Join us on First Friday October 6th 5–10pm for ArtWalk SJ and the last outdoor STREET MRKT event of the year! Come out and experience amazing exhibitions in the gallery venues, 50+ STREET MRKT artists and live performers as they transform So. 1st St. in SoFA District into an outdoor urban arts faire.
All ArtWalk venues and STREET MRKT are free admission (spend it with the Artists!) and family friendly.
SoFA District
ANNO DOMINI // the second coming of Art & Design – 366 S. First St. map
Artist’s reception in galleryONE:
Language of the Birds Céline Lyaudet (France) solo exhibition
“Language of the Birds” refers to a secret, coded, and mystical language used in alchemy and poetry. As a child, Céline Lyaudet yearned to communicate with birds and unravel their hidden language. Growing into womanhood, she felt an intimate conviction that something crucial was missing—an essential connection with both herself and the outer world. It became imperative for her to rediscover her link with primal, natural energies.
Her previous exploration of painting aimed to unearth buried emotions, traumas, and the landscapes of her psyche. Over the course of a year, her latest body of work delves deeply into these inner realms, exploring the intangible entities she calls “Spirits” that inhabit them. These Spirits communicate in an unfamiliar yet strangely familiar language, composed of sounds and colorful shapes that meld into a synesthetic vocabulary. They manifest in her dreams or during meditative states, akin to a trance. She allows these ethereal Spirits to guide her hand as she paints, infusing their energy with her creations.
Initially, Céline translates these visions without intellectual or critical intervention. Some of these visions are luminous, while others can be bewildering or even frightening, bringing forth enigmatic creatures. These entities serve as the guardians of her unconscious domain and the inner monsters she seeks to connect with. As the painting process unfolds, the messages within these visions gradually become clearer, and the fragments of meaning coalesce, allowing her to interpret and decipher the secret language embedded within her art.
The act of creating the paint itself follows a ritual that deepens her connection with these Spirits. Céline crafts her paint using pigments and natural binders, often
incorporating raw materials like wood ash or clay. Her paintings are infused not only with a rich palette of colors and varied viscosities but also with profound symbolic meaning. This process resembles a form of artistic witchcraft, inspired by the making of fetishes. The very materials used imbue the painting with its own unique magic and vibrations, embodying the spirit within the physical matter.
Céline draws inspiration from ancient civilizations and their cave art, a time when artistic gestures were intertwined with ritual and held a magical significance. Additionally, she finds influence in the works of mystical artists like Hilma af Klint, Séraphine de Senlis, and Hildegard of Bingen, who share a profound connection with Nature.
Céline embraces Hildegard of Bingen’s words: “Humanity, take a good look at yourself. Inside, you’ve got heaven and earth, and all of creation. You’re a world—everything is hidden in you.” These words resonate deeply with her as she endeavors to unveil the hidden worlds within herself and manifest them through her art.
On view in galleryTWO:
Our Ancestors are Calling Us Jhovany De Ala solo exhibition
When one creates, we do so in conversation with our ancestors. The heritage that we carry in our minds and bodies is reflected in our language and in art. We are shaped by what we have learned from history and from the voices of our grandmothers and grandfathers.
Our Ancestors Are Calling Us is a graphic display that highlights a part of our original culture. For the ancestors, the portraits, the animal world, and the universe of medicinal plants were part of a whole. The images that make up this exhibition honor that universe.
Through these images, I create a process between balance and spirituality. At the same time, I want to provide space to honor the beliefs and traditions that still thrive in our indigenous communities. These are represented as tributes in images that emerge from my imagination.
Our Ancestors Are Calling Us also issues an urgent call to rediscover the nature of which we are a part, urging us to care for it, respect it, and live well.
Nature lives in us; however, we often forget to live in harmony and respect with it. This oversight is a consequence of living in large cities surrounded by vehicles, skyscrapers, and submerged in gray skies. In such environments, time becomes of the essence, and the speed of life becomes absorbed by the demands of production and consumption. Consequently, we fail to make time to rediscover ourselves or to listen to others.
Our Ancestors Are Calling Us is a series of woodcut prints and mixed media paintings that reminds us of the power of ancestral connection and nature to guide us towards a more balanced and meaningful existence.
KALEID Gallery – 320 S. First St. map
Artist’s reception: Radical Force129 solo exhibition
Force129 is a mixed media artist & designer currently living & working in San Jose, California
“The ability to constantly bring something to life from my head, using my imagination to create one-of-a-kind, original artwork that exists in a world I live in, allows me to create my own reality using my selected tools of choice.”
The selected works are from recent art work created during his studio practice over the past year.
MACLA Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana – 510 S. First St. map
MACLA’s Queer-ennial: A Story of Armor
A Story of Armor showcases resiliency as artists protect their mind, body, and spirit.
Featuring: Arely Cardenas, Houyee Chow-Jiménez, Ester Hernandez, Joel Hernandez, Devin Osorio, Fernando Reyes, and 20 other artists!
