Art Districts Magazine

Abstract Visions: Path to Freedom

raisa — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 08:16:29 +0000

Florian Depenthal, Shattered Splendor, 1993, Oil on canvas, 54” x 42”. Courtesy of Art/Space Virginia Miller Galleries (Coral Gables, Miami)

A picture lives by companionship, expanding and quickening in the eyes

of the sensitive observer. It dies by the same token. It is therefore a risky

and unfeeling act to send it out into the world.

- Mark Rothko

By Janet Batet

The end of the nineteenth century meant the extreme fatigue of a Western culture exhausted by the burden of figurative art rules imposed since the Renaissance. The emergence of new art expressions, such as photography and cinema -whose advantages as accurate representations of reality are undisputed- and the discovery of traditional arts in non-European cultures, such as Africa, China and Japan, catalyzed a crisis of values regarding the classical notion of art and opened up new horizons of unimaginable freedom; among them, abstract art. More than a century has passed since then, but still the lack of tangible reference puzzles us.

Art/Space Virginia Miller Galleries in Coral Gables is presenting “Five Abstract Visions,” an outstanding exhibition of mid-career artists that explores the endless possibilities of abstract painting with very particular visions.

Andy Moses and Michelle Concepción seem interested in exploring abstraction as a gesture of defiance to the natural limitation of painting: its two-dimensionality. Both play with notions of depth and movement, exploring the cosmos on a macro and micro scale. Aaron Karp’s works lead us into a shimmering universe that enhances rhythms and color combinations. His canvases are the perfect passage into a dreamlike world dominated by a playful sensation, where the suggestive element is essential; capricious Moorish domes, complex mosaics and fabulous exotic carpets invite the viewer on a magic voyage.

Linda Touby, Homage to Giotto 414, 2009, Oil and wax on canvas, 56” x 56”. Courtesy of Art/Space Virginia Miller Galleries (Coral Gables, Miami)

The dazzling canvases of Florian Depenthal are loaded with powerful expression. Each emphatic stroke -applied by spatula- evidences a trace of mood, the vivid feeling invading the canvas before being tempered by reason. Occasionally, Depenthal stops at small details, scraping here and there with the handle of the brush, leaving little notes: encrypted writing with a tone of intimacy.

In the heart of the gallery, the viewer has a wonderful gift: Touby’s most recent series Homage to Giotto. Linda Touby’s vigorous canvases manage space, color and texture in a provocative way, demanding an active viewer able to rebuild ellipses and catch subtle metaphors. Homage to Giotto is the result of months of patient study and insatiable experimentation. The evocative series leads us through time and art history until the late Middle Ages. Touby recreates the unmistakable tactile and visual sensation of a fresco, in this way paying tribute to both the Italian master and one of the most ancient and resistant techniques throughout the ages, to which we owe an important part of the legacy of Western culture.

It is outstanding how, via abstract language, the artist evokes the figurative universe of Giotto, thanks to the effective use of three elements: texture (intended for the simulation of technique); color (in order to recreate Giotto’s palette) and composition (the horizontal colored stripes recall the Italian master’s fragmented use of the plane as a perspective illusion).

Touby’s works signify an exquisite dialogue regarding the controversial relationship between the abstract and figurative arts. In this playful rhetorical game, she highlights another essential parallel: a homage to Rothko, icon of the School of New York and essential symbol of the dispute between abstract and figurative art. Another clin d’oeil: The definitive entry of America into the modern art scene is invariably associated with abstract art.

Abstract art is always a challenge to a spirit stiffened by centuries of autocratic representation. “Five Abstract Visions” is a propitious path to the imagination and the free enjoyment of art forms per se.

“Five Abstract Visions” is on view through February 28, 2010

Art Space/Virginia Miller Galleries. 169 Madeira Avenue, Coral Gables (Miami), Florida, 33134. Phone 305 444 4493

www.virginiamiller.com

Patricia Claro: Liquid Landscapes

raisa — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 07:56:38 +0000

Patricia Claro, Another Landscape II, 2009, 43 ¼ “ x 43 ¼”. Courtesy of the artist and Kelley Roy Gallery.

By Denise Colson

As soon as I saw the work of the Chilean, Patricia Claro, at Kelley Roy Gallery in Miami’s Wynwood Art District, I was reminded of heated debates about the death of painting, questions as to why produce a realistic painting when photography and digital media are able to capture reality precisely and instantaneously; unconsciously I recalled the controversial topic that has preoccupied artists since the birth of photography at the end of the nineteenth century. Upon closer examination of Claro’s works, which appear to have been created by the lens of a camera, I then thought about recent conversations about so-called “expanded painting,” and how many contemporary artists blur the boundaries between artistic manifestations and move traditional artistic material to different visual supports through the intervention of other disciplines like photography, video and new technology.

