Contributed by Sharon Louden / On Friday, I spent almost three hours at theSatellite Art Fair and returned for another half hour on Saturday. It was like having about 20 studio visits; all of the conversations were substantive. At Satellite, there was a wide range of work on display, but what was most refreshing about the experience was that after the first hour, I forgot I was in Miami or at an “art fair” at all. Everyone was warm and welcoming–artists were simply sharing their work. Overall, the atmosphere was uplifting and positive — with the same comradery that I have felt with all artists’ communities, including the group I met last week at Standing Rock in North Dakota. I was also reminded of the original art fair in New York (which I participated in) that took place in the old Gramercy Park Hotel in 1994. Many thanks to Brian Whiteley, Alex Paik and all of the artists who welcomed me to see their work as well as Joshua Levine and Ali Husat for guiding me through the fair. Here are some highlights.
At Laproductora Gallery of Santurce, Puerto Rico, directed by artist Martin Albarran, I loved seeing an installation of works on paper by Juan Negroni and a wall of ceramic/two-dimensional works by Roberto Marquez.
Here is a wall of Juan Negroni’s works on paper and a detail:
Wall of funky, odd ceramic/two-dimensional works by Roberto Marquez:
There was a great presence by artist-run galleries from Baltimore, including Platform Gallery founded and directed by Abigail Parrish. There I saw these works by Alex Epstein:
Down the hall was six works by Patricia Schnall Gutierrez at &gallery based in Miami. Each work is 21×17″ and made of mixed media on wood panel:
In a room curated by Nicola Knight, I saw this painting by D’Metrius John Rice:
At Tiger Strikes Asteroid, I enjoyed these pieces by Jonathan Ryan Storm:
Two doors down, I really enjoyed talking with Erin and Justin Nathanson from The Southern Gallery, located at Charleston, South Carolina. They had a whole room installation, with works by Michaela Pilar Brown on wallpaper entitled “French Toile…Negro Toil” by Colin Quashie:
Left: Michaela Pilar Brown, Night Trip, 2016, mixed media collage, 30×22″ at The Southern
Middle: Michaela Pilar Brown, Night Ride, 2016, mixed media collage 30×22″ at The Southern
Right: Michaela Pilar Brown, Time Keepers, 2016, mixed media collage, 22×30″ at The Southern
After attending a few talks in the Salon at Art Basel Miami Beach Art Fair organized by awesome Mari Spirito of Protocinema in Istanbul, I visited the Nada Art Fair where I hung out with the fantastic people of Bad at Sports. If you have never heard their podcasts, I highly recommend it.
At the Nada Art Fair, I saw a few pieces that caught my eye:
And two gorgeous, refreshing paintings by Nathalie Du Pasquier at Apalazzo Gallery, Brescia, Italy:
Finally, sitting on the table at David Petersen’s Gallery (of Minneapolis, MN), I noticed these cards, which were a reminder to me that many people here in Miami did not forget what is currently happening at Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota. I came to Miami Beach with the artists and people at Standing Rock on my mind. I am leaving here returning to reality, but with the confidence that we have a very strong community as artists who share our truth through the work we make.
Sharon, thank you so much for having me as a guest contributor to Two Coats of Paint this week in Miami! I hope to be back next year.
About the author: Educated at Yale University, Sharon Louden is represented by Morgan Lehman gallery. She is a Senior Critic at the New York Academy of Art and the editor of Living and Sustaining a Creative Life: Essays by 40 Working Artists. Louden is currently working on a second book entitled, The Artist as Culture Producer: Living and Sustaining a Creative Life, which will be published in early 2017 by Intellect Books and distributed by the University of Chicago Press.
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