Special performance at 7:30pm & 8:30pm: Join us for a captivating evening of music and inspiration!
This month, we are thrilled to feature Christian Martinez, a remarkable community innovator with roots tracing back to Michoacan, Mexico, and a heart deeply connected to Oakland, CA. Christian’s artistic talents blend rap, spoken word, and music into a harmonious narrative of brown resilience.
Come experience the power of his music as he shines a spotlight on the stories of immigrants, inner-city youth, and advocates for collective healing. Christian Martinez’s performance promises to be an unforgettable journey of creativity and purpose.
Natural Do Salon – 613 S. First St. map
Hollywood by Fuquan Divine
My interpretation of actors and singers in private thought
PhantomGalleries at The Pierce – 2 Pierce Ave. map
Pouring My World a series of fluid landscapes by Sandra Murphy
In a playful dance of colors and emotions, this Landscape Series unveils tales spun over the last several years, capturing both the tangible beauty of the world and the intangible realms of my imagination. These canvases are more than just depictions; they are heartbeats, resonating with tales of growth, exploration, and a yearning to paint the world in a hue that defies convention.
Allow yourself to be swept away by the symphony of abstraction peppered with notes of realism, urging you to challenge the ordinary and embrace the extraordinary. The subjects of these paintings? Not landscapes, not objects, but raw, unfiltered feelings. Whether sparked by a fleeting moment captured in a photograph or a lingering emotion from daily life, each stroke is a testament to my journey.
Take a moment to immerse yourself in this world where skies are not just blue; they may blush in shades of pink or gleam golden-yellow. The ebullient color schemes mirror my moods – some days bursting with joy, and on others, painted with the profound depth of dramatic oranges, purples, and reds, representing life’s challenges and the undeniable beauty of every path we walk.
Each creation is a testament to a journey, not just of the hand but of the soul. And as you witness these pieces, know that they are borne of a technique uniquely my own –”layered controlled pour.” Here, tradition melds seamlessly with innovation, every layer meticulously crafted to bring forth my vision.
Come, journey with me through these vibrant works.
Artist will be in attendance on First Friday 5–9pm during ArtWalk SJ.
Institute of Contemporary Art San Jose – 560 S. First St. map
Heesoo Kwon, Leymusoom Garden: Following Naked Dancing and Long Dreaming
In her first solo museum exhibition, Leymusoom Garden: Following Naked Dancing and Long Dreaming, Heesoo Kwon explores her spiritual journey connecting Korean shamanistic and indigenous perspectives to the land with her female ancestors. Her multimedia installation extends the queer feminist utopian digital space of Leymusoom to the mysticism of the garden, deepening her connection to the land and women’s freedom and desire.
Adia Millett, Wisdom Keepers
Wisdom Keepers, a solo exhibition by Adia Millett, explores the parallels and interplay between a craftswoman and a warrior. In both cases “martial arts” is an intricate set of techniques and skills used with the intention of protecting, preserving, and building a community and its culture. While the tools used in this process differ for the soldier and the quilter, put side by side a shared story is revealed, providing a new perspective of our ancestral past, and perhaps our future. Millett’s new work is a response to an in-depth look at the African-American quilt collection at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA). The four quilts on loan from BAMPFA present the viewer with a foundation for which Millett’s lineage of fabric, formal composition, and use of color palette derive from.
San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles – 520 South First St. map
Excellence in Fibers VIII
From small works on pedestals to towering textile banners, Excellence in Fibers VIII features a diverse array of artworks that masterfully mix techniques of sewing, weaving, crocheting, quilting, embroidery, basket weaving, knotting, papermaking, felting, beading, dressmaking, upholstery, wrapping, while addressing some of the most pressing social issues of our times. Don’t miss an incredible opportunity to view this juried exhibition that brings together the best of fiber arts and textiles.
SoFA Market – 387 S. First St. ma
DAYDREAM by Akeemraheem
Funky, colorful graffiti-art angle on pop culture and good vibes.
Fountain Alley Area
Chopsticks Alley Gallery – 38 S. 2nd St. map
Ăn Chơi | Eat & Play
Đi Ăn Chơi / Let’s go eat and play — a Vietnamese phrase that encapsulates the audacious spirit of gastronomy and the pulsating undercurrents of leisure. Ăn Chơi brings together 24 artists representing the Bay Area’s creative community to explore an eclectic blend of multicultural influences that portray the fun food scene. Embrace the spirit of eating well and playing hard.
Participating Artists: Hadi Aghaee, Melan Allen, Estefania Bautista, Yvonne Bellido, Cynthia Cao, Buppydogs (Alicia Cardell), Vanessa Callanta, Julie Cardenas, DACBEET (Betty Nguyen), kaory (Kaory Santillan), Wednesday DeGuzman, Terry Kreiter, Saraswathy Lakshmivaraham, Josie Lepe, Angelo Lopez, Addi Miyako, Minhquang Nguyen, Mariel Paat, jumdropz (Pauline Phan), P.LOCZ, Kurt Salinas, Harumo Sato, Eileen Arts (Eileen Wong Cervera), Jax Yao
Please join us for a fun hands-on art activity during 5-9pm during First Friday ArtWalk, led by our Chopsticks Alley staff.