Patricia Claro, who considers herself to be a landscape artist, does not attempt to stray from traditional pictorial techniques, nor does she substitute them with digital ones; instead she makes use of the latter during her creative process. With the lens of her camera, she captures unrepeatable static images of landscapes reflected in water, and that reflection is the true protagonist in her enormous canvases.

Patricia Claro, Clipping II, 2009, 23.5” x 31.5”. Courtesy of the artist and Kelley Roy Gallery.

It all begins with the recording of the reflection on the surface, which can take her hours or entire days during which she travels the lakes by boat, little by little capturing images that later on she deconstructs pixel by pixel to then reconstruct them in her pictorial works. When she stands before the canvas, she first dedicates herself to preparing the background of the painting, creating layers that cancel out the texture of the fabric. In this way she manages to achieve a smooth surface, at the same time that she incorporates the refracted image of the water. The painting is complemented by the reflected image that the artist incorporates through sfumato and a masterly handling of light. It is the wise use of light that causes her paintings to show a certain three-dimensionality, a certain movement; a somewhat changing nature makes them appear more real, as if they were living fragments of the tangible world.

Her works can be appreciated from afar like a hyperrealistic landscape, like those liquid mirrors that we find on the surface of still water. However, as we approach, we start to glimpse a collection of geometric forms that, like the pixels of a digital photograph, shape the image into a whole. The artist has studied the process of perception performed by the human eye, and she has made both the nearby and distant images converge on a 1:1 scale. In this way she causes that set of sensations in which the dialogue between the painting and the public takes place.

Patricia Claro’s liquid landscapes have made me believe that painting will continue to exist in its own right, as long as artists view their surroundings from a contemporary and informed perspective. Her paintings offer a “media-filtered” vision of natural landscapes; this could be no other way because it is through digital media that the contemporary individual today approaches reality. The result is an oeuvre, which is strong, authentic and full of life, an oeuvre that secretly touches the visual repertory of the observer by providing fragments of reality thereby activating the rich archive of images we each carry in our unconscious.

Patricia Claro’s work is on view at Kelley Roy Gallery. 50 NE, 29^th Street, Wynwood Art District. Miami, 33127. Phone: 305 447 3888 www.kelleyroygallery.com

Denise Colson is a freelance art critic based in Miami.

A CONVERSATION WITH MAXIMO CAMINERO

raisa — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 07:37:19 +0000

Máximo Caminero, Travesía, 2009, oil/canvas, 43” x 43”. Courtesy of the artist and Abro Gallery

Maximo Caminero (Dominican Republic, 1962) has a solid career spanning more than two decades of tireless work. The themes of his canvases cover the Caribbean ideo-aesthetic spectrum, understood from a mystical and philosophical perspective. Caminero has participated in exhibitions in the United States, Italy, Central America and the Caribbean. Endorsed by renowned critics, his work has been presented in numerous auction houses in the Americas. It currently forms part of prominent public and private collections, such as: The Harriet & George D. Cornell Museum of Art and History (Delray Beach, FL), Museo Casa de Bastidas (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic), Museo Fundación Guayasamín (Quito, Ecuador) Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico (MAC) (Santurce, Puerto Rico), among others.

The prestigious Dominican artist, Ada Balcacer, interviewed him for ARTDISTRICTS regarding his professional evolution and the conceptual bases of his work.

By Ada Balcacer

Via Biscayne Boulevard we arrive at the studio of the painter, Maximo Caminero, located in North Miami. From a large window, which fronts the street, a cubic space extends to an intimate room full of trade secrets, painters’ materials and props: black leather seats, a guitar, a bicycle, canvas stretched on the wall ready to be violated, works hanging in frames - an inviting and visually stimulating atmosphere … a preliminary glimpse…

“Hello Maximo”

“Hello Ada… “ (an embrace between colleagues)

The conversation begins…

Ada Balcacer - At what point in your art/life did you decide to integrate yourself into the Dominican diaspora in Miami, Florida ?

Maximo Caminero- As soon as I discovered in my soul the freedom of being, when I glimpsed a horizon that was more real than the line traced on the ocean, my hand started moving ahead of my thoughts. I sensed an ardor that tempted me to discover everything. That happened to me when I was 21 years old, 26 years ago.

AB- In the midst of the cultural diversity that characterizes the global development of the visual arts in this century, does your career flow with or against the tide?

