Blog Archives

A Trip Down Memory Zine

4/15/2026

As the year comes to an end, let's revisit 2025-2026 through some zines! From bugs to Valentine's day, the Zine committee captured the spirit of BAMPFA through creative submissions.

0 Comments

Spring 2026 BAMPFASC Digital Show: "Movement"

4/15/2026

0 Comments

Optically dynamic, kinetic, and in flux–yet physically static and arrested in space–Movement interrogates the ways in which intransient mediums assume the presence of motion. In the following works, selected from the BAMPFA permanent collection, quickly layered brushstrokes, blurred pixels, and fluid, organic spirals animate otherwise fixed surfaces, producing a perceptual gap between what one sees and what one feels. The Art Curatorial Subcommittee invites viewers to linger in this discrepancy and follow its rhythm.

Art World Matrix - Sophia Loren Munk United States, 1951– Art World Matrix 2010 Oil on linen University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive; Gift of John Bloch. Loren Munk’s Artistic Flow Charts illustrate the entwined developments of a particular art movement itself. In this painting, he visualizes the connections between artists who are categorized as Abstract Expressionists. On the right side of the canvas, Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock are joined together, referencing their marriage, while Pollock and Willem de Kooning are separated by Arshile Gorky, indicating the rivalry the two artists had. Munk paints each name with different jagged edges and bright colors, adding a specific sense of motion and character to every artist. With all the names being interconnected by a throughline of at least one other artist, Art World Matrix is a conceptualization of the small, yet complex webs of personal relationships that dominated the Abstract Expressionist art scene. Its physical form serves as a tool for optically understanding these social engagements, demonstrating the varied activity that led to the movement as we know it today.

Flying Red - Fiona Wanless. Hans Hofmann United States, b. Germany, 1880-1966 Flying Red 1960 Oil on canvas board University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive; Gift from the collection of Barclay and Sharon Simpson, in honor of Lucinda Barnes. Hofmann expresses movement through vivid and bold strokes against a white background. The red and black lead the eye to move across the canvas while the yellow grounds it to a plane. The splatters and seemingly accidental strokes give a sense of spontaneity, complemented by the energetic color palette. The red jumps out and flies through the plane, not constrained by its abstractivity to depict movement. In the postwar era of the ‘50s and ‘60s, Abstract Expressionism was a popular movement, which Hofmann contributed greatly to. This piece shows how simple colors and abstract gesture can be used to convey powerful emotions and ideas.

The Three Gorges Dam Migration- Tallinn Horn Ji Yun-Fei China, 2009 Painting- Handscroll: woodcut 14 x 120 in University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive; Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harry W. Anderson, 1973.2. Movement manifests in Ji Yun-Fei’s interpretive representation of human displacement created in the wake of the building of China’s Three Gorges Dam. The dam was constructed with the purpose of minimizing flooding in the Yangtze River and produce a large amount of energy for the nation. However, the construction was highly controversial from its beginning due to the thousands historical sites and villages that would be submerged and, subsequently, had to be evacuated. Within the natural reeds and native fauna, Yun-Fei represents the displaced individuals as “floating weeds” themselves, representing the problems produced by the dam’s construction through a narrative-style hand scroll. Individuals are shown crowded together, sleeping on the ground among the rocks and bamboo, and surrounded by their worldly possessions. A level of fantastical design is included as well, with a monstrous beast included amongst the displaced, adding to the surreal and frightening nature of their reality.

Pescaditos de Oaxaca, México - Ella Laws. Graciela Iturbide Mexico, 1942–present Pescaditos de Oaxaca, Oaxaca 1942 Gelatin silver print University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive; Gift of Jane and Larry Reed. Graciela Iturbide’s Pescaditos de Oaxaca, México (Little Fish From Oaxaca, Mexico) captures the movement from life to death and the ambiguity between the two states of being. This uncertainty is portrayed through the overlapping pattern of the fish’s positioning. Upon first glance it is not immediately clear that the fish are being smoked on a rack. Rather, they look as though they are swimming collectively as a school of fish. It is only when one notices the anonymous hand reaching down to turn one of the fish over, that their state of being becomes apparent. This change in the positioning of the fish acts as a disruption to the fish’s natural pattern and the movement of life. As the fish “move” forward the hand reaches in to disrupt their flow, and establish their identity as being deceased. Like many of Iturbide’s works, this photograph aims to capture everyday life in Mexico and its rituals, cultures, and regions.

László Moholy-Nagy Hungary, 1895-1946 Untitled (Spotlight, ring and streak of light, comet) - Pilar 1922 Photograph University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive; Gift of Jan Leonard and Jerrold A. Peil, 2002.43.5. László Moholy-Nagy was a Hungarian experimental artist and writer who pioneered the use of the photogram medium within modern art. A teacher at both the Bauhaus school of art in Weimar and Dessau, and the director of the New Bauhaus located in Chicago Moholy-Nagy was a strong advocate for the use of technology within art. From the years of 1922-1943 László experimented extensively with the photogram technique, tracing objects placed on photographic paper during its exposure, which he favored for the optical and expressive qualities of light. This image, featuring a smooth gradient spotlight, pierced by a bright and striking line plays with varying levels of luminance. As each feature dances across the page we are reminded of the everchanging movement of light, as it creates our world.

