Seeing a Sustainable Path

Opening Reception and Artist Talk:
* Saturday, April 1, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Speaking Event – Gas in Your Home – is it safe?
* Saturday, April 15, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Exhibition Dates:
• March 29 – April 29 

Desta Gallery is pleased to announce, Seeing a Sustainable Path, an exhibition of current paintings by Michael Kerbow. This marks Kerbow’s second exhibition with the gallery addressing environmental challenges we are facing, on view from March 29 to April 29.

In line with the environmental exhibition and our community programming, Desta Gallery has invited climate change experts Bruce Nilles, Executive Director of Climate Imperative, and Patrick Gallagher, former Legal Director of the national Sierra Club, to share their knowledge on the currently debated topic of indoor gas use. Local climate activist and writer Anne-Christine Strugnell will moderate as the two discuss the health risks and climate implications of gas appliances during a (non-gas) fireside chat on April 15 from 3:00 – 5:00 pm at the gallery.

Michael Kerbow works in a variety of media, including painting, drawing, assemblage, and digitally manipulated photography. Kerbow received an MFA from Pratt Institute in New York. His creations explore issues such as hyper-consumerism, climate change, and other ecological threats that derive from our modern industrialized society.

He is interested in how these phenomena impact our surroundings and affect the future viability of our planet. The artist seeks to question the rationale of our collective pursuits and attempts to reveal the dichotomy that can exist between what we desire and what we, in turn, manifest.

Kerbow creates allegories about the world today and invites us to ponder the scenarios that possibly await us tomorrow. Not only are his paintings thought provoking, the artist’s luscious use of color and intricate detail also lures the eye, enticing the viewer to contemplate the environmental themes contained in his work.

Kerbow explains, “Shortly before the pandemic, I began working on a new series of allegorical paintings that Ihave entitled “Late Capitalism.” This ongoing body of work portrays the return of dinosaurs as they overrun our world. These images signify our existential threat from climate change. The functioning of our society has inadvertently liberated destructive forces upon the earth. These dinosaurs are the specters of inevitable extinction. The cars and freeways symbolize our legacy of fossil fuel addiction. The various billboards and signage allude to the siren song of capitalism and represent a culture myopically focused on hyper- commodification and consumption.”

Michael Kerbow has been exhibited nationally and internationally and has appeared in multiple publications.  He has also been twice nominated for SFMOMA’s prestigious SECA award. Kerbow’s work has been exhibited in institutions such as Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, LA, Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, CA, Dennos Museum, Traverse City, MI, Peninsula Museum of Art, Burlingame, CA, David Brower Center, Berkeley, Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman, MT.