MC- My oeuvre is influenced by my origins. It carries an imprint that has its source in the Antilles with the first settlers, the Taínos and Caribs, and is combined with images that inhabit my subconscious. This tendency is shared with Lam or Matta, each with his own specific vision; the first entrenched in his African roots, the other in accordance with his Universalist aspirations. It causes me go against current contemporary art that, not to take anything away from it, often starts with the desire to create something new but, lacking in foundation, tends towards the ridiculous.

Everything is art, but not everything has a soul and that is where the artist separates himself from the creator. The creator provokes; the artist invokes. The purpose of art is not to challenge us, but to slay us and connect our souls to the universe.

Máximo Caminero, Presencia, 2010, oil/canvas, 61” x 51”. Courtesy of the artist and Abro Gallery

AB- Where do you direct the conceptual thread of your work?

MC- My work is separate from my material being, because it is essence and mystery. It must be discovered through pure philosophy. I associate it metaphorically with the creation of the universe.

AB- In 1997 you organized La Casa Cultural Dominico-Americana here in Miami, Florida. Do you still participate in those Floridian socio-cultural projects?

MC- Yes, I continue to participate in them. When you have a vocation for service, it stays with you forever. I am a humanist, generous and thankful.

Miami, Florida, January 21, 2010.

Maximo Caminero’s oeuvre will be exhibited during the month of March 2010 at ABRO Gallery. 2137 NW 2^nd Ave., Miami, FL, 33127 - T. 786 348 2100

www.abrogallery.com

Ada Balcacer is one of the most representative figures of Caribbean modernism. Painter, draftswoman and engraver, she was born in the Dominican Republic in 1930. She participated in the Nueva Imagen movement that arose in 1972. She has been the teacher of several generations of Caribbean artists and has garnered considerable recognition, including the “Eduardo León Jiménez” prize. Her work has been exhibited extensively throughout the world.

Salustiano: Beyond the Red

raisa — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 07:25:40 +0000

Salustiano. Instante de eternidad, No. 6 (An Instant of Eternity No. 6), Natural pigments and acrylic resin on canvas, 39.3” x 39.3”. Courtesy of the artist and Art Rouge Gallery (Miami)

By Chaliang Merino

“Hombre del futuro” (Man of the Future) (1994) was the title of the exhibition at Museo Provincial de Huelva, Spain, which launched Salustiano’s extensive artistic career; and the future has shown us eloquent poetics of unquestionable humanist derivation. Other notable exhibitions were to follow: “Cuando las máquinas trabajen a mano” (When machines do handiwork) (Quattro Galería, Portugal), “Hunter” (Galerie Rafael Vostell, Germany), “The Horizon Comes to Meet the Train” (Janos Gat Gallery, New York) and the traveling international show “The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama,” to name a few. Graduate of the College of Fine Arts of the Universidad de Sevilla, the Spanish artist has participated in established international fairs -ARCO, KIAF, Art Frankfurt, TIAF, Scope London, Moscow International Art Fair, Palm Beach Contemporary Art Fair, among others- and his oeuvre has been displayed in prestigious museums -Rubin Museum in New York, Fowler Museum in Los Angeles, Luma Museum in Chicago- and galleries in Tokyo, Berlin, Paris, Basilea, Madrid, Lisbon and Shanghai. The idea for this brief dialogue sprang from his recent exhibition at ArtRouge Gallery, Miami.

Chaliang Merino: Could you tell me, in broad terms, what the evolution of your poetics has been in the past decade? Do you find the profound anthropological inclination found in your most recent work to be a constant?

Salustiano: Since I began painting my main intention has been the same, to create work that is poetic although not lacking in humor and irony. These three concepts, poetry, humor and irony, help me imbue the spectator with a specific emotion more precisely.

I suppose that the evolution experienced in my work is the same as the one I myself have undergone. I believe that the lyricism of my paintings has become more mature, more serene, and more controlled.

With respect to the anthropological inclination you refer to in your question, I can tell you that the use of the human figure in my oeuvre is a constant and that I cannot find a better vehicle than the human body to transmit emotions.

Salustiano, ADN! (No. 1), Natural pigments and acrylic resin on canvas, 59” x 59”. Courtesy of the artist and Art Rouge Gallery (Miami)

CM- The use of photography is part of your creative process and it would appear that some frames are faithfully transferred to the canvas. When I look at parts of your work, the circular format and the light filter utilized suggest a camera lens, as well as other interpretations. To what extent do you consider this a crucial technique?

S - I don’t agree that my compositions are transferred in this way from the photograph to the canvas. My paintings do not appear to be, because they are not, copies of photographs; it is true that my work begins with a photo session, but that is just one step. It is like using a calculator to add and subtract in a third grade equation. My realism is a pictorial and not a photographic realism; that is what differentiates me in large part from other contemporary, figurative artists like Norbert Bisky or Terry Rodgers.

