Contributed by Sharon Louden / On Friday, I spent almost three hours at the�Satellite 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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