RAY BELDNER

COUNTERFEIT


"Money is the moment to me. Money is my mood."
-Andy Warhol

"I dislike money, both for itself and for what it can buy, since I want nothing we know about."
-Rene Magritte 

The time consuming process of constructing the works in the exhibition, Counterfeit, has given me the opportunity to reflect on money both as a concept and an object.

Money is an icon, a myth, a metaphor, a collectible, a talisman, a commodity, a means to an end, and much more. Money is ubiquitous, yet we never seem to have enough. It is a common object of desire yet we rarely reflect on its worth. I am struck by its strength and suppleness, the craftsmanship of its engraving, and the uniqueness of the paper on which it is printed. In its design, currency holds the highest aspirations of our country, yet it is the most base and utilitarian object in our everyday lives.

Everyone has a unique and complex relationship to money, conditioned by his or her economic, social, and cultural background. Working with it as a sculptural material has made me aware of the almost alchemical process that transforms mere bits of paper into valuable currency and that same currency into valuable works of art. Part of that metamorphosis has to do with faith. Because money and art have no intrinsic value, they rely on our personal and collective trust to sustain the value we assign them. Our relationship to art is subject to the same societal conditioning as our relationship to money. That relationship is equally complicated and but generally less defined than our feelings toward money. I find that art--especially "blue chip" art--is almost always discussed in terms of its monetary value rather than its historical, political, or social significance.

I call this body of work, Counterfeit. It refers to my plagiarism of selected twentieth century masterpieces as well as the conditional nature of the value of art and money. My recent experience working in the internet industry has shown me how faith and exuberance can sustain high values for stock in companies with very little net worth. The current stock market downturn, however, has demonstrated how quickly that worth can evaporate as investor confidence wanes. In the art world there are comparable stories of expensive artworks formerly assigned to great masters that have lost value after having been reattributed to lesser known artists. Has the company that issued the stock or the artwork itself actually changed? Only our perceptions change, our beliefs shaken, decreasing a given object's desirability and worth. Counterfeit ultimately conflates our two most prized possessions--art and money--perhaps undermining, or strengthening, our faith in both.

Education:

MFA, Sculpture; Mills College, Oakland, California
BFA, Painting; San Francisco Art Institute, California

Solo Exhibitions:

2001 Counterfeit, Bettcher Gallery, Miami, FL
Counterfeit, Frumkin/Duval Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
1998 Untitled, Haines Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Untitled, Frumkin/Duval Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
1996 The Other Side of the Aisle, Linda Moore Gallery, San Diego, CA
1994 The Body of a Dead Enemy Always Smells Good, Haines Gallery,
San Francisco, CA
1992 Landscapes and Dark Suits, Haines Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1990 Introductions, Haines Gallery, San Francisco, CA

Group Exhibitions:

2002 Show Me the Money: The Dollar as Art, Naples Museum of Art, Naples,FL; travels to Palm Springs Desert Museum, Palm Springs, CA;
Federal Reserve Bank, Boston, MA
2001 Bettcher Gallery, Miami, FL
Bettcher Gallery, Miami Beach, FL
Frumkin/Duvall Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2000 Korean Sculpture/World Sculpture, Moran Museum of Art, Kungki-do, Korea (catalog)
Money Making: The Fine Art of Currency at the Millenium, Federal Reserve Board,
Washington D.C. (catalog);
Contemporary Art Center of Virginia, Virginia Beach, VA
1999 Wrapped Up!, Frumkin/Duval Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
Meaning and Message, Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, CA
Making Change: Artists Interpret the Tzedakah Box, The Jewish Museum,
San Francisco, CA (catalog)
Recent Acquisitions: Selections From The Permanent Collection,
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Scottsdale, AZ
Ban/Ban, Korean Culture and Foundation Art Center, Seoul, Korea (catalog)
On The Money: At the Intersection of Art and Commerce, SFMOMA Rental Gallery,
San Francisco, CA
1999 On The Money: At the Intersection of Art and Commerce, Sherry
Frumkin Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
1998 From S. Francisco, B & D Contemporanea, Milan, Italy
PROJECTions, Pusan Metropolitan Art Museum, Korea (catalog)
Concepts of the Land, Bolinas Museum, Bolinas, CA
1997 The Shoe Show, Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA
Work/Space, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA
1996 Chateau Marmont Art Fair, with Haines Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Work/Space, 44 Montgomery St., in conjunction with Southern Exposure
Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Matters of the Heart, Haines Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1995 Facing Eden: 100 Years of Landscape Art in the Bay Area,
M.H. DeYoung Memorial Museum, San Francisco, CA (catalog)
Landscape: A Concept, Oliver Art Center, CCAC, Oakland, CA
Long Horizons: A Bay Area Landscape, Falkirk Cultural Center, San Rafael, CA
1994 Old Glory, New Story: Flagging the 21st Century, Capp St. Project,
San Francisco, CA ; Santa Monica Museum of Art, Santa Monica, CA
Fragments of Flight, Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek CA (catalog)
Here and Now: Bay Area Masterworks from the di Rosa Collection, Oakland Museum, CA (catalog)
1993 Body Parts, Haines Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1992 Funnels, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Rental Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Under Cover: The Book Becomes Art, Scottsdale Center for the Arts,
Scottsdale, AZ
1990 The Camera Obscured, Spectrum Gallery, San Francisco, CA