CM- You project peace, absolute silence, and great spirituality in each of your creations. Why do you always use such young faces?

S- I only seek people who can convey what I want to say with their looks. Most of my models are young people because the young are less contaminated by life’s frustrations and problems. At that age, the spiritual animal that we all carry inside is more intact, and that is what I want to paint. Of course, there are always exceptions and I have found excellent models of all ages.

CM- Models in your works are usually far removed from the classical archetypes of “man” and “woman,” even in the stances they adopt. Is there any intention or commentary behind this?

S- Yes, there is a clear intention. When I was a youngster, my mother took me to church every Sunday. At that time, all women wore veils on their heads and their shoulders had to be covered. I questioned the reason for this practice, and I was told it was in order not to distract from religious and spiritual pursuits. That is how I found out that sexuality and spirituality should never be mixed. Therefore, I decided to work disregarding the sex of the models to the extent possible. Although it is not possible to eliminate it completely, I look for models for whom the line between masculinity and the femininity is often blurred. Furthermore, I ask them to pose abandoning, to the extent possible, the very stereotypes of their sex. Thus, women appear with strong, defiant attitudes, with arrogant expressions; attitudes traditionally associated with men. For their part, men pose with friendly, warm and delicate expressions.

CM- The apparel and even some of the stances of certain creatures display strong symbolism and mysticism. Can your work be considered a reflection of your spiritual beliefs?

S- I agree that my paintings are loaded with spirituality, but I have never been attracted to symbolism. Symbolism is a resource more utilized by romantic artists. I consider that art is divided into only two categories, classic art and romantic art, depending on whether what prevails in a work of art is sentiment over form or form over sentiment. The foundation of classicism is that a painting is just a painting, and not a psychiatrist’s couch. Thus, Matisse, Picasso, Hockney and Kapoor are classicists, while Bacon, Munch, Van Gogh and Nolde are romanticists.

That is why my spiritual beliefs do not influence my work; I don’t paint what I feel, but rather what I think. Although I seek emotional results, my oeuvre is based on intellectual and methodical work, mathematical work. It is created through analytical and not emotive labor. I work with the emotions of those who look at my paintings, not with my own.

Salustiano’s artwork is on view at Art Rouge Gallery through April 30^th, 2010. 46 Northwest 36^th St. Miami, FL, 33127. Phone 305 448 2060. www.artrouge.com

Chaliang Merino: Art Critic. BA in Art History (Universidad de La Habana); MA in Art Management (St. Thomas University, Miami).

Norman Rockwell: Testimony, Denunciation and Dreams of American History

raisa — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 07:14:15 +0000

Norman Rockwell, The Problem We All Live With, oil on canvas (c)1964, Licensed by the Norman Rockwell Estate Licensing Company, Niles, IL. From the Permanent Collection of the Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, Massachusetts

By Janet Batet

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) is an essential icon of contemporary American History. His irreplaceable artistic legacy stands as a fabulous panorama of American daily life, providing us with glimpses of more than six decades of significant moments in our history; and we know: “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

“American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell” is the title of the colossal retrospective exhibition presented at the Museum of Art in Fort Lauderdale and curated by the Rockwell Museum. The show features a savant selection of Rockwell’s most renowned oils on canvas: all 323 of his Saturday Evening Post cover illustrations, as well as some sketches and photographs used as preparatory documentation by the artist.

Rockwell’s distinctive iconography became very popular during his 47-year career at the Saturday Evening Post, the most popular magazine in the United States in the early part of the twentieth century. If the Saturday Evening Post meant unparalleled visibility for Rockwell at a time when periodical prints dominated media coverage, this magazine is also responsible for the common and extended misperception regarding the artist’s social concerns; he was largely identified with a restricted vision, only interested in the American white middle class.

However, Rockwell’s illustrations chronicled both: everyday life moments of happiness and innocence where most of the time kids are the protagonists, as well as the impact of social and political events in American History, such as: the Great Depression, two world wars and the civil-rights movement.

His contributions to Look magazine during the sixties -included in the present exhibition- are a shocking testimony of the painful realities of segregation in the South.

If viewers are familiar with the excellent but restricted idyllic vision of innocence and frivolity that characterized his contribution to the Saturday Evening Post, American Chronicles… -the exhibition now open at the Fort Lauderdale Museum- is an exceptional opportunity to discover the other face of Norman Rockwell’s artwork. These potent, consciousness-raising paintings portraying civil-rights workers and Black people in the middle of their courageous struggle for social rights in America speak to his major contribution to the arts and history.

