Sara Thustra

Thustra (or Z, as he is known to most friends) sets his sights on the greed and prejudices of power-mongering monsters whenever he has the time – which is just about whenever. His paintings are no exception. In 2003 Z took part in the third installment of “Bay Area Now,” where his installation collaboration with Carolyn Ryder Cooley and the great Stormy Knight was perhaps the only overtly politically engaged work. Since then, he’s made some eye-grabbing zines, added his own distinct touch of equine beauty to San Francisco streets, and continued to hone his vision on clothes, paper, and other materials. Following in the footsteps of Matt Gonzalez, Sup. Ross Mirkarimi’s City Hall art shows have found a true reason for being with Z’s “Free Dinner,” a series of works that have plenty to say about the space they currently occupy. When I met with Z in a shadowy Mission District air shaft to discuss his art, a bird tattoo graced one of his arms, and a curious cat peeked out through a window behind first his left shoulder, and then from a win-dow behind his right one.

-Excerpt from: “Z marks the spot” by Johnny Ray Huston
in The San Francisco Bay Guardian