Putting the pain of S.F. gentrification to good use

Putting the pain of S.F. gentrification to good use

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” for example, or “Pain can be cathartic,” strikes me as good embroidery and bad faith.

[...] I decided to take a break from looking at the latest unarmed black kid to be killed in the street, and to find a few things that channel pain into something that feels satisfying:

A lot of local artists made pieces that touched on the loss of home in 2014, for good reason — if they weren’t being pushed out, their galleries were.

The exhibition, which was done with the Bayview Opera House, is bright and rollicking and celebratory; it’s drawn the attention of lots of people who don’t normally go to galleries.

The experience led to Jacintho’s piece in the exhibition, which is just what it sounds like — a blanket spread on the ground, with goods displayed for sale.

For “Markings,” also in “Place/Displaced,” the artist asked residents of the Mission and the Bayview to write down a memory of their neighborhoods on a small flag.

The Mission and the Bayview have experienced the highest spike in housing costs during the city’s current boom; many of the residents’ beloved places have already disappeared or won’t be around for much longer.

“Markings” is a good reminder that we may lose the buildings we love, but through memory we will carry them along.

The title sounded like the kind of (slightly) exaggerated headline that’s designed to go viral on the Internet, and “Last Black Man” is getting a lot of attention on the Internet.

Fails has spent much of his life in foster homes and homeless shelters, but he didn’t forget his family’s history — or the home.

Like so many other filmmakers these days, they’re hoping that the trailer will get enough attention for them to get funding for the rest of the movie.

Caille Millner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.