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Atang Tshikare, From South Africa, Showing Sculpture Informed By Stories Via Southern Guild At Design Miami 2016

11/17/2016

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by Patrick Ogle

Atang Tshikare, from Bloemfontein in South Africa, is a self-taught artist who works in various media creating sculpture. His work is being show by Southern Guild at Design Miami 2016.

His pieces have an unusual wrinkle; their origins are on the artists own stories. Tshikare creates a narrative and then, literally, gives it form. It wasn’t always in this order according to the artist.

“The sculptures informed the story at first but after the third piece the roles switched a bit because they had to work hand in hand. So now I have a story written  with some missing details and that’s where the sculptures come in and overtake the story and the mix just goes back in a fluid mix between what part is stronger. It’s like a relationship with two strong individuals where each takes precedence according to their strengths.” says Tshikare.

His new works are in bronze but that is not the only medium he has used.

“I’ve worked in multiple media – from wood, clay, plastic, paper and so on, but I’ve always wanted something that lasted permanently and had great value so I wanted to try bronze. When I did I discovered the idea I had could be manipulated much quicker and there was less stress about the stability,” he says. “Unlike clay there was no need to worry about the material getting damaged in the kiln and all the problems most of the materials have. So, a combination of strong, steady and treasured values made bronze more appealing.”

The stories are complex and whichever direction the influence moves, from story to sculpture to story or story to sculpture, there is a complexity to the interaction.

“I use my tacit knowledge to work between the different focuses and It’s like riding a bicycle and explaining a sum at the same time whilst you are thinking of the fastest route to your home. When you have a controlled multiple personality you feel laid back and it just happens.” he says.

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Tshikare never “decided” to become an artist; he says it was almost a bequest, a revelation of what was already in him.

“Being an artist is like learning the words to your favorite rapper’s song till you know the lyrics and then one day you’re making your own album. You practice what you’re natural at and attract it in multiple streams." he says.

Thus, it’s not something that you decide to become, you just reveal it to yourself.

“I am self-taught like my dad is and it’s the best route because it’s genetic and the skills are indelible, other paths to this career are harder and getting taught can increase your technical skill but deep inside it’s a want that you can’t turn off.” says Tshikare.

His new work is meant, in some way, to attract you, to draw n to it and not just in proximity.

"My new work is a shadow that you will tail because you’re trying to catch up with the enigma. I will only say that people  can understand the perspective I’ve
displayed because I’ve taken a piece of narrative and created a journey per my vision. I know it’s a comprehensive answer but because I am a universal mammal that wants to give a forward-thinking view of Africa I can only give this answer so people can come in for a closer look," he says. "The truth behind my art is a more elaborate labyrinth with some mystical manifestations that the West refers to as 'Law of Attraction'. So over the months I will keep people attracted to the lighter side of the work by making it accessible as sculptures with a design feature like lights, seating and so forth.“

His expectations for Miami include raising awareness about the possibilities available from Africa (as well as answering guestions about the same.) There are other hopes besides: “A mix of imaginative and curious reactions that will release mass abundance from receptacles to attract more creatures from Atang.”
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Johan Wahlstrom, From Sweden, Shows His Provocative Work At Fridge Art Fair 2016 (Miami Beach)

11/17/2016

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PictureHeil Trump
by Patrick Ogle

Johan Wahlstrom, from Stockholm, blends politics, commercial imagery, abstraction and other sorts of modern iconography into work that is a sharp rebuke, a stick in the eye, of fascism and authoritarianism of any stripe. He will be appearing as part of Fridge Art Fair in Miami Beach in 2016. Beyond the meaning there is also an aesthetic appeal, an eye-drawing attractiveness and provocativeness to the pieces.

Wahlstrom says that he is happiest when his work gets one of two reactions--love or hate.
 
"In both cases the viewer will not forget my work!" he says.

Before devoting himself to art full time Wahlstrom was a successful musician. He toured for nearly 20 years playing with the likes of Ian Hunter (Mott the Hoople), Graham Parker, Mick Ronson and others. When he moved on to painting he also moved to France and spent seven years doing nothing but hone his craft. The two careers, however, are not totally divorced from one another.

"I was used to performing in front of an audience as a musician and today when I paint, many of my paintings features large groups of faces; these are to me the audience reactions, feelings and emotions on my paintings which feature clear political and social statements." he says.

Only The Winner Goes To Dinner and Distorted View Part 3

 His work, being political, has an eye on changing people's minds or at the least making them think. Making this happen isn't just about the quality of the art, however.

"It is difficult to have art matter to everyone. However, the more press coverage an artist gets, the more people will be reached. I have had several articles the last few years in the USA and Europe with my political/socially engaged art," he says. "I am confident that I have got some people to start to think about what they can do to be part of a positive change in our society for us and for generations to come. My art practice is focused on to be part of the debate and to be part of positive changes in the society."