Norman Rockwell’s oeuvre is an essential part of the visual American legacy. His prolific and paradigmatic career offers us a marvelous account of the innocence, audacity, prejudgments, fears and dreams that lead America during thetwentieth century.

“American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell” is on view at Museum of Art - Fort Lauderdale through February 7^th, 2010.

1 E Las Olas Blvd. Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33301 www.moaflnsu.org

Rauschenberg’s Jewel Under the Sun: Focus Fort Myers

raisa — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 07:03:43 +0000

David Hatchett, American Shopper, 2009, metal over mixed media, 42” x 57” x 22”, Photo courtesy of the artist.

The City of Palms

By Veron Ennis and Raymond Hernandez

There is a mysterious magnetism in the air over Fort Myers, which has attracted some of the top creatives of our time to The City of Palms. This quiet vortex captured inventor and botanist, Thomas Edison and the prolific modern artist, Robert Rauschenberg. These powerful and influential individuals set the stage for what is now a prominent contemporary art scene.

Thomas Edison wintered in Fort Myers in the late 1800s. A century later, Rauschenberg migrated from his studio in New York City to live and work in his subtropical studio space on the exclusive island of Captiva. Edison and Rauschenberg went to work establishing a cultural corner for the gulf coast.

Edison built his historic laboratory and botanical gardens on what is now McGregor Boulevard. He planted over 200 imported palm trees along the dirt road between downtown and his estate. Surpassing 75 feet, these royal palms give Fort Myers its nickname, “the City of Palms.”

For his part, Robert Rauschenberg was raised in the small refinery town of Port Arthur, Texas. He spent the early part of his life close to the ocean. After becoming a paramount artist in New York and the world, he decided to find a remote location for his home and studio. Page Field, the airport that could provide easy access to New York City, connected Rauschenberg to the white sandy beaches of Captiva Island. The insurmountable beauty of this paradise on the gulf captured Rauschenberg’s heart and made the island his home.

As Edison introduced foreign plant species, Rauschenberg introduced contemporary art to Southwest Florida. After exhibiting his work continually since the 1980s, The Gallery of Fine Art at Edison Community College was renamed Bob Rauschenberg Gallery in 2004. His generosity as an advocate for the arts and artists in Lee County allowed Fort Myers to have the creative soil in which to flourish.

Pat Collins, Mouthpuller, 2007, acrylic & spray enamel on canvas, 9” x 12”, Photo courtesy of the artist.

Now the blossoming Fort Myers art scene continues to attract artists and patrons, encouraging the opening of studios and galleries. The Fort Myers Art Walk, on the first Friday of every month draws the entire community as well as international visitors. Numerous galleries, retail stores, and community art spaces participate. The contemporary art spaces found in Fort Myers are exhibiting national and international artists, hosting live performances and concerts, art festivals, charity benefits, gala events, and exposing powerful, locally curated exhibitions. This new pulse of contemporary art is getting stronger and stronger as more and more artists emerge from our streets and expose their work.

As the transcendent sunsets, unique wildlife, and boundless botany dazzled Rauschenberg since the 1970s, the Fort Myers contemporary art scene continues to shine and glimmer like a polished jewel. Each day fascinating discoveries in the field of contemporary art unfold and are proudly exhibited in Fort Myers thanks to the seeds planted here by Thomas Edison, Robert Rauschenberg, and countless other generous patrons of Lee County.

Veron Ennis and Raymond Hernandez: Visual artists, independent curators and art writers based in Fort Myers, FL.

The Art Collection as a Nation’s Patrimony / Interview with Rosa de la Cruz

raisa — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 06:52:20 +0000

Rosa y Carlos de la Cruz. Photo: C.M. Guerrero

By Janet Batet

One of the most passionate fields in the History of Art is how the meaning of culture is built up throughout history. In the specific case of the visual arts, most of the cultural meaning reaches us through the legacy that museums represent and, of course, we cannot neglect -as an essential part of that practice- the interrelationship between museums and collections. In this very capricious decision process that necessarily means selection, one of the most interesting phenomena is the interstice -that unveiled motivation- that drives collectors toward one kind of art or another.

In the case of the Miami art scene, art collectors have been playing another vital roll. Names like Marty Margulies, Don and Mera Rubell, Debra and Dennis Scholl, Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz, Monica and Javier G. Mora, Ruth and Richard Shack, Michelle and Jason Rubell, among others have been shaping the artistic profile of our city when opening their homes or, in some cases, their museums to the public. This philanthropic tendency has been crucial to Miami’s new profile, no longer associated with the crime scene but with contemporary arts.