Installations:

1999 Bounty, for the exhibition, Interventions, Catharine Clark Gallery,
San Francisco, CA (brochure)
Running Cars, Driving Rain, for the exhibition, Drip, Blow, Burn,
Hudson River Museum, NY (catalog)
1998 Supervision or Someone To Watch Over Me, for the exhibition, pFORMative Acts,
Faculty Exhibition, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA
1996 Winds of Change, Fairfield Center Gallery, Fairfield, CA
1995 Surveillance, for the exhibition Counterspace, Haines Gallery Annex, San Francisco, CA
1994 Untitled installation, Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, Omaha, NE
1993 Returning Books to the Earth, for the exhibition Beyond the Written Word,
San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose, CA
1992 Strained Relationships: Boys Will Be Boys, Sonoma State University, Sonoma, CA
The Nail That Sticks Out Gets Hammered In, War and Peace, Water Table,
three projects at Headlands Center for the Arts during a collaborative residency with
Robin Lasser, Sausalito, CA
1991 Converse, Confer, Conceit, for the exhibition Site: Western Union,
San Francisco, CA
1990 Diminishing Resources, Haines Gallery, San Francisco, CA

Public Art Projects

1999 Garden, Francisco Middle School, San Francisco, CA, 5,000 square
foot garden/classroom/laboratory collaboratively designed and built
with students from the San Francisco Art Institute, Francisco Middle School and landscape architect, Loretta Gargan (permanent project)
Shipyard Stories, Vincent Park, Richmond Redevelopment Agency,
Richmond, CA, two 91x 31 stainless steel photo/text plaques commemorating the shipyard workers in W.W.II (permanent project)
1996 Playland Revisited, San Francisco Municipal Railway, five stainless steel sculptures
with historic photos and text plaques (permanent project)
1994 For Walt Whitman, International Sculpture Conference, Oakland, CA, Whitman quote carved into asphalt and planted with native perennials
1993 Nature Remains, City of Dublin, CA, perforated metal and recyclable material
1991 The Lay of the Land, Richmond Art Center, Richmond, CA,
site-generated sculpture made with wood and recyclable materials,
collaboration with Robin Lasser (catalog)
1990 Nature of Experience, Millerton Point, Tomales Bay State Park, CA,
site-specific nature trail and outside exhibits

Bibliography

2001 Frank, Peter, "Capital Art, Architecture as Framework for Social Commentary," Los Angeles Weekly, March 23-29
Ko, Hyun Jin, "Half Korean, Half American... Everything about Half," The Korea Times, May
Park, Nak Hee, "Korean Artist/Local Artist = 'Ban/Ban' Art Exhibition,
" The Korean Central Daily News, June 7, A-3
Son, Soo Rock, "Activation in Art Exchange with Korea," The Korea Times,August 9, C1
2000 Ferguson, Stuart, 3Time Off: A Week of Diversions,2 The Wall Street Journal, February 1
Rodriguez, Juan, 3Making Change: 100 Artists Interpret the Tzedakah Box1 at the
Jewish Museum San Francisco,2 Artweek, January
1999 Delaney, Ella, 3Open Container,2 Art Papers, January-February
Frank, Peter, 3Art Pick of the Week,2 LA Weekly, January 1-7
Lombardi, D. Dominick, 3Celebrating the Planet in Water, Air and Fire,2
The New York Times, June 6
Reeve, Carolyn, 3San Francisco: Quattro Artisti Cammino,2 Arte, July< command="> Roche, Harry, 3On The Money at the SFMOMA Rental Gallery,2 Artweek, June
Wacks, Mel, 3No Respect For Money,2 COINage, April
1998 Ollman, Leah, 3Seven Artists Creatively Follow the Money at Bergamot Station,LA Times,Dec
Krasny, Michael, 3Forum,2 KQED Radio, San Francisco, CA, August 27
Chattopadhyay, Collette, 3Ray Beldner at Sherry Frumkin Gallery,2 Artweek, June
Frank, Peter, "Art Pick of the Week," L.A. Weekly, April 17-23
Porges, Maria, 3San Francisco Fax,2 Art Issues, April 10
1997 Hogarty, Ken, "The Soul of a Shoe," Diablo Arts Magazine, July-September
1996 "Ghosts of Playland Past Return as Art Icons," San Francisco Examiner, February 3
Peiken, Matt, "Postwaste," Daily Republic, May 7
"Playland Revisited," Artweek, February
Whiting, Sam, "The Art of the Tossable," San Francisco Chronicle, May 23
1995 Knight, Christopher, "A Flap Over What Old Glory Represents," Los Angeles Times, July 19
Rapko, John, "An End to Nature," Artweek, June
Roche, Harry, "Critic's Choice," San Francisco Bay Guardian, August 16-22
1994 Baker, Kenneth, "Ray Beldner at Haines," San Francisco Chronicle, July 4
MacMillan, Kyle, "Critic's Choice," Omaha World Herald, January 27
Muchnic, Suzanne, "Art Notes," Los Angeles Times, December 4
1994 Nixon, Bruce, "Corporate Jester," Artweek, July 7
Quill, Patti, "In the Works," West, Winter
1993 Bonetti, David, "Turning An Eye On The Body," San Francisco Examiner, May 28
Fleischer, Laura, "Art: Ray Beldner," Northern California Home and Garden, May/June
Williams, Diana, "One Man's Garbage Is Another Man's Art," Tri Valley Herald, April 25
1992 Benner, Susan, "Just Across the Golden Gate," New York Times, November 29
Cohn, Terri, "Advanced Placements," Visions, Summer
Porges, Maria, "On the Scene: San Francisco," Artspace, May/June
Solnit, Rebecca, "Ray Beldner at Haines," Art Issues, May/June
Bibliography (cont.)1991 Baker, Kenneth, "Back to the Past at Western Union," San Francisco Chronicle, December 27
Bonetti, David, "A Telegram Out of the Past," San Francisco Examiner, December 24
Rapko, John, "A Bridge to Understanding," Artweek, March 14
Solnit, Rebecca, "Transcendental Materialism," Visions, Spring
1990 Rapko, John, "Memory and Destruction," Artweek, October 18
Van Proyen, Mark, "Connotations Ascending," Visions, Winter

