KaBe Contemporary

By Manuela Gabaldon

It’s always exciting to witness the success of new art spaces in Miami, as it is this continued dedication of gallerists, artists, collectors, and supporters of the arts, that ensures the endurance of our hard earned reputation as a city. Karina Belilty is active in the conservation of this reputation with the sensation of her one-year-old Wynwood gallery, KaBe Contemporary. “I’ve been in close contact with the art world since I was a child as my parents have been collecting for many years,” says Belilty, “Contemporary art was my passion and my motivation to start my own gallery, and I feel that promoting contemporary artists will not only attract art spectators and connoisseurs to the area, but it will also enrich the ongoing cultural development of the city.”

Like most of us, Belilty acknowledges our legitimate status in the arts, in a global sense, as a city that is and has been for some time, recognized as an unstoppable force. As we delve deeper into the discussion of how some might still argue that Miami is too young to claim such a presence when compared to other Stateside metros, she affirms: “Miami is a city that has already been clearly recognized as an important center of the arts. We count on the Ballet and Opera season, orchestras, theaters of incredible caliber, and not to mention our art fairs! It is obvious that the fact that Art Basel chose to expand to the states with Art Basel Miami Beach rendered our city and automatic place in the global scene. I say this because of the eagerness I see in artists, curators, international museum directors, and more industry leaders, to work in Miami since then.”

Having been surrounded by the arts her whole life, Belilty counts on an incredible network in the industry on which she has come to rely on for inspiration, support, and exciting collaborations.

“I have known the majority of the artists that have been with me since the genesis of KaBe, and those who are included in our 2011 program, for some time; I have followed their work for years,” she says, “I also think that my attendance of international art fairs and my constant interaction with curator friends and galleries outside of Miami are a big influence on the selection of my artists.”

KaBe Contemporary is not short of plans for the year to come, as Belilty tells me of an incredible roster of international artists that will grace her walls to embrace 2011. “In 2011, KaBe will be showcasing the works of Latin American artists Sergio Vega and Meyer Vaisman, as well as emerging international artists such as Adriana Jebeleanu (Romania) and Nicolas Deshayes (France), in collaboration with other international galleries. KaBe Contemporary will also be participating in various major contemporary art fairs through out the year,” she concludes.

This December, we can look forward to KaBe Contemporary’s Undertow, a collective work by Belgian-based artists Carla Arocha and Stéphane Schraenen, an exhibit Belilty describes as: “site specific and inspired by Miami.”

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