Renovated Reputations, Kenney Mencher

I had the pleasure of attending Kenney's opening last Friday and in the words of the ArtHaus' gallerist, James Bacchi - we should be making the first Facebook connection movie. It was through James that I first saw Kenney's amazing works of art and, like most of us nowadays, I "friended" him on Facebook - I actually couldn't believe that he accepted!!! So... as I walked into the gallery, I spotted Kenney who immediately gave me a hug and said how nice it was to meet in person. HOW cool is that? Here we are after just meeting:

Renovated Reputations is the result of a flash fiction internet blogging project created by Kenney, based on his new series of paintings and assemblages, inspired by vintage and antique vernacular photography. Each painting is the solicitation for writers to submit short fiction of one thousand words or less. The blog has attracted more than 250 hits per day. http://kenney-mencher.blogspot.com/

Kenney awards the author of the winning entry with an original work used as the basis for the story. Each painting and story is a unique standalone entity – combining exhibition, a newspaper and a limited-edition catalogue. The exhibition will feature up to 40 paintings. As a painter, Kenney's objective continues to present figurative compositions divorced from their context, while forcing the viewer to create their own interpretation of the narrative. “As you look at Mencher’s art you are reminded of your own lost moments – the people you should have comforted, but didn’t; the lover you trusted who stopped returning your calls; the companion at work who quietly knifed you in committee and then cheerfully chatted you up at coffee break. Humble stuff, average people making average choices…” Art critic, William Wisner.

Originally from New York City, Kenney Mencher earned a BA and MA in Art History from City University of New York and University of California, Davis. He went on to obtain a MFA in painting from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio. Mencher’s work has been exhibited nationwide. He is the author of Liaisons: Readings In Art, Literature and Philosophy, and he has taught at several institutions including University of Chicago and Texas A&M University.

Renovated Reputations continues at ArtHaus through June 25, 2011. The gallery is located at 411 Brannan Street in San Francisco. Gallery hours are Tuesday – Friday, 11am-6pm and Saturday, noon-5pm. For further information, phone (415)977-0223 or Visit ArtHaus at http://www.arthaus-sf.com/