Blog Posts - Mapanare.us Constantly.Consuming.Culture.

Wexler Gallery (Philadelphia) Presented "Street Shrine 1: A Notorious Story" By Roberto Lugo At Design Miami 2019

1/10/2020

photos by Boyd Ogle II

Wexler Gallery (Philadelphia) presented Street Shrine 1: A Notorious Story, by Robert Lugo at Design Miami 2019. The installation features two large funeral urns and a ceramic teddy bear.

Lugo is a teacher, a poet, a social activist and a potter. He is from Philadelphia and started as a street artist before moving into ceramics. Wexler Gallery also showed work by him at Expo Chicago 2019.

This booth demonstrated a unified design by the artist, rather than the collection of pieces that were at Expo Chicago. It is a step beyond.

Rooms Studio Presented "In Circulation" By Nata Janberizde and Keti Toloraia, Part Of Curio At Design Miami 2019

1/10/2020

photos by Boyd Ogle II

Rooms Studio presented In Circulaiton by Nata Janberizde and Keti Toloraia as part of Curio at Design Miami 2019. The two artists are from the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. They formed as a team in 2006 right after leaving art school in Tblisi. You can read an article on the two at the New York Times.

Several pieces on the artists refer to how the Soviet Union collapsed when they were youngsters and also created what they do in something of a vacuum. Their work, while not "street art" in the sense of how we see these days, is inspired by actual street art, the carved symbols on school desks and park benches. In Circulation is a rumination upon these artifacts and a look at the reason we feel the need to leave behind such marks. Read more HERE.

Functional Art Gallery (Berlin) Showed Functional And, Sometimes, Monolithic Work At Design Miami 2019

1/9/2020

photos by Boyd Ogle II

Functional Art Gallery (Berlin) showed functional, monolithic work at Design Miami 2019.

The striking blue booth featured pieces with both modern (in different senses of the word even) and ancient, for lack of a better word, "vibe."

Carpenter's Workshop Gallery (London, New York, Paris, San Francisco) Showed Work At Design Miami 2019

1/7/2020

photos by Boyd Ogle II

Carpenter's Workshop Gallery (London, New York, Paris, San Francisco) showed work at Design Miami 2019.

The gallery produces, researches and exhibits functional sculpture. They show work by new and established artists. They also work with designers working outside their normal disciplines.

The gallery first opened in London's Chelsea in 2006. Their most recent one in San Francisco in 2018.

They are regulars at Paris Art & Design, Design Miami and The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF).

Kerr Gallery Showed African Art And Design As Part of Design Miami 2019's Curio Section

1/6/2020

photos by Boyd Ogle II

Kerr Gallery (Milwaukee) showed African art and design as part of Design Miami 2019's Curio section. Their booth was titled, Africa: Traditions-Art-Design and was curated by Reynold C. Kerr.

This piece is Fang Bellows from Gabon in West Africa. It is wood, metal, hide and natural pigments. It is, like many traditional pieces from West Africa, utilitarian.

The Fang live, not only in Gabon but Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon and are known for producing art in wood, iron and soapstone. The art often reflects their traditional religion, Bieri, which concerns itself not only with the living but with ancestors.

The University of Iowa website has more information on the Fang people and their art. Fang pieces are included in many, if not most, collections of African art.

Espoir Gallery (Nanjing) Showed Work By Zhao Nengzhi At Scope Miami Beach 2019

1/6/2020

Something On Her Mind #2

Espoir Gallery (Nanjing) showed work by Zhao Nengzhi at Scope Miami 2019.

Before reading about the artist and his intent, I wanted to look at these pieces and relive what I thought about them. They are portraits that are slightly distorted, adding an otherworldly air to the subject, something hinting at horror. The features are muted, smeared but still beautiful.

The Sichuan School, from where Zhao Nengzhi springs, has a common thread running through it, "scar art." It is something I cannot claim to actually grasp, this mult-generatlonal art movement, little known in the West..

Indeed Nengzhi is considered one of the "Memory Keepers" of the "New Scar" movement. His work is divided into a number of periods. The Crowd Wandering on the Streets series (1992) is where the artists sought to make himself one of the "others," one of the multitude wandering about the boulevards of the world. In 1997 he began his Facial Expression and Face series. This work was more flat and representational than previous work but they also are distant from realism or portraiture. The figures are like cryptographs the viewer must figure out.

Something On Her Mind #1

Kahn Gallery (London) Showed Work By Elisabeth Lecourt At Scope Miami Beach 2019

12/16/2019

Mon costume Libellule de Cigale et de Fourmi

Kahn Gallery (London) showed work by Elisabeth Lecourt at Scope Miami 2019.

The piece, Mon costume Libellule de Cigale et de Fourmi, is made of a map of Palm Beach and Feathers. The dresses, shirts and kimonos always include maps as one component of the work.

Lecourt, who lives in London, is also a painter. The gallery link above leads directly to work by the artist.

You can see even more work, including paintings, at the artist website, elisabethlecourt.com.

GR Gallery (New York) Showed Work By Joan Cornella At Scope Miami Beach 2019

12/16/2019

GR Gallery (New York) showed work by Joan Cornella at Scope Miami Beach 2019.

These photos are crap but Cornella's work has to be mentioned in any conversation of Scope Miami 2019. You should look at the gallery link above or the artist link below.

The work is, to put it mildly, a harsh critique of society in cartoon form. The originals will cost you but the artist site also sells poster versions.

See more at joancornella.net.

Cur8 (New York) Showed Work By Harif Guzman At Scope Miami Beach 2019

12/16/2019

Prayer for Rain

Cur8 Gallery (New York) showed work by Harif Guzman at Scope Miami Beach 2019.

Harif, from Venezuela, now lives and works in New York City. At first glance this work reminded me of a Japanese artist whose name eludes. But it is distinct from that as well. It is mainly the monochromatic aspect of the work that is similar. These pieces are acrylic on canvas.

The gallery website describes his paintings as a mix of pop art and street art. The latter is certainly true but it isn't the fancy, stylized sort of street art but the real sort of scrawl you see on the side of ignored buildings. The sort of "street art" that isn't auctioned at Sotheby's.

Find out more at harifguzman.com.

Prayer for Rain

Butch Anthony Showed Various Work At Scope Miami Beach 2019

12/15/2019

Butch Anthony showed various work at Scope Miami Beach 2019.

Butch Anthony is often described as a "folk artist" and you will likewise see publications referring to his work as if it was comparable to a set from Hee Haw in the 70s. In many cases they seem to mean this as a compliment. It is so QUAINT and Southern say the big city Northern publications.

But the art here is sophisticated in both content and execution. There is, fairly often, a sort of darkness to it. It is something you should know more about.

Find out more at museumofwonder.com.