CAPITAL Gallery Presents 'BLACK STANDARD' Group Show at Minnesota Street Project

From April 8 to April 23, 2016, San Francisco gallery CAPITAL presented the group exhibition 'BLACK STANDARD' at Minnesota Street Project, located at 1275 Minnesota Street in the Dogpatch neighborhood. The pop-up show featured three artists: Davina Semo from New York, Los Angeles-based Phil Wagner, and the Bay Area's Survival Research Laboratories (SRL), founded by Mark Pauline in 1978. SRL's massive robotic devices dominated the space, with Pitching Machine (1999) and Inchworm (1987) installed in the atrium, each larger than a car and capable of launching objects or tearing materials apart. Running Machine (1992) occupied the main gallery, accompanied by smaller Prop (Offspring) pieces from 2015. Wagner contributed four large paintings, two listing materials like BRONZE, CANVAS, and STEEL, and others repeating the word 'AGENDA'. Semo's works included WE DON'T WIN ANYMORE (2016), a large steel chain 'XX', and concrete slabs with industrial materials such as carbon fiber-copper fabric and glass rods. The exhibition coincided with several Bay Area art developments, including the opening of Minnesota Street Project, the transformation of David Ireland's home at 500 Capp Street into a museum, the debut of the Diller Scofidio + Renfro-designed BAMPFA, and SFMOMA's upcoming reopening in May after a major expansion. The title 'BLACK STANDARD' references a black flag symbolizing 'No Surrender', reflecting the local art community's resilience amid gentrification and rising rents.