Wynwood Walls. Art Basel Events

Dec 1st through Dec 5th, 2010.

Miami’s Open-Air “Art Park” to Complete Phase I with New Murals by Influential Contemporary Artists Ryan McGinness, assume vivid astro focus, Ben Jones and Dearraindrop in collaboration with The Hole–Installation by avaf (assume vivid astro focus). Produced by Suzanne Geiss and Tony Goldman — The Wynwood Doors Features Artists Phase II and CoCo 144, Early Seminal Writers of the New York City Subway System, in Collaboration with New York Gallerist Eric Firestone–New York gallerist Jonathan LeVine Curates Urban Alchemists, A Group Exhibition of Works by 10 Artists with Public Murals.

Wynwood Walls, Miami’s epicenter for cutting-edge street art, is primed to take center stage at Art Basel 2010 (December 2-5), the annual event hailed as the country’s most important art show and cultural exhibition. Wynwood Walls’ new offerings this year include: the addition of new museum quality works of art, including six wall murals; nightly video art screenings; a group street artist showcase; the opening of the exciting new restaurant Wynwood Kitchen & Bar; and the first anniversary celebration of neighborhood favorite Joey’s Italian Café, all in time for the start of Art Basel. Wynwood Walls was launched at Art Basel 2009, the result of a collaboration between Tony Goldman of Goldman Projects and Jeffrey Deitch of Deitch Projects. The open-air art park has rapidly become the focal point of Wynwood’s artistic center and remains open to the public free of charge. New Murals Created at Wynwood Walls Completing Phase One of Wynwood Walls, Ryan McGinness, assume vivid astro focus (avaf), Ben Jones and Dearraindrop will create five unique murals at Wynwood Walls throughout the month of November presented in collaboration with The Hole in New York City. Ryan McGinness is the key artist working right now who blends design and fine art into compelling works of both. He creates slick, graphic mind-scapes that blend pop iconography into subverted skater-style illustrative pieces.

For his mural, McGinness creates an interactive black light wall of Matisse-esque women in hot neon colors. Ben Jones is the legendary member of Paper Rad and ruler of all things neon and comic. At the center of the exciting art renaissance in Providence, RI and taking his show on the road to make paintings, videos, video paintings, sculpture, design and even an animated TV show, Jones creates a hyper-digital comic tableau of his signature character, “The Narrator.” Dearraindrop is a collective of three artists from Providence who live in Virginia Beach, VA. Their particular swirl of dystopic pop psychedelia will manifest as a tangle of characters in angry orange. Finally, international art collaborative assume vivid astro focus (avaf) are a roving band of collaborators known for executing colorful and composted installations all over the world that incorporate their extensive and internetted visual vocabulary of cultural debris. The avaf labyrinth, entitled “archaeologist verifies acid flashbacks,” is an installation of hundreds of feet of avaf’s signature wallpaper designs tangled into a dizzying labyrinth.

A “retrospective” of sorts, these wallpapers span avaf’s 10-plus year career and show the development of their “hybrid” collage style and data-moshing abilities into vibrant digital compositions. Additionally, avaf will execute a two-layered mural on the exterior of the building that their wallpaper labyrinth occupies. This project is a co-production of Tony Goldman and The Suzanne Geiss Company with support from The Hole. Video Pieces to be Screened Nightly Many of the Wynwood Walls’ artists are also top level video artists: Ara Peterson, Ben Jones, Barry McGee, Clare Rojas, avaf and Dearraindrop are all known for exciting video pieces they have executed in the past, and a curated selection of their video work and works by their contemporaries will be presented on a huge outdoor wall in the new, grassy addition to the Walls. Every night at dusk, this two-hour video program will begin.

More Special Projects New York gallerist Eric Firestone presents artists Phase II and CoCo 144, early seminal writers of the New York subway system, preparing an onsite original installation on The Wynwood Doors, a collection of 176 feet of rolling store front steel doors. The inclusion of the works of these legendary street artists of the early 70’s will mark a historic moment and become a stunning addition to the art park. The “Sticker Wall” incorporates layers of themed stickers inspired by a variety of pop culture mediums from all over the world, including skate culture from the early Californian pioneers to modern day city riders; musical genres from punk to hip hop to techno/rave culture; graffiti and street art; politics; and contemporary fine art. The wall, meant to be a constantly evolving work-in-progress, is the creative brainchild of author DB Burkeman who, through publishing house Rizzoli, recently released the first ever book on “sticker art” entitled Stickers: Stuck Up: From Punk Rock to Contemporary Art. Additional special projects include a huggable sculpture by Miami-based FriendsWithYou and a customized Air Stream by renowned Wynwood Walls muralist Kenny Scharf.

