6 Feet Apart @ Birdhouse

I’m excited to present a solo exhibit of my 6 Feet Apart series at Birdhouse Gallery in the Sunset neighborhood of San Francisco. It’s a new gallery that shares a storefront space with the office of an architectural services company called bcooperative.

February 1 – March 16, 2025
Thurs & Fri 1–5pm; Sat 2–6pm
- I’ll be there in person every Saturday
Opening: Saturday, February 8, 2–6pm
Closing: Sunday, March 16, 2–6pm

The exhibition closing event also included an early exhibition prototype of my forthcoming book project 5 Years, 6 Feet Apart. Developed alongside the installation, the publication gathers photographs, writing, and reflections around the visual language of social distancing — arrows, tape, decals, and improvised signage that quietly reshaped how we moved through shared space. Presented here as a working publication, the book reflects an ongoing process of editing, design, and dialogue that continues to evolve beyond the gallery context.

- 4pm Ari will give a brief Artist Talk
- …followed by 3 more short presentations
  - Renny Pritikin was chief curator of The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco. He will read a short curatorial response written for 5 Years, 6 Feet Apart called “The Aesthetics of Peril and Panic”.
  - Christopher Lee is a medical epidemiologist focused on global epidemic and pandemic preparedness, detection, and response. He will read a short essay written for 5 Years, 6 Feet Apart, a personal reflection of his COVID experience titled “Lines, Loss, and the Gravity of Time“
  - Meg Shiffler served as the Arts Recovery Liaison at San Francisco’s COVID-19 Command Center. She will give a short talk detailing her work during the pandemic. She’ll share insights into how she bridged the gap between the arts community and the city’s emergency response

Birdhouse Gallery
2548 Judah Street, San Francisco, CA 94122 (map)
(415) 359-5187
@birdhousegallerysf

The exhibition includes new installations that leverage my archive of 1000s of images gathered around the world of the ubiquitous social-distancing marks that told us all to stand apart during the pandemic. Works include concrete sculptures, murals, framed and unframed photos on the walls, windows and floors, publications and more.

The groupings delve into a wide variety of metaphors, encompassing themes of transformation, the fragility of health, the rigorous yet uncertain nature of scientific exploration, and the visceral, often overwhelming experience of emotional panic. Through these layered associations, they invite the viewer to reflect on the interconnectedness of personal and collective responses to uncertainty and upheaval.

They are visually compelling abstractions but also stark reminders of the anxiety that led to their widespread presence. Once symbols of the pandemic’s intensity, they now fade into routine, unnoticed as we navigate the city.

VIDEO TOUR