Black Panthers from Sacramento Free Huey Rally - Olivia Corey. Jones Pirkle Bobby Hutton Memorial Park, Oakland, CA Number 62 from the series A Photo Essay on the Black Panthers August 25, 1968 (printed 2010) Photograph. Pirkle Jones was an American documentary photographer who took part in a project to photograph the Black Panther Party with his wife, Ruth-Marion Baruch. The project aimed to contrast the negative public image of violent and ruthless in which the party often was depicted by other news sources. They spent many months with the group, capturing the more intimate details of their lives and community organization. This photograph depicts a “Free Huey Rally” held in Sacramento, responding to the imprisonment of the Black Panther Party’s leader, Huey Newton. Newton was convicted of killing a police officer in a traffic stop; the conviction was overturned three years later. These women are members of the Black Panther Party, taking part in a social and political movement against police brutality and for the granting of black civil rights.

Hammering Man - Sofia. Jonathan Borofsky United States, 1942- Hammering Man 1976-1983 Wood, paint, steel, aluminum, foam, Bondo, motor University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive; Purchased with the aid of funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the University Art Museum Council, its members and friends. Jonathan Borofsky’s Hammering Man is a series of works at different sizes and locations that Borofsky refers to as his ‘worker’ sculptures (Borofsky, 2002). The kinetic artwork swings its arm four times per minute; the repetitive yet dynamic form is meant to be reminiscent of many different forms of labor. The sculpture remains in motion for 20 hours each day but rests from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. and on Labor Day to represent the necessary respite from constant work. Borofsky intends for this sculpture to depict all laborers and not only manual labor, but “he or she is the village craftsman, the South African coal miner, the computer operator, the farmer or the aerospace worker.” While the Hammering Man series is Borofsky’s best-known work, he has also created other public and conceptual artworks, many of which are not kinetic. This work is held in many major working hubs such as Frankfurt, Seattle, and Seoul, causing the work to be defined by its interaction with constant movement from passersby. Through mechanical motion and public placement, Borofsky complicates the relationship between sculpture and movement by challenging traditional forms of static sculpture.

A Walk in Fair Park - Emily. Carlotta M. Corporn United States, 1901-1990 A Walk in Fair Park 1940-1976 Photograph University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive; Gift of Scott M. Siegler and Bruce Vinokour. Carlotta M. Corporn, considered one of the pioneers of American abstract photography, is known for her experimental approach to light in photography, in works such as A Walk in Fair Park. The flow of light through the image evokes feelings of movement and the passage of time, even though the image itself remains still. In addition to her work, she spread the influence of photography through teaching at the Texas State College for Women. She challenged her students to focus on light and shadow manipulation, creating more dynamic photos.

Self Portrait: Vertical Motion up (Medium) from the Series Studies in Motion – Noelle. Blythe Bohnen United States 1940- Self Portrait: Vertical Motion up (Medium) from the Series Studies in Motion 1983 Photograph; Gelatin silver print University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive; Gift of Herbert and Paula Molner Part of a larger series exploring motion, Bohnen herself stands against a blank wall, shoulders bare and facing the camera, similar to that of a passport photo. This simple setup allows the impact of Bohnen’s movement to be emphasized, highlighting the almost haunting distortion of her face. Through performing small vertical gestures in front of a long exposure camera, each motion is captured and compiled together on the negative to create a blurred illusion of two faces, one on top of the other. Though the rest of the figure is unfocused, the eyes remain clear, staring expressionlessly at the lens, both alluring and unnerving to the viewer. This series speaks to the intersection of gesture, photography, and identity. The artist uses her body’s movements as a tool to challenge traditional ideas of portraiture by rendering the subject unidentifiable and fluid: “Through this systematic and simple process…I can become a man or a woman, or a series of different human characters…I can be standing beside my portrait, but no one can recognize the subject (myself).”

500 Brushstrokes No. 63 - Angela Jian’an, Wu China (1980-) 500 Brushstrokes No. 63 (2019) 43 ⅜ x 55 in Ink, watercolor, paper, and collage on Xuan paper University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive; Gift of Jennifer Y. Chang in honor of Lawrence Rinder Born in Beijing, Wu Jina’an is a contemporary artist with a concentration in contemporary art with traditional Chinese and collaging techniques. He currently has multiple ongoing art series, one being the 500 Brushstrokes series. Jian’an’s 500 Brushstrokes No. 63 is one of many pieces within the series. The art is created of intricately calculated strokes which are then cut out of its original medium and collaged onto the work utilizing traditional Chinese conservation techniques.

0 Comments

A Trip Down Memory Zine

Spring 2026 BAMPFASC Digital Show: "Movement"

Archives

Writers

FOLLOW US