The Message Is the Medium is the newest exhibition at Shari Brownfield Fine Art exploring the relationship between form, process, and content in contemporary art. The exhibition features a dozen well-known artists and invites viewers to reflect on how the materials and methods artists use are as integral to meaning as the subjects they depict. View the exhibition online.
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Marshall McLuhan, a Canadian philosopher and media theorist, famously argued that the medium through which information is communicated has a more profound influence than the content it carries. McLuhan's statement was initially applied to media forms, but the theory certainly extends to fine art— in considering how the medium itself becomes a powerful tool for storytelling and self-expression, we see that art is not solely about visual content but also the means of delivery.
Shari Brownfield, curator of the exhibition, explains that “McLuhan’s ideas about the medium shaping the message are more relevant today than ever, especially in the context of contemporary art. Artists are no longer confined to traditional forms— they're experimenting with new ways to communicate their ideas and, in doing so, are challenging us to think differently about how we experience and interpret the world. This exhibition allows us to see the medium not as a passive tool, but rather as a co-creator of meaning.”
The centerpiece of the exhibition, a 1960s Roy Lichtenstein, uses industrial techniques such as Ben-Day dots and porcelain enamel to blur the lines between fine art and popular culture. Similarly, Emil Lukas stretches colored threads across a wooden frame to create intricate forms in negative space, questioning the boundaries of traditional oil painting. Matt Gonzalez, drawing inspiration from the detritus of city streets, transforms found cardboard and paper into complex collages that speak to the sociopolitical landscape of San Francisco.
By embracing non-traditional materials, the artists exhibited show how medium is not simply a tool for conveying content, but an active participant in the creation of meaning. This exhibition underscores how the medium itself can provoke deeper conversations about culture, identity, and the world we live in.
The Message Is the Medium is open for viewing weekdays from 10 am to 2 pm and by appointment. A reception celebrating the exhibition, along with the 10-year anniversary of Shari Brownfield Fine Art and the five-year anniversary in its current location (at the historic Wort Cabin on 55 South Glenwood St), will be announced soon.