It isn't just how good you are or what you have to say; it is delivering that message to the largest audience you can.

Perhaps the attention his work gets is due to it universality. There are famous faces that jump out at us like Trump and Putin but there are other faces, many of them, often buried in the work.

"My distorted/tribal faces figures from around the world are the audience, you, me etc." says Wahlstrom (They are) reactions. feelings, emotions to my clear political & social subject such as the Trumps/Putins and many other subjects."

Wahlstrom's work has progressed through three series:

A. House Of Lies (a series with a wide range of political and social subjects in our society´s focused on USA, Europe and Middle East).

B. Walls-Aliens With Extra Ordinary Abilities ( a series about immigration, refugees, walls that are already built, might
get built, walls in our minds where we divide one group from another group).

C. New York Stories (a series with reflections on daily situations in New York City).


"Linked to the three series, I have tons of titles written done on paper linked to the series," he says. "And in my studio, I find what title to paint and then I focus on the title and do  my best to portray that title on canvas."
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Almost Homeless
He was asked to bring some work for the Fridge Art Fair by his friend and the fair's founder, Eric Ginsburg.

"I am a good friend of Eric Ginsburg and when he asked me to be part of Fridge at The Besty Hotel in Miami, I was happy to say yes," he says. "The Art Basel week in Miami is one of the most important art events in the world and of course I am happy to show a couple of my works."

After the Miami Wahlstrom is preparing for solo shows in Stockholm, New York, Laguna Beach and outside Chicago in Bensenville.

"My agent is working hard to continue to  place me in important group shows in galleries/museums where I will be showing alongside with "the big names" in the art world." he says.

Keep an eye open for his work. You may have seen him over the past year in shows that featured artists such as Gerhard Richter, Shepard Fairey, Dino & Jake Chapman, Joseph Beuys, Nedko Solakov, Gavin Turk, Carlos Aires, Riiko Sakkinen and Nicola Verlato.

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The Art Of Empty Walls
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Susan Eley Fine Arts Bringing Four Diverse Artists To Context Miami 2016

11/16/2016

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PictureJohn Sloan Out the Window by Kathy Osborn
by Patrick Ogle

Susan Eley Fine Art () is set to show four artists in 2016 at Miami's premiere fair for Contemporary art in Miami, Context Art Miami.


This year four artists are coming along: Francie Hester, Amber George, Kathy Osborn and Charles Buckley. Their work is a mix of abstract and representative work.

Hester's pieces are aluminum wall sculptures in a variety of sizes. Eley says they are always a big draw because of their eye catching colors, patterns and textures that sit slightly off of the wall.

George is an encaustic artist whose work is a reflection of her passion for the patterns of nature and textile design. She also teaches encaustic, an ancient medium. She only works in encaustic and she teaches it. "She talks about using encaustic and keeping the windows open," says Eley. "The smell of honey floats out and bees come into the studio."

Osborn works in oil paintings that come from staged miniature scenes evoking the "complexities of domestic life in the mid-20th Century." Osborn's background is as an illustrator. She worked for Rolling Stone and many others before moving on to painting. According to Eley Osborn is "sort of" self-taught as a painter.

Buckley's work is a marriage of Pop Art and 50s iconography. The pieces, like Osborn's, tell stories across several panels in flat swaths of vivid colors.


The gallery opened in 2006 in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Their focus was on contemporary art and they aimed for a different sort of interaction with their audience. Eley hosts artist and collector panel discussions, artist workshops, non-profit fundraisers, literary salons and other events in an intimate salon-style gallery. They Change shows every six weeks. There is no particular region, style or medium. Artists range from  photographers to sculptors, from prints to paintings and from U.S. or artists from around the world. Their location has few galleries but the area is home to many artists and collectors.


"People have always welcomed that they can pass by to see good contemporary art without going downtown to Chelsea, SoHo or Brooklyn." she says.

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A 26 by Francie Hester
The gallery has also been a part of Miami's Art Week for the past nine years.

"In 2007 WE started at Bridge Art Fair at the Catalina. That's when I met a lot of people and met dealers, collectors and artists." says Eley.

Then the gallery exhibited at Art Miami. Eley has praise for the fair but looking back wonders if her gallery was a fit given the large amount of secondary art (and collectors looking for such art) at the fair. After two years at Art Miami they moved to Aqua for one year.

"I love the idea of the hotel art fair." she says.

Then came Context where they have been for the past four years. Context is one of the fairs where they regularly participate.

"Part of the problem for a small gallery is that for me to do Toronto and Miami? That is as much as I can handle. I find I am like Goldilocks looking for the right fit." says Eley.

