Events

EVENTS | EXHIBITIONS

Miami Design District Presents | Primary Projects from Miami Design District on Vimeo.

 

"Here Lies Georges Wildenstein" | Primary Projects | Art Basel 2011

 Opening Reception December 1, 2011 | 6 – 10 PM

How do you harness the intrigue of an art dynasty into one space? Can the lure of fine art, the means by which its acquired and the loss of innocence in the process be manifested? An ambitious collection of works from fifteen artists builds to a fever pitch with ‘Here Lies Georges Wildenstein’ at Primary Projects. Touching on the senses of repulsion and fascination felt within the highest circles of the art world, new works from artists who bridge a solidly established academic practice with a sexy, devil-may-care attitude for art pour l’art are unveiled exclusively during Art Basel Miami Beach. The title echoes the dubious, often scandalous, activities of the twentieth century’s most influential family of dealers and researchers whose influence was so entrenched into the visual arts consciousness, that even allegations as being Nazi collaborators could not quell the media’s fascination with their limitless professional and personal clout.

The works prompt a range of piercing questions. Do artists allow their works to be swept up in the mass of collectors, curators, museum trustees (those who wield considerable socio-political powers over them) or do they throw a defiant, metaphoric spit in the face as their work critiques the ‘establishment’ they love and loathe? There’s no clean description of the works or artists, themselves. This is quite literal with Miru Kim’s performance piece of ‘The Pig That Therefore I Am’, as she comes into intimate, often dangerous, contact with a caged throng of live pigs. A self-professed hygiene freak, the performance becomes a catalyst and nightmare for the 30 year-old photographer, lauded and decried for photographs placing her naked body set against forgotten industrial and urban landscapes. The institutional stature of Ancient calligraphy and the clandestine nature of ‘cholo’ graffiti are meshed together by Retna, swathing available surfaces with his cryptic text. A dedicated approach to poetry binds elegant visual content with potent urban rhythms, drawing viewers from the social gutters all the way to the cosmos. Installation artist Marc Bijl’s black pyramid raises and violates the public monument as a single gesture; the sanctity of a structure intended for intellectual praise and reflection is defaced with mark-making vandalism revealing its own dark truth. Shelter Serra’s pure white resin casts of wilted roses, a noose and an Hermès Birkin bag are veritable ‘death masks’ of common objects carrying associations of privilege, excess and emptiness.

Regardless of the artist’s intentions, a highly cultivated audience is addressed, forced to confront a bold visual representation of greed, luxury, deceit, politics and entitlement that accompanies the ‘old money’ social strata comparable to that of Wildenstein, Rockefeller and Getty. The honesty of the works and their creators ultimately end up on the walls and collections of those who pointedly lack the artist’s creative powers. The aesthetic context is a broad chronology of power plays and behind-closed-door contemporary art commerce. Deploying the concealed dynamics driving the most influential, seemingly unbreakable personalities in the art world towards their loftiest ambitions, the exhibition embodies the brash uninterrupted processes of manipulation that historic dealers, curators and artists, themselves, have engaged with for over three centuries. In this space, intelligent design and sheer creative force will come together with disturbing, intriguing and shocking results. ‘Here Lies Georges Wildenstein’ features new works from :

Marc Bijl, Retna, Michael Vasquez, Miru Kim, Cleon Peterson, George Sánchez-Calderón, Manny Prieres, Andrew Nigon, Scott Shannon, Christina Pettersson, Shelter Serra, How & Nosm, Kenton Parker, Cole Sternberg, Edouard Nardon, & Jel Martinez

Primary Projects is a multidisciplinary space, positioned at the heart of Miami’s Design District, which aims to explore and promote multiple forms of aesthetic expression from established and emerging artists, alike. Utilizing extensive, and wholly specific, experience in producing street-level curatorial endeavors in Miami, the creative forces behind Primary Projects unites the commercial and critical efforts of artists, critics, curators, professionals and patrons; the result is the vital presence of an intelligent, alternative arts environment with a bold urban sensibility delivered through a diverse range of media. ‘Here Lies Georges Wildenstein’ is curated by BooksIIII Bischof, TYPOE and Chris Oh.

EVENTS | EXHIBITIONS

Works by Michael Vasquez will be on view at booth C4 with Fredric Snitzer Gallery.