Last December, Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz, who have been welcoming art lovers to their home on Key Biscayne for the last fifteen years, gave us a precious gift: De la Cruz Collection Contemporary Art Space, a new three-story, 30,000-square-foot building in Miami’s Design District, opened to the public on December 3. That is the reason we joined Rosa at the De la Cruz Collection.

Janet Batet - When did Carlos and Rosa de la Cruz start collecting art?

Rosa de la Cruz - We started collecting in the late 1980s but with a very different spirit. At first we were buying works that we could install in our house; we were not thinking of building a collection.

JB - What motivates you to acquire an artwork?

RC - Acquiring art does not involve a fixed agenda. You have to be flexible and open to new ideas and aesthetics whether you are acquiring art or simply looking at it. We are interested in contemporary art practices. The reason we built this new space was to exhibit works from our collection in a public space in order to make it more accessible to our community and visitors.

JB - The act of collecting is like a very delicate puzzle where every single piece has its own meaning as well as a meaning within the logical discourse that drives the collection. How does this “cult of fragments” -as John Elsner qualifies the collecting activity- manifest itself in the De la Cruz Collection?

RC - The puzzle becomes an installation when we exhibit the works. For the opening of the new space, fourteen artists came to install their works. We enjoy working with artists and inviting them to do site-specific installations. We have done this at our house for the past fifteen years.

JB - Certainly, when visiting De la Cruz Collection, you have this sensation. Each single element has been integrated into a specific spirit. Each floor has its own ambiance and the labeling technique used has a double function: identifying the artworks while associating them by zones of interest. This decision favors the reading of the whole over the parts.

How did you decide which works would stay at home and which ones would become part of the permanent showcase at De la Cruz Collection’s new building?

RC - Our new space is an extension of our house. During Basel this year we opened the two spaces simultaneously - the house in Key Biscayne and the new space in the Design District. Carlos welcomed visitors at the house and I was at the space.

JB - Where do you prefer to buy artworks for your collection, in a very private setting or publicly? Do you prefer to buy at auctions and fairs or directly from artists?

RC - We acquire works mostly from galleries but also from auctions. We think it is important to attend fairs and to travel.

Work by Paulina Olowska. Photo Credit: Carlos Rigau

JB - Is the De la Cruz Collection catalogue alphabetical or associative?

RC - We do not have a catalogue of the collection. Were we to do a catalogue, it would be a chronological documentation of the collection’s history.

JB - How do you imagine art in this new century?

RC - I think that in this century there will be more collaborative projects. Artists are more interested in processes than in ideas regardless of the outcome - they are more willing to take risks.

JB - You and Carlos have always made an effort to make the collection available to the public. Both of you sincerely believe that art is not a private patrimony and that’s why your house has been wide open to the public for the last fifteen years and now your De la Cruz Collection opens its doors free of charge. This is much appreciated. What cultural legacy are you and Carlos building with your collection?

RC - We do think it is important to make the collection accessible to the public. We believe that art, whether in public or private hands, is part of the patrimony of a nation.

JB - What is the next step for the de la Cruz as collectors and philanthropists?

RC - Our next step is trying to make our space work as a modest research center. We are opening a library this month that will be open to anyone interested in doing research or in just coming and spending time browsing through our books and catalogues. We want this space to be alive and to welcome our community.

JB - Thanks for your time.

Carlos and Rosa de la Cruz are already hands on. The calendar of events for 2010 at De la Cruz Collection Contemporary Art Space is an expression of this new Miami-based laboratory for the arts and research where all artists, writers, and art lovers in general have a new home.

De la Cruz Collection Contemporary Art Space

23 NE 41^st Street, Miami, FL 33137

Phone 305-576-6112

www.delacruzcollection.org

ARTEAMERICAS 2010 – A CONVERSATION WITH DORA VALDES-FAULI

raisa — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 06:28:25 +0000

Carolina Sardi, Starry Night, 2008, Painted Steel over Painted Wall, 96" x 96'' x 2", Courtesy of the artist and Pan American Art Projects, Miami.

arteaméricas, the premier Latin American art fair in the United States, will celebrate its eighth edition March 26 - 29, 2010 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. ARTDISTRICTS spoke with its Art Director, Dora Valdés-Fauli, about the future of arteaméricas, the new projects to be included on this occasion, and the impact of this event on the Latin American art scene.

ARTDISTRICTS: In 2009, arteaméricas changed its management structure; it went from being a fair with centralized management, to a much more flexible and open model comprised of you as Art Director, María Nápoles as Executive Director and Othón Castañeda as Associate Director. What is the vision of the fair’s new management? What new art fair concept are you presenting? What are the differences between the current arteaméricas and previous editions of the fair?