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Mustang by Charles Buckley
These artists and their work come into the ever expanding Miami Art Week. As Art Week expands it may wind up as Art Month. This year's Context has changed a bit from previous incarnations; it is no longer right next door to Art Miami. In past years the line between the two fairs might have seemed blurred to the casual visitor but they also reinforced one another. This year, sitting across the street is new.

"I'm a little apprehensive but having a separate identity for Context is important. We are earliest to open, Tuesday." she says.

Art Week, of course, is ever changing and expanding. To Eley there is good and bad in this.

"It;s become too much of a big party and less about interesting conversations you have about art--which is what I love," she says. "It is frantic. People are rushing so they can go home and get into their cocktail dresses."

She adds that Miami still has a different and interesting crowd. At the time of this interview Eley was in Toronto.

"I am in Toronto, meeting a lot of Torontonians and Canadians," says Eley. "In Miami I sell to people from Latin America, Europe and Asia. Miami art week is where you go if you are collector"

She notes that the breakfasts, such as the one held by the Rubell Collection, are great places to meet people and discuss art and also-- "it is a hell of a lot of fun."

Sales, she says, are generally good but last year was terrible. There was heavy, unseasonable rain and the Venetian Causeway was closed (great planning!). This year she is concerned so many fairs have moved to Miami Beach. For those not familiar with the area Miami and Miami Beach are different cities, separated by a bay.

Other cities could learn a great deal from Miami, in part because of what Eley referred to as "the Bloomingdale lesson; something her mom taught her when she was a child.

"There were all these little shops around Bloomingdales and I said  to my mom; 'Won't Bloomingdales take all the business," she says. "My mother told me that, no, Bloomingdales brought the people and business to all those little shops. I always think of this lesson when I think of Miami (Art Week)."

The popularity, the growing crush, can be a problem for exhibitors though.

"If there are too many people. The one person who wants to buy doesn't want to be there but you need a healthy number of people. The  true buyers don't care. they find you."

While there may come a point where collectors might be turned off and say "screw it." That time hasn't come yet. You will see lots of dire warnings about the doom of the art world? Don't bet on it.

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Blastocyst 1 by Amber George
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Superfine!, A Medium-Sized, Unique Fair With Flair In Mid-Town For Miami Art Week 2016, Interview With Co-Director, Alex Mitow

10/16/2016

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by Patrick Ogle

Superfine! aims to be a different sort of art fair if for no other reason than espousing the belief that original artwork is for everyone. While they obviously want people to buy they are as much focused on an engaging, exciting interaction between audience and art. The art is presented outside the usual "white box" most fairs favor. The fair takes place at 56 N.E. 29th Street in Miami.  The fair is quite Miami-centric but last year's inaugural fair in Little Haiti featured art from Madrid, Los Angeles and Copenhagen as well.


James Miille and Alex Mitow are co-directors of the fair. Mitow says that Superfine!’s aims go beyond putting on a fair (an undertaking in itself). They aim to rebuild the fair model from the ground up, not just tweak and modernize the fair concept.

“To that end, some elements remain consistent. We have exhibition walls, we have lights, and we have a big open room. Beyond that, I think what we're doing will be next to unrecognizable from the typical fair. We're trimming the fat and removing all that makes a fair this unattainable holy grail-type thing for emerging artists and so incredibly expensive for galleries,” says Mitow. “At the same time, I think we're developing a very sexy look and feel to the fair that is not only absolutely integral to our business model but also fosters the kind of buying environment we need to create in order to give our exhibitors the value they deserve.”


by David Huggins (solo artist at Superfine!)

In 2016 Superfine! Will feature matte black walls. Exhibitors do have freedom to alter their own spaces but the fair has final approval over the booths. The overall vibe will contrast with the supermarket look many fairs use. There will be mood lighting and well chosen music playing to provide a “sonic backdrop.” The art will be emphasized rather than the aisles and walls.

“At the end of the day, none of this is gratuitous. It's more in line with the environment that James and I like to collect in, and less in line with the standard issue fair that generally excludes young collectors from buying. We're creating an environment that's welcoming, dynamic, and still keeps the art at the central focus,” he says. “Everyone is afraid of adding anything on besides the usual--white lilies, rented tablecloths, and the other typical accoutrements--because they're afraid it will detract from the art. Aren't we supposed to be curators? It's our job to make it all work, and in the end make sure that it adds to the experience and fosters sales.”

The fair sells wall space by linear foot as opposed to square footage. An independent artist is more likely to be able to afford space but it allows a gallery or curator to buy a larger bit of wall space that can be configured as a booth. Placements for sculpture are a separate, but not exorbitant, cost.

Mitow believes the setup will make the fair a better experience for visitors and exhibitors. Part of the charm is that it isn't a gigantic fair.

