Editorial

“Humor, which is the function of wit in any medium, linguistics as well as visual, is the triumph of context, not content, form not image, manner, not message,” says critic Ricardo Pau-Llosa in his essay “Esteban Blanco’s ‘Playing with Dolls.’” Esteban Blanco is the kind of artist who uses his acquired knowledge very wisely for his work.

Michelle Weinberg, Neil Bender and Elisabeth Condon exhibited in a group show at the ArtCenter/SouthFlorida. Creating the imaginary city of Picturopolis was the le motif for these artists to collaborate in a harmonic visual interaction.

There’s been a ship wrecking. The body of a young man appears floating in the waters of the ocean. Is he still alive? His eyes are open, but his face looks pale as if he were almost entering the kingdom of death. Two men peacefully rest on the grass under the sunset. A couple of boys stare at a volcanic eruption while … +

Xu Zhen’s ShanghART Supermarket. Art Basel Miami Beach 2007. Xu Zhen’s project for Art Basel Miami Beach 2007 was a full-scale replica of what is alleged to be a proto-typical Chinese convenience store. Yes, one of those 24h little stores that are populated by an eclectic mix of well-known international goods – such as soft drinks, cigarettes and dairy – inter-mingling with … +

Sarkisian uses technology to explore the concept of illusion. His work resembles that of a magician who transforms a tiger into a mouse in front of thousands of perplexed spectators. Although the artist doesn’t present live performances, the actions shown in his video projections may be taken from real life events like driving, swimming, hammering, or walking. The characters captured on his … +

It has been said that art is a reflection of the world and time in which we live in. Parting from this notion, would it be too far-fetched to assume that history could be studied through art? Maybe it would not have been so hard to stay up during fourth period history had our high school text-books been filled with images of … +

The use of technology is commonplace in contemporary artists. More and more we see artists venturing into non-traditional ways of art making, being “new technologies” – namely digital imaging and video, – the most generalized practices. Wendy Wischer is an artist whose work is often based in the use of technology. However, while most of the artists are using it to comment … +

Art in Public Places is a program of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs dedicated to promoting creative art projects with the purpose of improving the visual quality of Miami-Dade County public spaces. For the last 35 years, the outcomes of the program have succeeded in transforming ordinary civic areas into artistic sites that not only have enriched the artistic dimension … +

There are moments when art reaches unexpected dimensions that go far beyond people’s prospects. Sometimes it happens so fast that one can’t even notice it, as when a shooting star crosses the air. Only those who have telescopes or spend too much time looking at the sky are able to see it. Fortunately, we may still have this kind of event within … +

Among all different events that happened during Art Basel Miami Beach 2007, The Cane Art Fair presented by the Department of Art and Art History of the University of Miami became a major success. The fair took place at the UM’s Project Space in the Wynwood Art District, and it featured the works of a great number of faculty members and artist … +

At first, what really impresses about La Galerie Bertin-Toublanc is its ampleness. When visiting the space, one doubts whether this is the biggest art gallery in town or just a palace standing in front of one’s eyes. Rooms are connected through long corridors in which the viewer can see the work of young artists from different parts of the world. The gallery … +

Located at 174 NW 23rd Street in the Wynwood Art District, a new space has opened up to the public: Gallery Diet. “People seem more desensitized lately than they used to be,” says director Nina Johnson, “so there might be an urgency to create a fresh kind of diet that makes them appreciate art again”. Gallery Diet is part of a building … +

Sacco Gallery was inaugurated in September, 2007 beginning the fall. The location opened with the group exhibition “Ladies and Gentleman,” featuring nine European and American artists whose works might have never been seen by the local audience. Director Stephanie Sacco alongside her husband Neil Schuster cannot express more satisfaction at the launching of their new art space. Covering an area of 3,000 … +

The Contemporary Arts Project, launched in November, 2006 at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, gives artists the possibility to develop their works in a close interaction with the museum. The process is commissioned by the prestigious institution, and the final product is revealed to the public through performances, demonstrations and studio labs. “The Contemporary Arts Project has been very successful. Since we started … +

Sometimes the display of artworks might be tricky. On the one hand, it is not an easy task to choose only a few samples – from a very good collection – if there are uncountable valuable pieces on the waiting list. On the other hand, the selection criteria must rely as well on the characteristics of the space, the kind of audience … +

In regards of cultural activities, November is a very busy month. Art exhibitions, conferences, literary workshops and the opening of new art galleries and alternative spaces take place in Miami, altogether. Centro Cultural Español Miami is one of those institutions that provide their public with exceptional projects like visual art shows, theatre play montages, video art cycles, performance art presentations, music concerts … +

On December 3rd, 2007, in time for Miami’s art week extravaganza, where Art Basel Miami Beach and its 23 parallel art fairs greet the international art crowd, the Warehouse in Wynwood will unveil Sculpture: Selections from the collection of Martin Z. Margulies.

He’s homeless…He’s an ex-con…He’s illiterate…He’s an outsider artist. Those are among the elements that have helped build the icon most people know as Purvis Young. But ask the man to describe himself and none of these things come up. “I’m a painter,” he says. In a recent conversation Purvis Young commented on his art, his view of the world’s problems, his life … +

What really is the place of alternative, non-commercial (which often translates to artist-run) spaces in a cultural community? The community’s history and sophistication play a part in such a determination – but in the end it’s the living, breathing participants themselves that make or break an alt scene.

On a small side road off of 29th Street in Wynwood sits the Harold Golen Gallery, one of the newest additions to the district’s ever-expanding gallery circuit. The gallery’s grand opening in September was well received, attracting crowds that spent hours in the space, taking in an enormous group show composed of work by over 50 artists. Harold Golen Gallery specializes in … +

The directors of Dot Fifty One Gallery, Alfredo Guzman and Isaac Perelman, greet me on a rainy Friday afternoon with all the enthusiasm of art dealers who have an exciting, new project in the works. Dot Fifty One is located in an unassuming building on 36th Street, in the midst of the Wynwood Arts District, and focuses on showing conceptually based work … +