Dora Valdés-Fauli - As the head of the new team at arteaméricas, I bring to the position the enthusiasm that I have had for the fair since its inception when the owners, Leslie Pantin and Emilio Calleja, came to me to say that they were interested in doing a fair of Latin American art and wanted my input. At that time, I was a gallery director, and I was delighted with the concept and very happy to help. From that time, nearly a decade ago, I have been a great supporter of arteaméricas and all that the fair has accomplished. Now as the Director, I come to the position with a respect for the institution, its owners and its previous director, and now, I build on that with a fresh point of view. In the changes which I have outlined for this team, I have two main areas of interest - one is to continue to increase the intellectual excellence of the fair, and the second is to increase the audience participation. The first, the intellectual component is secured by having a strong and independent Selection Committee and a solid series of Art Talks, round table discussions and lectures to offer to the public. The second is achieved by the relationships that we are forming with the museums, cultural institutions, and community groups and the special programs offered to them. This two-pronged effort will ensure a fair that is interesting, stimulating, informative, and successful for the participants.

AD - Who comprises the Selection Committee? What criteria are used to select participating galleries? Which countries are expected to participate on this occasion?

DVF- The Selection Committee is composed of renowned art professionals that are especially informed about Latin American art. They are Carol Damian, the director of the Frost Museum; Felix Angel, the director the vast cultural program of the Interamerican Development Bank in Washington; Julia Herzberg, a very well-known curator from New York, whose long career includes being the curator for the Carlos Alfonzo exhibition at the Freedom Tower a few years ago and the recent Nela Ochoa exhibition at the Frost; and Leonor Amarante, an excellent curator and critic from Brazil.

During the selection process, each gallery is required to submit the list of artists whom they plan to exhibit, photos of their work and their resumes. In addition, information about the gallery itself, its exhibition schedule for the recent past, a history of how long they have existed, in how many international fairs they have participated, how many exhibitions they do each year, etc. Some galleries that have applied will bring an exhibition of only one artist, but others will bring several of their best artists. There does not have to be a curatorial concept that is provided to the Selection Committee, but I can tell you from my 30 years of experience as a gallery director, that when any good gallery plans its offering at a fair, there is a sense of balance that is required and appreciated by the public.

The countries of origin of the galleries that have applied are the United States, Panama, Mexico, Peru, Germany, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Colombia and Argentina. We are still negotiating with others in Canada, Brazil, and Spain.

AD - What opportunities does arteaméricas offer participating galleries?

DVF - The galleries participating in arteaméricas begin by being offered a far lower fee for participation than other fairs because we have the wonderful financial support of Merrill Lynch/Bank of America. In addition, we offer to participating galleries, a special arrangement for travel with American Airlines and the services of FedEx, as well as special arrangements with local hotels. So, the first benefit is a prestigious international art fair for a reasonable fee structure.

International art fairs offer a whole new potential section of market share to the participants. In today’s global world, a gallery should not, and actually cannot depend on the clients from only its own “back yard.” Developing new contacts and new clients is the essence of what a fair provides to a gallery, and I think that in today’s economic climate, it is more important than ever for a gallery to develop this broader client base in order to survive and succeed.

AD - In arteaméricas, as in all art fairs, commercial interests take precedence over the educational and the didactic. Nevertheless, within this context, exhibitions can be enriched by providing independent curators, museums and cultural institutions with the opportunity to present curated projects. Will arteaméricas devote space to these types of projects? If so, what will they be?

DVF - Our plans for curated spaces are quite extensive, with a group of spaces being curated by several acknowledged curators under the direction of Celia Bribagher; another very important area, which is under the direction of Cristina Nosti, will deal with the Latin American artist that Bonnie Clearwater has brought to MOCA over the years. Other projects with Spanish artists, and a possibility with works by Carmen Herrera, and the participation of a very well-known Latin American museum are all in the works. I will keep you informed of the details as we move forward with these plans in the next week or two.

AD - Has arteaméricas designed a strategy for fostering collectorship, both private and institutional?

DVF - We are putting in place two important programs that will bring specifically an art-loving public to the fair. They are our Museum Nights that will be on the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights of the fair. This is a special invitation to the important supporters of nine museums, three each night, to come to a reception in the VIP Lounge of the fair for a glass of champagne and then we will provide guided tours of the fair. The second initiative is our Collectors Program, which will offer to important collectors (from this area, and nationally, and internationally), in addition to special treatment at the fair, visits to private collections, guided tours of museums, and artists’ studios, as well as special dinners and cocktail parties.

AD - How do you visualize the future of art fairs? Do you foresee a continuation of the art fair boom that we have witnessed in recent years?

