Miami’s Satellite Art Fairs: Red Dot, Scope & Art Miami

Cheryl Moody | January 19, 2011 | 2 Comments

1. Red Dot Fair

Andrea Schwartz Gallery, of San Francisco, was sharp enough to show the crochet wire sculptural work of Tracy Krumm to the international collectors. Suspending from the wall or the ceiling, Krumm’s pieces are fanciful and forceful, delicate yet incredibly strong. Fantastic!
www.asgallery.com

Italian-born Nicola Parente, exhibiting with the artist collective force, Aleatoric Gallery of Houston, Texas, embeds acrylic, charcoal, ink and pencil, to infuse shadows and hues into gorgeous abstract paintings. Masculine, majestic, and minimal. Balancing dark and light. Lovely and haunting! www.nicolaparente.com

2. Scope Show

Rhinoplasty, anyone?

Spinello Gallery’s installation of Enrique Gomez de Molina’s creatures was extraordinary. Please note that the sculpture is made from jewel beetle wings, peacock feathers & buffalo horn. So beautiful!!!!

Enrique Gomez de Molina
“Rhinoplasty” (2010)
Jewel Beetle Wings, Peacock Feathers, and Buffalo Horn
Courtesy of Spinello Gallery
To see more of de Molina’s hybrid creatures, visit www.spinellogallery.com

“Gambling in Art”

Curated by Raul Zamudio of the Bureau of Curatorial Affairs, this dynamite group exhibition featured 6 NYC-based artists: Gregory de la Haba, [dNASAb] video artist, Michael Johnson, BTA (Billy the artist), Erik Pye, and Lee Wells.

With a trailer playing in the booth, they are all featured in the new Michael Knowles documentary “Gambling in Art – 6 New York Artists Who’ve Gone All In” – currently in production. The title aptly captured the voice of this wildly talented posse of artists, and spoke to the essence of any truly committed artist. The booth was popular, in large part, due to the live action around de la Haba’s craps table, hand-painted in his bold burlesque painting style on top of the table, and covered in mixed media collage around the bumpers, with professional croupiers in attendance. Outrageous! www.gamblinginart.com

Another big draw in this space was [dNASAb]’s vivid and compelling videos on the high-def screen; the imagery is based on his new media sculptures made of ipods, ipads and monitors, or “communication graffiti.” Do not miss his work. It’s unforgettable! www.dnasab.com

The crocheted installations – the car outside the tent and the room inside – by Agata Oleksiak or “Olek” were another huge crowd pleaser. Embedding witty & bold text statements via yarn into each installation/piece, she is one busy OCD’er. Besides the vehicles, she crocheted an entire room and its contents, with the viewers’ shocked & amazed faces on live video feed for our viewing pleasure. She crochets all day and night multitasking as she watches her favorite DVD films on TV at home. www.agataolek.com

3. Art Miami

Hailed by many as one of the best satellite fairs this year, the 2 Art Miami jumbo tents were bursting with activity and art.

Bernice Steinbaum, the grand dame of Miami galleries, greeted visitors at the entrance in her fuzzy house slippers and the most intriguing group show, hands down.

Peter Sarkisian’s unbelievable video piece;

Billie Grace Lynn’s white rabbit kinetic sculpture;

Carol Prusa’s domed fiber optic light boxes;

Justine Smith’s red & white Chinese money mirrored tree “Cherry Blossom” sculpture:

- and so much more to surprise and capture the least AND most educated viewers.

Meanwhile at her 2-story gallery space on N. Miami Avenue, Bernice exhibited the masterly paintings of natural disasters titled “Richter Scale” by Hung Liu. You couldn’t miss her gallery, as the 15’ tall banner greeted all the visitors stating, “Know BS” – as always, a witty and charming take on the presence of art in our world today. www.bernicesteinbaum.com