YBCA

Recently a new exhibit opened at the YBCA (Yerba Buena Center for the Arts) called 'The Matter Within', subtitled 'New Contemporary Art of India'.  It's open for three more months.  What I liked about the exhibition was the thoughts evoked by the pieces and that there was so much to see, hear, and watch with works from 20 or so artists.  I'll just go over a few highlights that stuck, including an incredible collection of photographs by Dhruv Malhotra that reveal normal people asleep outdoors in an Indian city.  The photography successfully combines creative uses of light with long exposures.  I especially liked the sleeping man on a comfy-looking bed with make-shift adorning screen.  There were impressive sculptures and installations, one incorporating an ancient turtle shell, another resembling a dinosaur yet another of bottles painted with expressive faces, all composed of elements taken from highly traded and mass-produced items.  The focus on buying and collecting things reminded me of Paul Graham's essay stuff and echoed a message that questions owning and consuming an abundance of physical goods.  Finally, there were some great films including clips of a famous Indian dancer blessed with graceful and majestic hand movements.