“The Big Buffet in the Sky, Andrea Bergen, Moth Belly Gallery”
"It’s my way of confronting the horrors of climate change," Bergen says of her work. "I’m not trying to preach. I take steps in my personal life to reduce my impact, but I’m thinking about the irony of making this work, and trying to come to terms with the fact that I can’t do anything about what I’m seeing because of the system that's been created around us. I am constantly processing that my existence is itself harmful.”
“Joel Hernandez, At Least We’re Damned Together, Moth Belly Gallery”
“The title [At Least We're Damned Together] was inspired by a piece that I made a long time ago where a snake swallowed two men, but the men inside the snake were relaxed and smoking a joint. It’s about the idea that we can find silver linings in difficult moments. I think that’s the mantra that we’re all in right now, trying to find the upside and the positives in a dark moment in society.”
“This SF Gallery is Transforming into a Church for a Month”
“Be not afraid” with the Bible—especially with seraphim, cherubim, and thrones, since they’re described as these overwhelming, terrifying, beings. The phrase is used to soften the shock of those encounters and I do reference this in the work a little. But it’s actually one of the most frequently repeated lines in the entire Bible. It’s not just angels—God says it to people, people say it to one another. And in those contexts, it’s not about being fearless or conquering fear. It’s about trusting the process, moving forward even when you don’t know what will happen. That we’re allowed to be afraid, and still be okay.”
CALAMITY FAIR’S SOLO SHOW “ALL THE LITTLE THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN OUR HEADS”
“The drawings, in short, were kind of my journey in trying to not only rediscover my voice and identity as a new artist and a new evolving person but also to try to get back to the roots of creating art for what I feel are the right reasons. ”
Tenderloin gallery hosts fundraiser auction of eclectic art
“San Francisco’s got a lot of problems, and that’s undeniable,” Vochatzer admits. “But it’s still a great city for skateboarding, tattoos, lowbrow art and graffiti. There’s a lot of great subcultures and creative outlets in the city that haven’t gone anywhere, and they’re not going anywhere.”
Queer Experience is Art
In celebration of Queer & Well’s launch, we sat down with the fabulous artist and co-owner/founder of Moth Belly Gallery, SEIBOT. They breathed life into the beautifully soft and captivating Queer & Well graphic designs. We dove into how SEIBOT came into art, what it was like to grow their artistic footprint during the pandemic, and how art and queerness intersect.
One Big Thing: Artist Behind SF's ‘Weird Lady’ Takes a Creative Turn with New Tenderloin Gallery
Vochatzer teamed up with fellow street artist KT Seibert (aka Seibot) to found Moth Belly gallery on Larkin Street earlier this year, and the duo is in the midst of their second show “Unmanifest,” which showcases Vochatzer’s fantastical fine art collages alongside surrealist portraits by Academy of Art University illustration instructor David Ball.
The exhibit also stands as something of an inflection point for Vochatzer as he moves from being an artist known for collages and wheat pastes into his new role as “co-parent” to a gallery and community-driven art space.
We talk with Vochatzer about his new project and how he hopes it will be a hub for creativity in the Tenderloin.
— Christina Campodonico at Here/Say
Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021
“A Dope New Artist - Run Gallery in the TL: Moth Belly
Patricia Colli: Moth Belly is an artist-run gallery, who’s behind it? What made you want to open a gallery?
John Vochatzer: Moth Belly is the child of SF artist & muralist Seibot, and myself, John Vochatzer (otherwise known as Calamity Fair.) The entire idea behind it sort of sprung amidst the height of the pandemic last year. We were initially just discussing finding some sort of shared studio space, but after several conversations and brainstorms the idea snowballed into a full-on gallery, studio, workshop and event space, and eventually a community resource center…”
Thursday, October 7th, 2021