John Chiara: Bay Panel | June 26 - July 19, 2026

John Chiara: Bay Panel centers on the six-part, horizontal work from 2020 of the same title, originally commissioned by the Pilara Family Foundation for an exhibition in their former space. Shown only briefly before being placed in storage, the work will now return to public view for the first time. Stretching over 24 feet in length, Bay Panel offers a sweeping meditation on the San Francisco Bay and the city’s layered photographic history.

Referencing the panoramic traditions of nineteenth-century photographers such as Eadweard Muybridge, Chiara’s work captures the Bay’s shifting atmosphere alongside markers of urban development and commercial exchange, including the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco’s distinct skyline, and passing cargo ships, viewed from various vantages across the Bay. At once ethereal and finely detailed, Bay Panel highlights the dynamism and beauty of the Bay Area itself.

Additional photographs included in the exhibition further demonstrate Chiara’s singular practice and his sustained engagement with the landscapes and histories of Northern California.

Artist-led public programs for each show will be announced soon.

Images:

Detail of Chris McCaw, Sunburned GSP #860 (Double midnight, Galbraith Lake, Arctic Circle, Alaska), 2015