SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- Mina Dresden Gallery presents "Everybody’s Happy Nowadays," recent work from Bay Area artist Timothy Buckwalter. Also at the gallery are artist selected pieces from Maryland-based artist Bill Dunlap, Philadelphia sculptor Michael Macfeat and San Francisco’s Mike Monteiro. “Everybody’s Happy Nowadays” runs September 2 – 25, 2011 with a reception on September 8 from 7-9 pm. Mina Dresden Gallery is located at 312 Valencia Street (at 14th Street) in San Francisco.

As its starting point, Timothy Buckwalter’s latest work takes a brief passage from Aldous Huxley’s 1932 dystopic classic Brave New World containing the phrase “Everybody’s happy nowadays.” A phrase, which 45 years later, would be reworked into the tale of a misfit looking for love and a minor hit song for the Buzzcocks.

The series -- consisting of photographs, drawings, painting assemblages and sculptures -- continues Buckwalter’s exploration of male identity. Vastly expanding his use of appropriated images, “Everybody’s Happy Nowadays” casually connects the dots between numerous recent misanthropes and misfits -- from Clyfford Still to Kurt Cobain -- that are held in high regard by the artist.

Also on view are selected works from Buckwalter’s collaborations with his friends, personal relationships that are often transmuted over the internet. Mike Monteiro makes mid-size text based acrylic drawings. He has made two based on phrases related to Buckwalter’s work. Maryland artist Bill Dunlap and Buckwalter created a visual correspondence based on their seemingly disparate drawing styles. And as part of his sculpture “Urban Warfare Kit (romantic version),” a utility bag filled with the necessary tools (including a series of oversized ink drawings) for a “wild-fliering” campaign to be waged by a broken-hearted young man, Buckwalter worked with Philadelphia artist Mike Macfeat to include Macfeat’s seminal brickbats.

Buckwalter’s work has always been inspired and related to his love of song, from listening to music while he works to cribbing lyrics to use as painting titles. As part of “Everybody’s Happy Nowadays,” Buckwalter offers gallery visitors a free mixtape of songs related to the show.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Timothy Buckwalter (born 1966) now lives and works in the Albany, California. He graduated with honors from Philadelphia’s Tyler School of Art in 1988. His work has been included in the Linz Biennale and exhibited nationally at De/Chiara Stewart Gallery in New York; Elizabeth Leach Gallery in Portland, Oregon; Rebecca Ibel Gallery in Columbus, Ohio; Pharmaka in Los Angeles; Lizabeth Olivera, Pro Arts, Oakland Art Gallery in Oakland; and Four Walls, Southern Exposure, The Luggage Store and Braunstein/Quay in San Francisco. His paintings are in the collection of the Oakland Museum of California. Over the last five years, Buckwalter has organized exhibitions online – for Eyebeam’s Add-Art project and SFMOMA's OpenSpace – as well as in the physical world -- for Pharmaka in Los Angeles, Greenline in Philadelphia and NIAD in Richmond, California.

The programming of Mina Dresden Gallery focuses on international and local artists. The gallery is proud to have hosted young curators as well as site specific installations and community events.

Mina Dresden Gallery is known for working with less established artists and writers who tend to push boundaries in a professional gallery setting.

“Everybody’s Happy Nowadays” features more than 25 recent works from Timothy Buckwalter, Bill Dunlap, Michael Macfeat and Mike Monteiro. The exhibition will be on display through September 25.