Selected exhibitions
An Ocean Away
Solo exhibition at Arcana, San FranciscoOct 18 - Nov 17, 2025
I saw Montalvo’s Ocean soon after I had relocated from Los Angeles to the Bay Area. The dancers’ bodies rolling in and out of each other in these rotating, wave-like movements remained ingrained in my mind for years. When I finally reached out to Dexandro to inquire about a recording of his piece, our conversations evolved into an opportunity to collaborate.
The exhibition showcased artworks based directly on movements from Ocean. At the opening reception on October 18, 2025, two dancers performed a dance duet choreographed by Dexandro, this time inspired, in return, by my work. This cycle of mutual influence created a dialogue between dance and visual art, which we discussed during our Artist Talk on November 17, 2025.
Dancers: Sarah Emmons and Mitch Stone
Dexandro “D” Montalvo is a San Francisco-based director, choreographer, dancer, and dance educator. His choreographic commissions include works for ODC, RMK, LINES Ballet Training Program/Summer Program, The Black Eyed Peas, DanceWorks Chicago, MINI (USA), Mini Amp Live, SF Ballet School, Concept o4, Dance Mission’s Dance Brigade, Sleepy Hollow Performing Arts Center, Cardinal Ballet, University of SF Dance Ensemble, Marin School of the Arts, & the ODC Dance Jam. Dexandro currently serves as an ongoing choreographer for ODC/Dance.
Arcana is a natural wine bar, restaurant and event space in the Mission district, San Francisco. Their art exhibitions, performances and music events have created a cultural hub in the heart of the Mission district of San Francisco.
To slow down at the pace of life
Duo exhibition at Colibri Gallery, Morgan Hill, CA
December 12, 2022 - March 18, 2023
It’s common nowadays for our attention to be fragmented and dispersed due to the increasing number of stimuli and information we are showered with, constantly. This means that our thoughts are not given enough “empty” time to freely flow into contemplation. The perception of our surroundings arrives at us in scattered bits and we are rarely immersed in one thought, one action, one feeling. Deep, contemplative attention requires resting the mind and listening, quieting our hyperactive and overly stimulated egos. It is a state of freedom, without pressure to rush, toil or attend to the necessities of life. There are things that only reveal themselves to us when we let our mind wonder. Without such opportunities, our gaze can rest on nothing and we find ourselves restless. Nietzsche described in Twilight of the Idols that learning to see means “getting your eyes used to calm, to patience, to letting things come to you” - that is, making yourself capable of deep, contemplative attention, slowing down.
My body of work “To slow down at the pace of life” reflects these moments of slowing down. I wanted the concept to be simple - what are the things that we can start noticing when the noise subsides? When I take a walk outside, without an aim, no set distance to complete, no audiobook or podcast playing, what does my mind pay attention to? If being in the present is a prerequisite for well-being, then what does the present look like?
The artworks in this series are inspired by symbols of conventional beauty - a flower, a cloud, leaves, a rainbow. They are chosen from nature, same as the materials I use in my work - salvaged wood. The way in which I construct my compositions is to me a representation of the interconnectedness and interdependence that binds life together. Everything rests on something and supports something else, every movement relies on a previous one and grows into a new one in an endless cycle. As the great naturalist John Muir observed, “when we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe”.
Press release
No Middle Ground
In my body of work “No Middle Ground”, I reflect on situations of contradiction between people. What happens when there is no joint path between two desired courses of action? The place of no middle ground is the liminal space where forces crash into each other as well as pull away in opposite directions. It is a situation of rivalry between two individuals as much as the utmost trial for their solidarity to each other.
All works are made of salvaged wood collected from the Bay Area of San Francisco and Mexico City.
All works are made of salvaged wood collected from the Bay Area of San Francisco and Mexico City.
Press Release
Uplift / Heavy lift
In this juried show, artists reflect on the nuanced layers of rage, strength, grief, resilience, and perseverance that have marked our lives over the past year. Collectively, works in the exhibition acknowledge the potential for art to provide an anchor in challenging times as we move from isolation back out into the world at large.