SFIAF Announces an Open Invitation to THE LAST SUPPER PARTY

The San Francisco International Arts Festival (SFIAF) invites the public to celebrate the opening of The Last Supper Party. The name has a double meaning. It is the title of the major large-scale 1985 painting (measuring 20' x 10') by artist, Felerine Bongolan that SFIAF has installed in its new Sutter Street office. It is also the opening night of a monthly Spoken Word performance series that honors Ms. Bongolan's statement canvas.

The evening will begin at 6:00pm with a reception to celebrate the installation of The Last Supper Party canvas. Then, at 7:00pm, the event will segue to performance artists artists and poets, Rhodessa Jones, Jason Bayani and Kimi Sugioka reading from their work to mark the inaugural Last Supper Party performance event.
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The Last Supper Party performance series will take place on the First Saturday of the Month. The series is curated by Alameda Poet Laureate and SFIAF Board Member, Kimi Sugioka. May 7 will feature Matt Sedillo and James Cagney. On June 4 Kim Shuck, Aileen Cassinetto and Maya Nell will grace SFIAF's Sutter Street office stage.

Kimi Sugioka said of the series, "Our new office was once a gallery, so we thought it was a good idea to furnish it with artwork that carries a strong message. At the same time, poetry and spoken word performances became a feature of SFIAF's programming during the pandemic and we wanted to continue to present that as well--especially during this transitional period when we are turning the ship around to relaunch the Festival at San Francisco State University. The Last Supper Party seemed like an appropriate and serendipitous way of combining our ideas to address the moment."

Fe Bongolan reflects on the origins of The Last Supper Party
"1985. Ronald Reagan was still President. The global movement to end apartheid and free Nelson Mandela from Robben Island Prison was underway. In San Francisco homelessness was ramping up. The AIDS pandemic was taking down swaths of our city's population: friends, family, and co-workers. Yet a whole other world of class and wealth did nothing while the rest of our world was in trouble. Sitting in my studio in an Inverness cabin, I stayed with my paints and let something happen. It was there that I found my artist's voice to not attack directly, but to let the exposure of that apathy - bred by a society that embraced greed over humanity-do the work.

Thirty six years later, with all that has changed and not changed, it is painfully unsurprising that this painting still shouts."

~ Fe Bongolan

The Last Supper Party canvas was originally commissioned by the Eyes and Ears Foundation and remains part of the E&E art collection.