Catalogues:

Counterfeit, Frumkin/Duval Gallery, Santa Monica, CA., Essay by Maria Porges. 2001
Money Making: The Fine Art of Currency at the Millennium, Federal Reserve Board,
Washington DC, Essay by Mary Anne Goley. 2000.
Making Change, The Jewish Museum, San Francisco, CA.
Essays by Constance Wolf and Deborah Gar Reichman. 1999.
Ban/Ban, Korean Culture and Arts Foundation, Seoul, Korea.
Essays by Collette Chattopadhyay and Chan Dong Kim. 1999.
Drip, Blow, Burn: Forces of Nature in Contemporary Art, Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, NY.
Essay by Thomas Weaver. 1999.
Local Color: The di Rosa Collection of Contemporary California Art, Chronicle Books,
San Francisco, CA.Essays by Tessa DeCarlo, Rene di Rosa, Maria Porges, Robert McDonald, Richard Reisman. 1999 .
Light on the New Millennium--Wind From Extreme Orient, Pusan
International Contemporary Art Festival, Pusan, Korea.
Essays by Frederic Altmann, Natasha Boas, Sung-Hoon Choi, Soo-Cheon
Jheon, Dong-Lak Lim, Anna Novakov, Sabine Russ, Gregory Volk. 1998.
Facing Eden: 100 Years of Bay Area Landscape, The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, CA.
Essays by Bill Berkson, Constance Lewallen, Steven Nash, and others. 1995.
Here and Now: Bay Area Masterworks, Oakland Museum, Oakland, CA.
Essays by Rene di Rosa and Philip Linhares. 1994.
War After War, City Lights Books, San Francisco, CA. Edited by Nancy J. Peters. 1992.

Awards and Residencies:

2001 Headlands Center for the Arts, Sausalito, CA, Artist-in-Residency
De Young Museum, San Francisco, CA, Artist-in-Residency
1999 Potrero Nuevo Grant
1998 Ruth Chenven Foundation Grant
California Arts Council Grant: Artist-in-Schools
1997 Creative Work Fund Grant, Haas Foundations
1996 California Arts Council Fellowship, New Genres: Installation Art
Centre D'Art D'Herblay, France, Artist-in-Residency
1994 California Discovery Awards, Gold Award
1993 Bemis Foundation Residency, Omaha, NE
1992 San Jose Museum of Art, Grand Prize, KTEH
Headlands Center for the Arts Residency, Sausalito, CA
Djerassi Resident Artist Program, Woodside CA, Artist-in-Residency
1990 Gallery Route One, Site-specific Sculpture Award, Pt. Reyes Station, CA 

Selected Public and Private Collections:

Federal Reserve Board, Washington, DC
City and County of San Francisco, CA
Oakland Museum, Oakland, CA
Richmond Redevelopment Agency, Richmond, CA
Saks Fifth Ave Collection
Veronica and Rene di Rosa Foundation (The di Rosa Preserve)
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, AZ
Kent Logan
Martin Margulies