"It's definitely a compact fair, but there will be a lot to look at. We really have no desire to become a 100,000 square foot behemoth any time in the future. That just gets overwhelming for attendees and everyone is on art overload, especially in the midst of a time like Miami Art Week," says Mitow. "The goal here is to create a welcoming environment where attendees can spend an hour or so browsing great, fresh, well-curated artwork, then catch some music and installation art in our outdoor areas, maybe have a drink or two and actually  enjoy their time. We aren't making a spectacle out of this. It's not a contest to see who can book the best band or have the most shocking performance art."

It is a laid-back Miami fair but that is more about the attitude than the art.

"I like to say that the artwork we showcase represents the intersection of accessible and challenging. We want to make you think, but we also want you to like the work. I've personally been very into figurative work lately, especially interesting takes on portraiture, so by that measure I'd expect to see a good deal of that present at the fair," he says. "For the same reason that it's important for us to reinvent the décor and ambiance of the art fair, it's also important for us to start from the ground up with what we're showing. One of our core tenets is not to show typical art fair fodder, even if we respect and love the artist. Our brand is valuable to us, and in the long run to our exhibitors, so it's important that we remain distinct from the pack and true to our values."
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Golden Nectar by Hannah Natali (solo artist at Superfine!)
Superfine! mostly shows work by independent artists and galleries/dealers. All have to submit applications of work they plan to show (including images of the actual work). A decision is made as to whether the art fits the aesthetic of the fair and will resonate with Superfine!'s clientele.

"Work may be amazing but if it doesn't work with our core groups, we don't want to just take someone's money to show when we don't feel strongly about its chances of selling. That would be dishonest and in the end our honest and authentic approach is what really sets us apart," he says.

They score work on a seven point scale. To be considered an artist's work must meet five of the seven criteria.

"Criteria range from originality (no Campbell's soup cans!) to whether we feel that the work plays to the general cultural zeitgeist. Galleries and artists that show with us should present work that's exciting, challenging, and stirs up emotion to the viewer, but also work that's not too esoteric to appeal to someone who may be just getting involved in collecting art." says Mitow.

The fair encourages emerging artists who lack a platform as well as progressive galleries and curators who focus on emerging artists. They also will feature a number of LGBT artists transcending stereotypes of what it means to be a LGBT artist today.

Another way this fair stands out is their focus on local artists that are usually relegated to the sidelines during Art Week.

"Being local and active in the community year round, we'll also have a strong mix of Miami artists that kill it year round but get de facto excluded from the big fairs during Art Week," says Mitow. "A lot of them are relegated to off the beaten path group shows during what is effectively the best time of year to get exposure to out-of-town collectors in their own home town, and we seek to correct that balance."

They also aim is to bring new faces and long-time collectors looking for something fresh together. Mitow says Superfine! views exhibitors as clients they are promoting. The Fair want people to attend the fair but they want more than just bodies;they unapologetically want potential collectors. Of course, they have a much broader view of who potential collectors are.

"On the attendee side, I'd say that we're a great alternative because we're a digestible fair. You won't get lost in mazes of booths but you'll have plenty to explore,” he says. “You'll find art you actually like and want to hang in your home, and will enjoy the actual discovery. We're big on environment so you'll enjoy yourself."

by Sofia del Rivero (solo artist at Superfine!)

This years fair accents the local--local food, mojitos and local musicians. There is also a focus on art with price tags under $5,000. Around 70 percent of the art shown at Superfine! will be under this threshold (many will be under $1,000).

"We'll also have a Print Shop program up and running for many of the artists' work which will provide even more accessible options." says Mitow.


There has been a recent movement from Miami to Miami Beach by larger fairs. This is regrettable for a variety of reasons one being that, as Mitow states;because Miami is amazing!

"The city and its art scene have some quirks, but it's a refreshing change of pace from more established art domiciles. We enjoy the up-and-coming nature of things. It's very dynamic and accessible and those are two traits that we bring into our fair and all of our projects so it's a good fit,” he says. "On top of that, you have an incredible amount of emerging wealth from all over the globe pouring into Miami (and not just for one week in December) so it's a great place to be based in for anyone in the art world."


Mitow also says that they are excited about Miami's neighborhoods: Little River, Little Haiti and Little Havana and the talent fostered in each.

"Last year we did the fair in Little River which was an absolute blast and despite the inclement weather we managed to get a solid turnout. While the majority of our programming the rest of the year still takes place in Little River and Little Haiti, to us it just made sense to move the fair itself to Midtown. It's not a matter of piggybacking off of other fairs' traffic, but of locating it centrally enough that everyone can access it. People make lists of fairs, parties and other events to attend during Art Week and being too far out of the way can be a killer."

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by Michael Williams (Laundromat Art Space , Miami, at Superfine!)

by Ramiro Davaro-Comas (via Reach Out at Superfine!)

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