Reflections, both literal and metaphorical, have long served as sites of inquiry within the history of representation. In Closer Than They Appear, Bay Area artists and designers work with mirrored and reflective materials not only as optical devices but also philosophical provocations — tools for examining how we come to recognize ourselves in images, or fail to.
The exhibition’s title, Closer Than They Appear, underscores both the laws of physics and metaphorically how reflections might inform us about proximity — of intimacy made strange, enacting a kind of call-and-response with the viewer’s self-imaging. This exhibition draws upon the spatial and psychological dimensions of the mirror, what Lacan famously termed the méconnaissance of the mirror stage, to explore how reflection can mislead, multiply, or undo perception altogether. In this context, reflection becomes sculptural, spatial, and social — shaped by the histories embedded in our physicality and the politics of perception.
Through multimedia works, sculpture, paintings and installations, the artists engage with the reflective surface as an active site, where the gaze can loop, inform, reframe and deflect. The mirror becomes less a surface and more a contingent space where vision and narratives merge, reflecting and rebounding at times in curious rhythms. From polished geometries to fragmented surfaces, the works on view refract, redirect, and propose alternate ways of seeing. They recalibrate light and space as material entities, engineering a circuit that can only be completed by the viewer’s gaze. The mirrored encounters suggest that perception is never stable, that recognition is often partial, and that the self is assembled through acts of misalignment as much as coherence. Is this not, after all, the condition of modern subjectivity — fractured, recursive, and mediated through experiences that both produce and obscure recognition?
This exhibition is co-presented by re.riddle and architect Anand Sheth during San Francisco Design Week. Closer Than They Appear aligns with this year’s theme, Reform, asking how aesthetic experiences can initiate deeper confrontations — with the self, with structures of power, and with the cultural images that shape them.
June 7-July 19, 2025 -- “Closer Than They Appear” is the sophomore curatorial project from Studio Anand Sheth, following its debut exhibition in 2024. Sheth was asked to guest curate the exhibition by re.riddle owner Candace Huey, and he again gathered artists and designers around a central concept. Sheth discussed his curation with art historian and writer Terri Cohn as part of the SquareCylinder relaunch programming. Artworks from the exhibition are also featured in Issue 3 of SHLTR. Follow along @storefrontanandsheth.
San Francisco architect and curator Anand Sheth expresses his design ethos for the fair’s theater space, placing the furnishings included in the context of what’s going on in contemporary Bay Area design more broadly. Sheth has called San Francisco home for 19 years, since studying at the California College of the Arts. Today, he is potentially best known around the city for his bars and restaurants, including a string of wine bars with cult followings (one of which has an excellent dance floor), as well as unusually thoughtful commercial offices, and homes including his own studio and residence in a renovated Victorian. He started his studio with a desire to “unlearn” the hierarchical traditions of the architecture profession in order to create an atypically collaborative way of working. With that in mind, he has asked Bay-Area design studios to contribute furnishings to the theater space with the aim of creating a casual domestic setting that highlights some of the best designers in the region. 
VESSEL is an original group exhibition showcasing the vibrant creativity and diverse talents of individuals with strong ties to the Bay Area. Departing from conventional geographic labels, VESSEL embraces the fluidity of contemporary artistic identity, inviting viewers to embark on a journey through the interconnectedness of artistic communities This multi-city exhibition celebrates the prolific voices and contributions of artists and creatives rooted in the place that changed the world.
Kicking off at the Pallas Annex in San Francisco on June 7 at 6pm during SF Design Week, VESSEL will occupy a 60’s-era artist hotel room before being transported and reinstalled at Fig & Oak on June 21 7-10pm for Los Angeles Design Weekend.
VESSEL is curated by Studio Anand Sheth, a visionary multidisciplinary design practice with roots in San Francisco and satellite offices in Los Angeles and New York City. Studio founder Anand Sheth approaches architecture and interiors from a decidedly conceptual and artful point of view. VESSEL brings together Anand’s collaborative community of artists and designers from various experience levels and disciplines. From emerging talents to established practitioners, the exhibition celebrates the rich tapestry of creativity that defines the Bay Area’s cultural landscape.
