Bay Area Now 9
Presented by YBCA |
October 6, 2023–May 5, 2024
Bay Area Now 9 is the ninth iteration of YBCA’s signature triennial exhibition highlighting artists working throughout the Bay Area’s nine counties. Each BAN is an attempt to answer the question: What are artists making, thinking, dreaming about right now? Central to BAN—and to YBCA as an institution—is the investment in and platforming of the vibrant creative communities which surround us. Featuring over 30 multidisciplinary artists—a nod to YBCA’s upcoming 30th anniversary—the exhibition features numerous new commissions spanning our campus.
Forgoing a preconceived theme for this year’s BAN, the Curatorial + Exhibitions Team took over one hundred artists into consideration and conducted dozens of studio visits under the advisory of YBCA’s inaugural Curatorial Counsel. The resulting selection of artists demonstrates a focus on materials and subject matter that often collapse time and place, bringing us closer to our personal and collective ancestry as a site for healing and regeneration. Honoring intimacy—connections with oneself, friends, and family—is a driving motivation. Taking an analytical approach to the Bay Area’s built and natural landscapes, artists observe, interrogate, and ponder notions of infrastructure, industry, and interconnectedness.