Plus, famous street artist Ron English will adorn the new grassy property adjacent to Wynwood Walls, to be known as Wynwood Doors, with a family of four life-size sculptures of grazing camo-deers and a painted original 50-foot wall mural.  Rounding out the new Wynwood Walls artwork to be featured during Art Basel Miami will be URBAN ALCHEMISTS, an A+ group exhibition and mural program curated by New  York gallerist Jonathan LeVine taking place in the space adjacent to Joey’s Italian Café. The show features work by some of the world’s most respected artists coming out of the contemporary urban-folk and street-art scenes, including: AJ Fosik, Dan Witz, Doze Green, Invader, James Marshall (aka Dalek), Jeff Soto, Jim Houser, Judith Supine, Mario Martinez (aka Mars-1) and WK. In addition to their works in the exhibition, French street artist Invader will create a site-specific mosaic mural on the façade of the exhibition space in his signature pixel-based style, and California-based painter Jeff Soto will create a 50-foot mural on an adjacent wall.

Wynwood Kitchen & Bar to Open — Joey’s Italian Café Celebrates Second Anniversary November 26 will see the opening of the artistically-inspired American brasserie, Wynwood Kitchen & Bar (WKB). With Executive Chef Marco Ferraro of Miami Beach’s four-star “Wish” Restaurant at the helm, WKB is a dining and cocktail experience for both cultural adventurers and seasoned foodiesalike. A new outdoor mural by the American collaborative Dearraindrop will serve as a vibrant backdrop to the restaurant’s al fresco dining area. Artists Shepard Fairey and Christian Awe will adorn the interior with new one-of-a-kind wall murals, and sculptor David Benjamin Sherry has created a magnificent new piece to welcome guests. Sure to be one of the coolest and most visually striking new restaurants in the country, WKB is located at the opposite corner of Wynwood Walls from Joey’s Italian Café that opened during Art Basel 2009 and is an integral part of the art park. Executive Chef Ivo immediately won the praise of diners as well as national acclaim for Joey’s exceptional artisanal pizza. This year, Joey’s is adding a full liquor license to the mix. About Wynwood Walls Wynwood Walls was curated to enhance the cultural experience in Miami and showcase the vibrant global medium of street art. The site’s 12 original murals were created by a group of internationally respected artists from Asia, Europe, Latin America and the United States, including Aiko from Japan, Os Gemeos and Nunca from Brazil and Stelios Faitakis from Greece, as well as Jim Drain, Shepard Fairey, Futura, Barry McGee, Ara Peterson, Clare Rojas, Kenny
Scharf and the team of Swoon, David Ellis and Ben Wolf from the United States. The stunning, expansive murals are dramatically illuminated during the evening hours. The ongoing project builds on the tradition of street art already established in the Wynwood neighborhood which is known for its outdoor murals and the vernacular pop art of its hand painted signs. Additionally, Wynwood is home to 70 art galleries and arts organizations, including the renowned Rubell and Margulies collections, The New World School of the Arts and the Light Box at the Goldman Warehouse. The monthly Second Saturdays gallery walk attracts thousands of visitors.

Opening Event To celebrate the evolution of Wynwood Walls, a multi-tiered artistic happening, Goldman Properties will host an invitation-only opening night event Thursday, December 2nd at the Wynwood Walls with all the artists, curators, collaborators and invited guests featuring special performances. About Goldman Properties Leaders in the restoration and transformation of declining historic districts into popular, thriving mixed-use destinations, Chairman and CEO Tony Goldman Principal, COOHospitality Division Jessica Goldman Srebnick and Principal Joey Goldman have been the driving forces behind the renaissance of Manhattans Upper West Side, the Wall Street Financial District and SoHo in New York City; Center City in Philadelphia; South Beach in Miami; and, most recently, the warehouse districts in Miami’s Wynwood District and Downtown Boston. For more information, please log onto http://www.goldmanproperties.com.

Wynwood Walls Art Exhibitions
N.W. 25th Street and N.W. 2nd Avenue
(next door to Joey’s Italian Café)
Miami, FL 33127