Art Los Angeles Contemporary, now in its second year, is Los Angeles' international contemporary art fair held January 27-30, 2011.

After a successful inaugural edition produced in West Hollywood at the Pacific Design Center, the art fair relocates in 2011 to the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. The new venue allows the fair to grow to accommodate more art galleries and large scale special projects in an expansive venue with soaring 40 foot ceilings.

The fair presents 70 top international blue chip and emerging galleries from around the world, with a strong focus on Los Angeles galleries. Participants showcase some of the most dynamic recent works from their roster of represented artists, offering an informed cross section of what is happening now in contemporary art making. The fair provides a sophisticated yet accessible environment for art collectors, curators, and patrons of the arts alike to enjoy.

In addition, the fair hosts a comprehensive programming series, including world class artist talks, museum curator led panel discussions, and an artist film screening and performance series. Special events are staged on site at the art fair as well as throughout the city in satellite locations.

Home to internationally renowned museums, leading art schools, hundreds of contemporary galleries, and a prodigious number of practicing artists, Los Angeles serves as the perfect landscape for a progressive, international contemporary art fair.

EVENTS | EXHIBITIONS

MICHAEL VASQUEZ and JOSE FELIX PEREZ | "Ode to Frederic Remington" 2010 | Primary Flight 2010 | spraypaint on wall | 13 x 24'


MICHAEL VASQUEZ and JOSE FELIX PEREZ | "Ode to Frederic Remington" detail 2010 | Primary Flight 2010 | spraypaint on wall | 13 x 24'

Primary Flight 2010

Michael Vasquez and Jose Felix Perez's recently completed mural "Ode to Frederic Remington," can be seen on the South East corner of 29th Street and NW 2nd Avenue in Miami, FL.

Primary Flight is Miami's original open air museum and street level mural installation that takes place annually throughout the Wynwood Arts District and the Miami Design District. Primary Flight is arguably the world’s largest event of its kind, having featured over 250 world class artists from around the globe since its inception, the majority of whom travel to Miami during Art Basel. Artists from all walks of contemporary art headline our annual event, collaborating on high profile walls throughout Miami’s urban landscape. Maps outlining the installation are circulated, providing patrons with an opportunity to view the works in progress.

EVENTS | EXHIBITIONS

 

New work by Michael Vasquez will be on display with Fredric Snitzer Gallery at Art Basel Miami Beach, December 2 - 5th, 2010.

'Art Basel Miami Beach is the most important art show in the United States, a cultural and social highlight for the Americas. As the sister event of Switzerland's Art Basel, the most prestigious art show worldwide for the past 41 years, Art Basel Miami Beach combines an international selection of top galleries with an exciting program of special exhibitions, parties and crossover events featuring music, film, architecture and design. Exhibition sites are located in the city's beautiful Art Deco District, within walking distance of the beach and many hotels.

An exclusive selection of more than 250 leading art galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa will exhibit 20th and 21st century artworks by over 2,000 artists. The exhibiting galleries are among the world's most respected art dealers, offering exceptional pieces by both renowned artists and cutting-edge newcomers. Special exhibition sections feature young galleries, performance art, public art projects and video art. The show will be a vital source for art lovers, allowing them to both discover new developments in contemporary art and experience rare museum-calibre artworks.

Top-quality exhibitions in the museums of South Florida and special programs for art collectors and curators also help make the event a special time for encountering art. And every year, a greater number of art collectors, artists, dealers, curators, critics and art enthusiasts from around the world participate in
Art Basel Miami Beach - the favorite winter meeting place
for the international art world.'

-via www.artbaselmiamibeach.com

 

EVENTS

MICHAEL VASQUEZ | Untitled 2010 | mixed media on paper | 10 x 10"

Locust Projects 8th Annual Smash & Grab Fundraiser

There is no other fundraiser quite like this one. The event revolves around a raffle, for which over one hundred local, national and international artists have donated artwork -- enough so that each raffle ticket is guaranteed to win an artwork. Tickets are drawn at random during the party, with the winner getting their choice of artwork (i.e, first called gets first pick, and so on). The result is a fun way to place artwork into collections, connect with Miami’s art community, and support Locust Projects.