Control opened August 6 at SOMArts Cultural Center in San Francisco.  Curated by Karen Gutfreund and juried by the Guerrilla Girls West, Control features the work of seventy-nine artists: ninety-two pieces in all.  The opening was a success, as visitors to the gallery viewed works that ranged from Monica Rickler Marks' mixed media assemblage "Control VS. Letting Go," which "explores the struggle between attempting to control every detail in life," to Ruth Waters' "Home, $weet Home," a sculpture created in the shape of a tiny house, depicting that "home is the most dangerous place for women."

In the curator's notes, Karen Gutfreund writes, "What does one control? How have political, social or economic controls shaped one's life and the lives of others?In what ways does the media and popular culture dictate and control?"  The introduction by the Guerrilla Girls West, who juried the show, asks, "Is 'control' a euphemism for the role of women?"

Each artist responded to the prompt, "control," in her own personal, provocative and individual way.  Many of the works are painfully honest, taking on issues of gender, war, politics, domestic and sexual abuse.  The show is required viewing for anyone who wants a strong, unflinching look at the world through the eyes of women visual artists.

The South Bay's Cristina Velazquez ("La Mujer Tiene que Ser Curander/Woman Must Be a Healer,") Lucy Liew ("The Core,") and Trina Merry ("Imperial Wartime Jellyfish") are represented in the show. To learn more about Cristina Velazquez, read my article Cristina Velazquez: transforming life into art.