Anand’s curatorial practice is also informed by core values imbued from his home city, including a resilient and rebellious spirit, and vulnerable and generous hospitality. Anand will visit each artist’s studio and his documentation will be compiled into an exhibit film. The artist group is collaborating across Canoa’s Canvas tool, and each artists’ inspiration and process will be directly included in the printed exhibit catalog.
VESSEL invites viewers to explore the intersections of art, design, and culture, celebrating the enduring spirit of creativity that emerges in the Bay Area and transcends man-made boundaries.Featuring process-heavy practices in landscape design, ceramics, lighting, furniture, interiors, architecture, painting, photography, sculpture, cuisine, fashion, product design, graphics, and more, VESSEL offers a panoramic view of artistic expression. The one-of-a-kind artworks will remain unpublished until they debut in San Francisco and become available for purchase via STOREFRONT Anand Sheth.
April 17-20, 2025 -- Dwell Magazine Editor Bill Hanley invited Studio Anand Sheth to curate the presentation stage of the prominent art fair at Fort Mason Center. Sheth pulled inspiration from the historic building and its siting along an undeveloped coastal landscape while emphasizing local, contemporary voices in art and design. The curation was discussed in a public talk launching the SF Art Fair's weekend programming. Follow along @storefrontanandsheth.VESSEL is an original group exhibition showcasing the vibrant creativity and diverse talents of individuals with strong ties to the Bay Area. Departing from conventional geographic labels, VESSEL embraces the fluidity of contemporary artistic identity, inviting viewers to embark on a journey through the interconnectedness of artistic communities This multi-city exhibition celebrates the prolific voices and contributions of artists and creatives rooted in the place that changed the world.Kicking off at the Pallas Annex in San Francisco on June 7 at 6pm during SF Design Week, VESSEL will occupy a 60’s-era artist hotel room before being transported and reinstalled at Fig & Oak on June 21 7-10pm for Los Angeles Design Weekend.
VESSEL is curated by Studio Anand Sheth, a visionary multidisciplinary design practice with roots in San Francisco and satellite offices in Los Angeles and New York City. Studio founder Anand Sheth approaches architecture and interiors from a decidedly conceptual and artful point of view. VESSEL brings together Anand’s collaborative community of artists and designers from various experience levels and disciplines. From emerging talents to established practitioners, the exhibition celebrates the rich tapestry of creativity that defines the Bay Area’s cultural landscape.
Anand’s curatorial practice is also informed by core values imbued from his home city, including a resilient and rebellious spirit, and vulnerable and generous hospitality. Anand will visit each artist’s studio and his documentation will be compiled into an exhibit film. The artist group is collaborating across Canoa’s Canvas tool, and each artists’ inspiration and process will be directly included in the printed exhibit catalog.
VESSEL invites viewers to explore the intersections of art, design, and culture, celebrating the enduring spirit of creativity that emerges in the Bay Area and transcends man-made boundaries.Featuring process-heavy practices in landscape design, ceramics, lighting, furniture, interiors, architecture, painting, photography, sculpture, cuisine, fashion, product design, graphics, and more, VESSEL offers a panoramic view of artistic expression. The one-of-a-kind artworks will remain unpublished until they debut in San Francisco and become available for purchase via STOREFRONT Anand Sheth.June 7-September 30, 2024 -- VESSEL marks Studio Anand Sheth's curatorial debut. Sheth gathered artists around a central concept and asked each to include him in their process of interpreting the concept into an artwork to debut in San Francisco and Los Angeles. VESSEL was featured in Dezeen (twice), Sight Unseen, NUVO, CA Home & Design, KCRW, SFGate and Stir World. Follow along @vesselgroupshow. 
Designed for slow evenings and good company, the Nightcap series invites you to settle in — with a drink, a smoke, or a story.
