Much-respected artist and lauded skate and graffiti culture icon Barry McGee opened his latest exhibition “China Boo” at Ratio 3 in San Francisco. The show, which runs until December 19th is a humungous collection of works by McGee along with a bonus group exhibition in the neighboring store front that includes well over 50 artists and friends.
McGee’s work inhabits a bi-coastal subculture that comprises skaters, graffiti artists, and West Coast surfers. “China Boo” stands as a retrospective of his trademark drawings, paintings, and mixed-media installations that take their inspiration from contemporary urban culture. Familiar installations of surfboards stamped with McGee’s stylistic characters, large clusters of framed drawings both figurative and geometric, and precisely painted glass bottles intermix with collaborative ceramics that sit atop pedestals and are closely tied to his close compatriots housed next door.
A hole in one of Ratio 3 walls leads you into a now-defunct checks cashing business front, its bulletproof glass remaining. From floor to ceiling, the entire room is filled with artwork from a range of creatives.
If you’re in San Francisco this not a show to miss. Check out photos from the exhibit via amadeus photographer, Mira Laing.
