Installation image of Malcolm W. Kenter: Synecdoche at Saint Mary's College Museum of Art / Photo by Francis Tatem
Saint Mary’s College Museum of Art Presents ‘Synecdoche: Malcolm Kenter’
A first solo exhibition by this San Francisco–based artist. His work captures a sense of place and architectural history—and enables us to see the ordinary in a new way.
Exhibition on view | September 16 – December 13, 2026
Opening Celebration | Thursday, September 17, 5–8 p.m.
Artist Talk | November 19, 10 a.m.
“The build-up of interventions reveals a passage of time. Invisible histories only evident through the pockmarked surfaces that are left behind.”
–Malcolm Kenter
This fall, Saint Mary’s College Museum of Art (SMCMoA) opens a first solo exhibition of San Francisco-based artist Malcolm Kenter. The title of the exhibition, Synecdoche, refers to a literary figure of speech in which a part can represent a whole; for Kenter, this concept unites the fragments in his architectural paintings with San Francisco’s urban identity and culture. The exhibition brings together three distinct bodies of work that examine the weathered and worn infrastructure of San Francisco’s architecture.
Unfolding in reverse chronology, Synecdoche presents 21 works crafted by Kenter over a 10-year period. Recent works, such as Hoarder Window Shadow Box(es) and Hawk and Fan Intervention, consider architectural components disembodied from their larger forms. Through this process, Kenter provides a pause for San Francisco pillars, columns, and window frames to be seen in the context of visual and weathered decay, as evidenced by air vents, layered paint, and hostile design.
Kenter’s works from the early 2020s focused on bare, deconstructed infrastructures such as alarm boxes and vents. Kenter views these works as archaeological relics that draw attention to defunct public entities that stand out in the ever-changing architectural landscape. The exhibition closes with studies of building facades from Kenter’s earlier explorations of San Francisco’s vernacular architecture and lore. The artist selected three works from SMCMoA’s permanent collection that speak to the Arts and Crafts Movement to be paired with this work, shifting the context of Synecdoche to show how the urban landscape of San Francisco continues to change.
“By placing Kenter’s work into the larger architectural history of the San Francisco Bay Area, you can see how time and ideas shift, but the role of the artist remains,” states britt royer, Curator of SMCMoA. “By focusing on the fragment, Kenter draws our eyes to human interaction with architecture and design, enabling us to see the ordinary in a new way.”
“By focusing on the fragment, Kenter draws our eyes to human interaction with architecture and design, enabling us to see the ordinary in a new way.”
—britt royer, Curator of SMCMoA
Artist Biography: Malcolm Kenter
Malcolm Kenter, born in 1987, lives and works in San Francisco. Kenter’s practice could be described as a conceptual mining of the urban vernacular, focusing on the Bay Area’s disappearing signage, public infrastructure, and patina. Through a highly precise sculptural workflow, Kenter replicates utility boxes, fire alarms, and other “invisible” city materials as a form of cultural and historical preservation of his hometown.
About Saint Mary’s College Museum of Art
Saint Mary’s College Museum of Art (SMCMoA) is a landmark in Northern California art, with a permanent collection of over 5,000 objects. Inspired by its founder, Brother Cornelius Braeg, the museum cares for the nation’s most comprehensive collection of William Keith paintings. The museum offers educational and programming opportunities, featuring rotating exhibitions twice a year, for the College and the surrounding community. SMCMoA is located across the street from the Soda Activity Center at Saint Mary’s College of California in Moraga, California. Programs and admission are free for all. Public tours begin on Thursday, September 24, and will be offered on select Thursdays at 11 a.m. and Saturdays at 2 p.m. through December. The Museum of Art will be closed Wednesday, November 25, through Sunday, November 29, for Thanksgiving. Please contact Saint Mary’s College Museum of Art at (925) 631-4379 or email museum@stmarys-ca.edu for further details. More information can be found at stmarys-ca.edu/museum or by following us on social media @smcmoa.
About Saint Mary’s College of California
At Saint Mary’s College of California, we inspire minds, engage with the world, and create opportunities for students to find their lives transformed. With small class sizes and professors who know you by name, the Saint Mary’s experience empowers students to thrive—whether you’re an undergraduate or a professional looking for the next step in your career. Founded in 1863, the University is proud of our Lasallian heritage and how it fuels teaching and learning in an inclusive and wonderfully diverse community. More than 3,600 Gaels study on our Bay Area campus nestled in the rolling hills of Moraga, just 23 miles east of San Francisco. US News and World Report puts SMC among the top five regional universities in the West. You’ll also find Saint Mary’s highlighted in the guide Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges—the first Catholic college and the first university in California to make the list.
