Mr. Sanders bio-worthy accomplishments are a bit thin but he’s working to rectify that. Please read his bio next year, it will be impressive.

Today 6pm "Dialogue" 8pm Artist Talk by JiandYin

Sat, 06 Nov 2010 19:51:45 -0400

Thank you for all who came and supported artists JiandYin and Kokoro last thursday. We had a great opening and had great comments from everyone.

Today is their last day of doing an interactive performance. We would like to invite you all to join the performance and get your portrait for free. The performance will start at 6pm at Kokoro studio. The following the performance, JiandYin will have an artist talk with Q&A starting at 8pm. This will be a great opportunity to see their past artwork from Thailand and NY, also to hear about their artist in residency experiences at Headlands center of the arts and ISCP in Brooklyn.

please contact for more information: contact

I hope to see you at Kokoro.

Tonight 9pm: Kokoro Halloween Horror Movie Night

Sun, 31 Oct 2010 22:15:12 -0400

9pm - House (1986) american

http://www.imdb.com/title/ tt0091223/

10:30pm - Hausu (1977) Japanese

http://www.imdb.com/title/ tt0076162/

Come and Enjoy both House Movies! Watch the Best Halloween Movies and trick or treat!

Kokoro Halloween Party This Saturday 10.30, 9pm - 2am

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 23:12:00 -0400