it’s no secret that i love the ICA. the building is a marvel of modern design and it’s small enough to see and fully appreciate everything in one go.  i especially love their free thursday nights because, hey, it’s free! last thursday, two friends and i went to see the barry mcgee exhibit.

mcgee is a painter and graffiti artist who was active in san francisco in the early nineties. he is also known as ray fong (the name shows up in his art often), twist and others. he was part of the group of artists featured in the beautiful losers documentary, along with his wife margaret kilgallen, who died of cancer in 2001.

his art is kinetic, colorful and graphic.  the exhibit comprises photos of friends tagging, video installations, surfboards, paintings, paper maché and wooden sculpture, and groupings of small, intimate sketches.

and no visit to the ica is complete without a visit to the mediatheque, a vertically stepped-out space suspended from the underside of the building which makes you feel as if you are diving into the water below.

the mcgee exhibit runs until september 2 so get there!