DVF - In my opinion, art fairs are becoming continually more important and relevant in the art market. In today’s global market place, all galleries must endeavor constantly to reach an ever broadening base of support for their activities. Art fairs provide insight into the market and opportunities for new contacts with collectors, other galleries, curators, and artists. It is this international networking as well as the specific sales that give immense new options to each participating gallery.

AD - Taking into consideration sales levels experienced by Latin American art at last November’s auctions and during Miami’s recent art fair season, do you think that Latin American art is a good investment at the present time?

DVF - The Latin American auctions in New York in November were great and the success of the art fairs of Art Basel Miami Beach and all of the satellite fairs all point to the recovery of the art market after the recent downturn. Also, in spite of the recent fluctuations, Latin American art has continued to be an excellent investment, one that provides great enjoyment as well as a more appealing alternative to some of the more depressed markets, such as real estate and the stock market.

AD - In conclusion…what impact do you think arteaméricas will have on Latin American art both within and outside of the United States?

DVF - arteaméricas is a boutique fair dedicated exclusively to Latin American art, and as such it provides a beautiful opportunity to collectors, galleries, museums, and institutions to have a free exchange of ideas and images within a rich and appealing platform. I am very pleased with what this wonderful fair offers and I know that this year will be greatly successful.

Minimalist Metal: Sardi and Larsen

raisa — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 06:17:51 +0000

Ted Larsen, Hierarchical Stature, Mixed Media, 35” x 30” x 2”. Courtesy of the artist and Pan American Art Projects.

Pan American Art Projects

March 13 - April 17, 2010

Pan American Art Projects has brought together two artists with a minimal aesthetic. Carolina Sardi and Ted Larsen come from different traditions but share a like-minded approach to their art. Each offer understated metal sculptures in a joint exhibition at the gallery from March 13 - April 17.

Carolina Sardi’s wall installations, often titled Associations, make precise use of formal artistic elements that manage to resonate beyond aestheticism. Even though her sculptures are made of tough steel, they still maintain a natural, organic feel. The work in Sardi’s latest series, Constellations, delicately traces celestial paths. The Calder-like sculptures are a departure from her previous series of colorful, free-flowing installations. Even though these new works are made of single pieces, rather than a compilation of shapes, they are able to suggest the mobility of shooting stars.

Born and raised in Argentina, Sardi earned her Master’s Degree in Sculpture at the National University of La Plata, where she also studied architecture and urbanism with the artist Enio Iommi. Carolina has been living and working in Miami since 1995.

Ted Larsen, a former landscape artist, began working with salvaged metal in 2000. His experimentation with this media resulted in self-referential works that speak little to the object they once were. In his latest series, Larsen explores the importance of the individual as a component of the whole. He has translated this internal dialogue into works like Volume Control, a wall sculpture comprised of small boxes arranged in a maze-like pattern. The work encourages the viewer to break down the sculpture into its basic components, to retrace the artist’s process.

Born in Southaven, Michigan, Larsen graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Northern Arizona University. He currently lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

For further information, www.panamericanart.com

Robert Fleisher’s Extraordinary Visuals of the Everyday

raisa — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 06:14:08 +0000

Robert Fleisher, Free Will or Fate, 2009, Watercolor on Paper, 30” x 22”. Courtesy of the artist and 101/exhibit.

101 / exhibit

March 13 - April 10, 2010

Opening reception March 13, 2010

The paintings of Robert Fleisher are on display at 101/exhibit from March 13 - April 10, 2010. There is an opening reception with the artist on March 13. The self-taught painter, who resides in Miami Beach, creates microscopically detailed work using watercolor and oil. Meticulously rendered faces, hands, hair, buildings and textures in Fleisher’s paintings may for a moment be mistaken as ordinary representation. A closer look reveals that conventions of space, perspective, matter and gravity are broken at will.

Stream-of-consciousness associations abound in his work, and often present the viewer with a distinct sense of disorientation. Strange characters and odd juxtapositions make frequent appearances along with the ordinary visuals of the everyday. These strange combinations of textured content challenge the viewer to mine his or her own associations for meaning both in the paintings and in the worlds they encounter on the street and in their minds.

Signs, symbols and words often play a powerful role in his paintings. Billboards, advertisements and graffiti make frequent appearances. But again, Fleisher reads them his own way, revealing to us their oblique and hidden meanings.

Fleisher was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1952. In addition to his paintings, he also works with wood and composes music. Robert Fleisher’s work can be found in the private collections of Wayne Newton, Mickey Rooney, James Woods, Paul and Joanne Woodward Newman and James Lipton, among others.

101 Exhibit. 101 NE 40th Street, Miami Design District, 33137