In Florida, spring begins much earlier than anywhere north of the Sunshine State. With that in mind, some galleries located in Miami’s Wynwood Art District are presenting exhibitions that (coincidentally) explore themes of renewed perceptions. The district is internationally known for The Wynwood Walls and surrounding street murals, but art lovers in pursuit of thought and enlightenment should investigate the galleries. Here are some of the top exhibitions.
Diana Lowenstein Gallery: The Ambiguous Lightness of Being – An Homage to Milan Kundera
The Ambiguous Lightness of Being at Diana Lowenstein Gallery: Beatrice Pediconi, photos and videos from the Red series; Michele Chiossi, Carrara Arabesque; and Jaroslav Kysa, Monument for Fallen Monuments (barely visible), on the ground are Xavery Wolski chains. | Courtesy of Diana Lowenstein Gallery
Diana Lowenstein Gallery: The Ambiguous Lightness of Being – An Homage to Milan Kundera
Ends March 31
Curated by Ombretta Agró Andruff, The Ambiguous Lightness of Being – An Homage to Milan Kundera at the Diana Lowenstein Gallery is a diverse collective of artists from different cultural backgrounds. However, semblance is found through the questioning of the physical and metaphysical concept of light and weight. This being the illusive juxtaposition of materials in a single work or the position of one work strategically installed across from another. Michele Chiossi’s (Italy) Carrara Arabesque, 2015 illuminated in soft pink, neon light appears weightless but is, in fact, made of Carrara marble and stainless steel. Globos, 2010 by Xawery Wolski (Poland/Mexico) is an installation of enlarged droplets made from Alpaca metal wire hung from the ceiling and ‘illuminated’ by a black wall backdrop. Kundera asks, ‘What then shall we choose? Weight or lightness?’ To fully understand this exhibition, revisiting the book or the film adaptation is essential.
Participating artists are Apparatus 22, Jonathan Callan, Loris Cecchini, Michele Chiossi, Gye Hoon Park, Marya Kazoun, Jaroslav Kyša, Ronald Morán, Angelo Musco, Beatrice Pediconi, Marisabela Telleria, and Xawery Wolski.
The Ambiguous Lightness of Being at Diana Lowenstein Gallery: Beatrice Pediconi, photos and videos from the Red series; Michele Chiossi, Carrara Arabesque; and Jaroslav Kysa, Monument for Fallen Monuments (barely visible), on the ground are Xavery Wolski chains. | Courtesy of Diana Lowenstein Gallery
Alejandra von Hartz Gallery: Alberto Lezaca: According to the matter
Ends April 8
Alberto Lezaca: According to the matter at the Alejandra von Hartz Gallery is an exhibition of digital photographs, paintings, and videos. The body of works addresses the juxtaposition of history and present, deconstruction and reconstruction, virtual and real. In his photographs, Alberto Lezaca (Colombia) begins his process with documentary pictures (newspapers, magazines and the internet) to create works such as Marcel Duchamp’s studio in Paris (1927) and Ad Reinhardt in his studio (1962.) He then digitally reworks them to reveal what he states is ‘a mental exercise of historical reconstruction. I am seeking to reveal the ‘real image’ behind these historical archives.’ Lezaca’s paintings also require deep reflection. View each uniquely or in relationship to each other to gain access to Lezaca’s ‘metalanguage’ wherein the observer can leave reality behind and resign to a world in different order.
Opening a few days prior to Valentine’s Day and Carnival, Handle with Care at Lelia Mordoch Gallery is a group exhibition that plays with the ideas of love, life and frivolity. Colorful and bright, the viewer experiences the delight of the party and new friends made. However, a slow and thoughtful walk cultivates a deeper understanding of each artist’s vision. Patrick Hughes‘ (UK) sculpted painting or what the artist calls ‘reverspective’ addresses reality and unreality, space and movement. Petra Werle’s (France) miniature sculptures are enclosed in glass. Are these smiling fairy creations cute or sinister? Take a closer look to see a masterful and meticulous construction of insect parts, bread, feathers, and shells. Werle describes her process as a paradox: ‘They are not my inventions. It is they who have chosen me as their medium in order to express a universal message.’
Participating artists are Miss-Tic, Susan Bergman Pettersson, Sebastien ‘Mr.D’ Boileau, Alain Le Boucher, Yukio Imamura, Petra Werle, Keith Long, Daniel Fiorda, Julie Mimran, Keren, Patrick Hughes, Milcho, Cyril Laffitau, and Carolina Sardi
Marian by Formento & Formento | Courtesy of BJ and Richeille Formento
The Art Design Project at Parmigiani Gallery: Formento & Formento: The End of Estrangement Photographs of America and Cuba
Ends March 31
The Art Design Project at Parmigiani Gallery presents The End of Estrangement Photographs of America and Cuba by husband-and-wife team Formento & Formento (US). The exhibition is a survey of work that addresses contrasts on multiple levels – on first impression, light and dark, contrasting landscapes and environments, and two different societies. The images require much deeper reflection to identify the references to classical paintings and cinema, and then to think about reality versus fantasy. The Formento’s invite the viewer to join them on a journey: ‘Mesmerized by these women’s transformation into heroines or femme fatales we are able to witness a moment of intense emotion and reflection frozen in a world caught between reality and fantasy.’
ArtMedia Studio | Gallery: Where Memories Reside: Photographs by A. Lilia Smith
Ends April 29
Where Memories Reside by A. Lilia Smith at ArtMedia Studio | Gallery is a metaphorical narrative not meant to be read in sequence but as parts, like thoughts, that occur in variant order. It is this process of ordering and reordering to which Smith confronts loss, memory, and life. This body of work was completed in four years based on a poem written following the loss of her father. Photography enables the artist to heal and the result is a visual construct in poetic form. Between shadows and light, the familiar and abstract, deterioration and renewal, we can identify through the familiar South Florida signifiers, Smith’s mental landscape and move forward with her. The exhibit is curated by Jose Antonio Navarrete.
Luis Valle Urban Aboriginal: Vibrational Frequencies of Indigenous Essence
Ends April 5
Wynwood Exhibition Center at Cafeina presents Aboriginal: Vibrational Frequencies of Indigenous Essence, a retrospective of past and new works by Luis Valle (aka El Chan Guri, US.) In an exploration of paintings (as well as some photography and video) completed over the past 16 years, two unique styles are identified. The styles, however, derive from the same essence – the artist’s inner journey with borrowings of Aboriginal and Pre-Colombian elements. The primitive and present that collide in images are filled with fluidity, movement and energy evoking Valle’s inner world where, through struggle and turmoil, he pursues inner peace and bliss. As Valle considers artists to be ‘modern day shamans of society,’ the retrospective can be viewed as the metamorphosis of the artistic process and the path to self-actualization.
