First: Respect to Pro Arts for some 25 years of good work in the East Bay, and congratulations on its handsome new space. Its "New Visions, Introductions 2005", was curated by Catharine Clark and Jack Hanley. Clark too is a local stalwart whose particular vision, which tends toward the surreal, and rough edges, has kept her SF gallery particular and vital for many years. Hanley, simply put, has the best eye for new talent of any West Coast dealer or curator for that matter. Part of the fun of this show is guessing which of the two selected which work. Highlights for this viewer included the video by Tonya Solley Thornton that remembers that video is a form of fine art, not mediocre drama. Deadpan, nice costumes and set.The tour de force of the show is by Sarah Hirniesen, whose apartment complex with the fourth wall removed is charming and well executed. Its wonderful mysteriousness is unfortunately closed off by inclusion of a flyer that makes the meaning specific rather than opting to allow the viewer's participation. Two artists open the show with very strong two dimensional pieces: a near-mural scale drawing by Ema Sintamarian, "How Can I Live Without Ads," which looks like the artist tried to ask a graffitti artist to imagine Shaun O'Dell without seeing his work. Finally, Erik Friedman, on a less ambitious scale, also makes flat, complex images with a larger color palate that were unusual and successful. Also of note: Robert Lewis's dogs (painting) and especially strong, Cham Hendon's wonderful rendering of a 17th century naval scene torn apart by a horrendous color storm.

http://proartsgallery.org/