The “worst show in the history of San Francisco” opened April 14 in the Cesar Chavez Student Center Art Gallery.

The show, which is the gallery’s third and final show of the semester, takes a different approach to ending a semester of perfection in art.

“Dis-Installation” is unlike any other art show because technically it’s not even an art show, according to the curators, who also gave it the “worst” moniker.

To start off, there really isn’t any actual art, at least not in the traditional sense. The exhibit shows what goes into producing art - including not just rejected works, but materials like cans of paint, hammers and tape, as well as visual representations of the blood, sweat and tears that go into putting together an art show.

One of the pieces was simply an extension cord hung from the ceiling and coiled on the floor.
Don’t come into this exhibit expecting anything – the show is all about defying expectations. It takes a different approach to a broad idea of what art really is.

A lot of the work can seem questionable at first, because as humans we want to know what the point is, but there really isn’t a point to all of it. According to Jenessa Kenway, the show’s curator, it’s simply a playful way to challenge the status quo of the art world.

The whole point behind this exhibit was to show people how much work goes into putting together an art show and to also show the bare essentials of the production process as art itself, said Kenway.
No outside artists contributed to the show. All the art was produced by the five gallery assistants, using equipment from their storage room.

Each of the gallery assistants added to the original idea, which came from a gallery assistant known as “Scoop.”

The show as a whole is different in a lot of ways. Not only were the works displayed differently, but there was a different feel to it as well. It all felt unfinished. However, that’s the feeling they want to convey - the opposite of a perfectly polished piece.

A lot of it was more silly and playful than serious and stiff. Gina Basso, one of the gallery assistants, said the show was “funny and quirky.”

“I think it’s really interesting and different," said Julie Martin, a photography student observing the exhibit with her class. "I don’t know if I should take this seriously or not.”

Kenway said that the show challenges what art is and it plays with viewers on many levels.
Some of the things viewers can see on display are cans of paint stacked together, rolls of tape glued together into a sculpture, and hammers, nails and paint brushes all either put together as a sculpture or as an installation.

One particularly interesting piece, Basso’s “Accident Simulation,” was created with nails, theatrical blood, blue tape and colored pencils. As you can tell by the title, it was an example of what could possibly happen. The actual piece was on the wall with blue tape outlining the body and blood dripping off of the nails hammered to the wall. Beside the dripping blood were random comments.

"Scoop" said he wanted to do the opposite of what the gallery had been featuring all semester and show people how much work goes into being perfect.

Though the end result wasn’t exactly what he originally thought up, “Scoop” said that with all of the give and take of ideas, on the whole the show was a success.

The show will run through May 12. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Wednesday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays.