Kija Lucas at The Guardhouse
Kija Lucas at The Guardhouse
January 14 – March 12, 2023
FOR-SITE is honored to present Kija Lucas at The Guardhouse, the inaugural installation and pilot for The Guardhouse Program, which will serve three artists annually, presenting ‘art about place’ year-round.
Artist Kija Lucas surveys the seemingly natural, biodiverse vegetation in the surrounding parklands, presenting a curious selection of images that highlight not only indigenous and introduced botanical specimens, but also the worn tools and consumable supplies used for plant propagation. Viewable through The Guardhouse windows, framed archival prints focus our attention on a hand-written “SAVE 4 2023” Post-it® note affixed to a seed collection envelope and a sprig of federally protected, endangered Franciscan manzanita. Imagery of English ivy and Himalayan blackberry—which suggest “home” to the San Francisco Bay Area artist—wraps the walls, mimicking how these vines can overtake. Expanding on a body of work that explores ideas about home, heritage, and inheritance, Lucas’s installation will debut her first wallpaper pattern and a new series of photographic works, inviting us to consider their evolving relationships to plants over time.
Opening Reception with Artist Kija Lucas
Saturday, January 14, 2023
noon – 3 p.m.
The Guardhouse is located at the main entrance of Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture in San Francisco. After the opening, the installation will remain open to the public, viewable through the windows 24 hours a day.
Kija Lucas at The Guardhouse is presented by FOR-SITE in partnership with Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture and the Presidio Nursery. The Presidio Nursery is a program of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy in conjunction with the National Park Service and Presidio Trust. Kija Lucas at The Guardhouse is made possible thanks to generous support from the ARB Fund.
Above: Kija Lucas, SAVE 4 2023, 2022; archival pigment print
Top: Kija Lucas, Misplaced (blue gum eucalyptus, English ivy, fennel, Himalayan blackberry, ice plant, morning glory & nasturtium), 2022; wall vinyl
Both images presented by FOR-SITE as part of Kija Lucas at The Guardhouse, January 14 – March 12, 2023. Image courtesy of the artist and FOR-SITE.
Press Release: Kija Lucas at The Guardhouse (PDF)