Works San Jose – 38 S. 2nd St. map
Biophilia: Humans and the Natural World
First Friday opening reception! Biophilia is the innately emotional affiliation of human beings to other living organisms. According to biologist E.O. Wilson, we humans have an affinity for the natural world that has evolved over millennia and is part of our genetic makeup. The artists in this exhibition acknowledge human tendencies towards biophilia with an amazing scope of diverse creations. They respond to and mimic the natural world with both realism and abstraction, invention and science. They look to landscape, creatures, biology, and the elements, often hybridizing new forms of being. They employ art media and concepts as a means of communion with a concept of nature that is both intensely connected and slipping beyond their grasp.
Participating Artists: Shari Bryant, Binh Danh, Elizabeth Gómez, Annette Goodfriend, Emily Gui, LeMonie Lightning Hutt, Yunan Ma, Kent Manske, Hector Dionicio Mendoza, Minoosh Zomorodinia
Guest Curator: Nanette Wylde
Martha Gardens District
Art Ark Gallery – 1035 S. Sixth St. map
Journals on Recycled Wood 1985-2023 Gianfranco Paolozzi solo exhibition
Marking on surfaces moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day, month by month, year by year…Creating a journal.
Live music by Gianfranco and Griff during First Friday Artwalk.
MACHU PICCHU Gallery of the Americas, Est 1974 – 199 Martha St. map
HUIPILIS Traditional Indigenous Garments from Mesoamerica and Guatemala.
The Huipil has been a beautiful typical garment among the ethnic groups that have lived in Mesoamerica since pre-Hispanic times. Huipilis are finely woven clothing and are expressions of Guatemalan culture. In some cases, the huipil has deeper meanings that relate to stories, myths, legends and where ancient customs converge.
The Huipilis reflect the history of Indigenous women, who over the years have maintained the exquisite art of Mayan weavings which are done on backstrap looms.
South FIRST FRIDAYS presents:
STREET MRKT an indie urban art faire
5–10pm, free admission (spend it with the Artists!).
So. 1st St. between San Carlos & William streets
Join us for the LAST OUTDOOR STREET MRKT of the year! Featuring 50+ talented artists gather together out on So. 1st St. transforming the SoFA District into a lively outdoor gallery for the evening. We’ll have stunning paintings, unique sculptures,, chic fashion, live performances and even on the spot experiences like custom poems and the Deep Legends Bus with DJ Dirty Beats . Support our amazing artists and help our local art scene thrive!
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS
Soloman Acosta
Rebecca Anguian
Bay Area Glass Institute (BAGI)
Purl Bailey (aka Marilyn Roaf)
The Blunt Letters
Bolo Vintage
Julianne Bonnet
Budding Art Foundation
Bungalow Glow Candle Co.
Emmanuel Cervantes-Mejía + Michael Rogan
Crossroads Trading Co.
Curious Shapes / Brian Corbin
Current Tattooing
Jhovany De Ala
Jennifer DeChenne
Mario Dimas
Designs by Maureen
Enchant Christmas
Faded Visualz
Flow State Sound Healing & Arts
Force129 & Betty Proper
Cynthia Gonzalez
Hand in Hand Henna
Sydney Hessel
Higher Fire Clay Space & Gallery
Jodi408
Land and Sky Fine Art / Joe Mandrick
Frankie McFly
Julianne McKay
La Madre Bruja
Mattea Muzzy
Tania Okay + Lotte Van De Walle
OaxaCali Studios
Tania Okay
Jean -Luc Pedanou
Ragavon
Francisco Ramirez
Art of Joseph Richardson
Mason Roberts
Rene Schilling Sears
Radhika Sinha
South Bay Ceramics
Suha Suha
Sujata Tibrewala
Eric Vasquez
Heylu Wheat
Performances:
S 1st St and San Salvador intersection
6:00pm: SPR Strings Violin & Viola Studio
7:00pm: Huethuetl Tezka Aztec Dance
5pm–10pm DJ Dirty Beats & the Deep Legends Bus
Flipside Crew DJs in the beer garden, plus delicious food trucks!
BEER GARDEN & FOOD TRUCKS
On Tap…
Clandestine Brewing
Fox Tale Fermentation
Strike Brewing
plus…
Delicious Food Trucks…
3 Brothers Kitchen
3 Hermanos Mexican Grill
Akita Gourmet Sushi
Chickn Bros.
The South FIRST FRIDAYS Art Walk + STREET MRKT is produced by CURATUS in collaboration with the participating art venues, local artists, musicians, performers and independent businesses.
STREET MRKT is supported in part by a Cultural Affairs grant from the City of San Jose.
Join us on Facebook ArtWalkSJ
South FIRST FRIDAYS
366 S 1st Street
San Jose, CA 95113
408-271-5155
info@southfirstfridays.com