Michael Kerbow

Michael Kerbow is a San Francisco-based artist who works in a variety of media including painting, drawing, assemblage, and digitally manipulated photography. He was born in North Carolina and received an MFA from Pratt Institute in New York. He moved to the Bay Area in 1993. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and has appeared in multiple publications.

My art explores how we engage with our surroundings, and the possible consequences our actions have upon the world around us. I seek to question the rationale of our choices, and attempt to reveal the dichotomy that may exist between what we desire and what we manifest. Recently my work has focused upon the dynamics underlying modern society, and the future aftermath of our present actions. I examine themes such as hyper-consumerism and ecology, and create allegories of our collective pursuits.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2018
“Urban Edge”, Avenue 12 Gallery, San Francisco, CA
“Altered”, OffSpace/Minnesota Street Project, San Francisco, CA
“5th Annual Juried Show”, Piedmont Center for the Arts, Piedmont, CA

2017
“Car Culture”, Peninsula Museum of Art, Burlingame, CA
“Contemporary Landscape”, Marin MOCA, Novato, CA
“Predicament or Crossroads”, Desta Gallery, San Anselmo, CA
“Alt-Left”, Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, CA

2016
“Artspan Selections 2016”, Midway Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2015
“Character & Cartography”, Sandra Lee Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2014
Stanford Art Spaces booth @ Silicon Valley/SF Art Fair, San Mateo, CA
“Real Surreal”, Sandra Lee Gallery, San Francisco, CA
“Fresh Fish”, Green Chalk Contemporary, Monterey, CA
“Reimagining Progress”, David Brower Center, Berkeley, CA
“Shelter”, Art Works Downtown, San Rafael, CA
“Sky”, Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA

2013
“(Reality)2″, Pence Gallery, Davis, CA (catalog)
“Abundance”, PopUp Gallery, Alameda, CA

2012
“X Libris”, Root Division, San Francisco, CA
“Altered Landscape”, Workspace Ltd Gallery, San Francisco, CA
“Through That Which is Seen”, Root Division, San Francisco, CA
“Mission Artists United, Spring OS Show”, Workspace Ltd Gallery, San Francisco, CA
“57 Degrees”, Thoreau Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2011
“Outlandish:Contemporary Depictions of Nature”, Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA
“Hello Tomorrow: Bay Area Artists Envision the Future”, David Brower Center, Berkeley, CA
“A Live Animal”, Root Division, San Francisco, CA (catalog)

2010
“Proliferations, part 2″, OFF SPACE, San Francisco, CA (catalog)

2009
“ReVisions: New Creations from Scrap”, reMake Lounge, San Francisco, CA
“Trash into Treasure”, LincArt Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2007
“The Little Show”, Swarm Gallery, Oakland, CA
“The Photographers”, ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
“ReArt”, Market Street Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2006
“Our Planet, Our Home”, SFMOMA Artists Gallery, San Francisco, CA “Salvaged: Recycled Art”, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, CA “Terror?”, Intersection for the Arts, San Francisco, CA

2005 “The Art of Recycling”, San Francisco City Hall, San Francisco, CA
“Sociedad de Vida”, Steven Wolf Fine Arts, San Francisco, CA

2004
“Epic”, Southern Exposure, San Francisco, CA
“Transmogrifications”, Recology AIR exhibition, San Francisco, CA
“Toxic Landscapes”, Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts & Sciences, Loveladies, NJ

2003
“Solid Gold”, Southern Exposure, San Francisco, CA

2002
“Repurpose”, Southern Exposure, San Francisco, CA
“19th Annual National Juried Exhibition”, Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, CA
“Paisajes Toxicos”, La Biblioteca Nacional Jose Marti, Havana, Cuba
“Toxic Landscapes”, The Puffin Cultural Center, Teaneck, NJ

2001
“18th Annual Photo Metro Exhibition”, SF Arts Commission Gallery, San Francisco, CA
“Annual Members Exhibition”, Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, CA

2000
“On Canvas”, Bolinas Museum, Bolinas, CA

AWARDS

2014 Grand Prize, “Real Surreal”, Sandra Lee Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2013 SF Weekly Masterminds finalist , San Francisco, CA 2007 Nominated for SECA award , San Francisco, CA
2007 GenArt’s 9th Annual EMERGE! , San Francisco, CA
2001 First place, “Photo Metro Exhibition”, SF Arts Commission Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2000 Best of show, “On Canvas”, Bolinas Museum, Bolinas, CA

ARTIST RESIDENCY & LECTURES

2017 Artist talk , Desta Gallery, San Anselmo, CA Artist talk , Berkeley Art Center , Berkeley, CA
2016 Artspan Studio Tour , San Francisco, CA Artist talk , Midway Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2015 Artist talk , Sandra Lee Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2011 People’s Gallery: Select Mission Artists Guided Studio Tour , San Francisco, CA
2004 Recology Artist in Residence , San Francisco, CA

BIBLIOGRAPHY

2016 Villarreal, Ashley. “Featured Artist: Michael Kerbow”, SF Station , Mar. 29, 2016.
2014 Ball, Lilly. “It’s the End of the World as We Know It: An Interview with Artist Michael Kerbow”, Forth Magazine , Dec. 31, 2014.
2014 Miller, Jennifer. “Dystopian Paintings Portend the Terrifying Near Future of Our Cities”, Fast Company
2014 Pangburn, DJ. “An Artist’s Renderings of our Future Cities”, Vice.com , Aug. 28, 2014.
2014 Jobson, Christopher. “Paintings by Michael Kerbow Warn of Dire Consequences for Current Actions”, Colossal , Aug. 27, 2014. 2014 Mark, Jason, ”The Folly of Man”, Earth Island Journal , Jun 1, 2014.
2013 Interview #49, Eclectix , Dec. 20, 2013. 2013 Issue #14 elevenelevenjournal.com.
2013 Online profile, FecalFace.com , Mar. 26, 2013.
2013 Kenoyer, Jane, “Michael Kerbow’s Painting Aberrations”, Hi-Fructose , Feb. 6, 2013.
2011 McCarthy, Allison, “10 Artists to Keep Your Eyes On” 30 Sept. 2011. 7×7.com.
2007 “Our Planet, Our Home”, Artweek Magazine, February Issue pp.14-15.
2006 Interview on The ExtraFinger Blogspot.
2005 “Sociedad de Vida”, Artweek Magazine, September Issue pp.16-17.
2004 Liu, Anli, “Epic @ Southern Exposure” Flavorpill.com.
2001 Photo Metro Magazine, Issue 162.