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Zizipho Poswa And Many Others Will Be Shown At Design Miami 2022 By Southern Guild Gallery (Cape Town, South Africa)

11/26/2022

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PicturePhotograph from uBuhle boKhokho by Zizipho Poswa
by Patrick Ogle 

Southern Guild Gallery (Cape Town, South Africa) is a mainstay at Design Miami, which runs November 30 to December 4, 2022 at Convention Center Dr and 19th Street, Miami Beach. They've been showing at Miami Art Week's design-focused fair since 2011.

"This is a pivotal moment in the year for us in particular, being a gallery situated outside of the
mainstream and at such a geographical distance. It’s also a fair that has always felt collaborative rather than competitive; we have formed multiple ongoing relationships there, including with Friedman Benda and R & Company galleries as well as many institutions. We have found a home away from home there, a platform that appreciates the unsung perspectives of artists and designers from the African continent." says Trevyn McGowan, co-founder of Southern Guild.

This year they will be showing not just at Design Miami but at Untitled Art, a more fine arts focused fair.

"Southern Guild’s remit has evolved over the past couple of years to include fine art (in addition to functional art, or collectible design) and we are more actively reaching out to artists working in many disciplines across the African continent," says McGowan. "It made sense to broaden our offering in Miami, a city that we have been exhibiting in for over a decade."

Essentially the booth at Design Miami focuses on the functional while the booth at Untitled focuses on a group of emerging and established fine artists.

Artists at Untitled Art include: Jozua Gerrard (South Africa), Yolanda Mazwana (South Africa), Dominique Zinkpè (Benin), Shirley Fintz (Zimbabwe/South Africa), Xanthe Somers (Zimbabwe/UK), Justine Mahoney (South Africa) and Galia Gluckman (South Africa).

by Zizipho Poswa

Once again Southern Guild will show work by Zizipho Poswa, who recently had her second solo show with the gallery. McGowan says the show met with an overwhelming response from private and institutional collectors as well as the media and public.

"We are definitely ending 2022 on a high with her show, which has been a year in the making. We have presented her work at Design Miami for quite a few years now, and as its scale and her confidence has grown, so has her international stature." he says.

The show, in South Africa, is titled, uBuhle boKhokho (Beauty of Our Ancestors) and consists of a series of 20 ceramic and bronze sculptures that are monumental in size and scope. The work draws inspiration from the elaborate art of hairstyling practiced by black women across Africa and the diaspora. As part of the process of creating these pieces Poswa created and wore a dozen hairstyles over five months. She documented all of these in a photographic series (see one photo above).

The show, at  Southern Guild Gallery (Silo 5, Silo District, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town) closes February 2, 2023. Be sure to see her work in Miami Beach.
Such innovative and engaging work is the norm for the gallery.

"Southern Guild’s core focus is to engage deeply with our artists’ practices and to ensure that what we are presenting is authentic and meaningfully rooted in rich back stories," says McGowan. "So with that us our proviso, it feels inevitable that we are going to present work that is engaging, constantly evolving and surprising. To be repetitive is not in our DNA."

 Ritual by Jozua Gerrard, Did I Create the Circus by Xanthe Summers & Warrior (The Healer Series) by Shirley Fintz

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Marloe Gallery (Brooklyn) Brings An Extensive And Eclectic Mix Of Artists To Aqua Art Miami 2022 (And Helps  "Recovering Lawyers")

11/25/2022

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Pictureby Christy Powers
by Patrick Ogle

Marloe Gallery (Brooklyn) will be showing work by a variety of artists at Aqua Art Miami in the Aqua Hotel, 1530 Collins Ave.,Miami Beach. The fair, which runs from November 30 to December 4, 2022,  returns for the first time since the Covid 19 pandemic screwed up, well, everything. Aqua Art Fair takes over the Aqua Hotel and the rooms are the "booths." It is one of the shows that largely focuses on contemporary art.

Marloe Gallery has a rather eclectic collection of art. Chuck Loesner, founder of the gallery, says that this is intentional. There is no "school" or style they particularly represent. There are artists who create abstract pieces, representational pieces and, here and there, figurative work.

"My taste is kind of all over the place, but the common theme that runs through all of it is precision," says Loesner. "I like my art to be precise. And more often than not without people in it."

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by Henry Frick
The gallery is bringing a bunch of art to Miami Beach. It sounds like an entire fair worth of artists. They include: Kaitlyn Alain, Julie Brookman, Henry Frick, Nancy Hubbard, Greg Lamarche, Steven Lustig, Christy Powers, Stephanie Serpick and Monica Serra.

"Words don't really do justice to the beauty and complexity of our proprietary curation algorithm, so let's just say we want every fair booth to reflect our signature blend of representational/abstract/figurative work, and there's kind of a rotation based on whose turn it is to be in a given fair." he says.

You probably should take this to mean you need to SEE the art.  

Loesner started the gallery in 2019 but went to Miami Art Week in 2018 to scout fairs.

"The things I liked the most about Aqua as an attendee were one, it's fun and two, it's manageable. It's so easy to get overwhelmed at the bigger fairs, to the point where you can't really see anything after a certain point," says Loesner. "But at Aqua, the courtyard gives you a little bit of a break each time you leave a room.  As a gallerist, I really liked the fact that almost everyone I talked to said something like 'We love this fair, we come every year'."

This is a general reaction to Aqua Art Fair (and Ink Miami).

Loesner describes himself as a "recovering lawyer" and provides a solid reason for collectors to look over the artists he represents.

"By supporting the gallery, you're not just supporting the artists and bringing beauty into your life, you're helping to limit the number of attorneys in the world.  Everybody wins!" he says.
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Isabel Brinck Talks About Her Intense, Personal Work At Scope Miami Beach 2021 Via Gallery Labs (Buenos Aires)

11/29/2021

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PictureFind out more at isabelbrinck.com
by Patrick Ogle

Isabel Brinck, born in Chile and based in Miami, has a BA in graphic design but her focus, for decades, has been in painting. She works in both acrylic and oil with other media mixed in as well. 

This year she will be exhibiting her work at Scope Miami Beach (November 30 to December 5, 2021) with Gallery Labs (Buenos Aires). Her work is often large in both size and scope. Her colors are frequently bright and daring but there is a haunting quality to some of her work.

"My art is a combination of figurative and abstract styles. It is a challenge to paint exactly 'as I am' and play with the depths of emotions, perceptions, feelings and personal experiences as a way of letting it all out from the inside." says Brinck. "I like to create a complex and moving atmosphere that mirrors life itself. I paint environments in which you can enter, travel, and discover new things again and again. Similar to life, always in motion and alive."

While she produces paintings that are both oil and acrylic, these usually have the same starting point.

"Almost all my work is centered around using drawing as my starting point and combining abstraction and representation through recurring images of anthropomorphic hybrids that dance and interact, blending across many compositions. My work has to do with psychic automatism. When I paint and when I draw, I feel the forms inside of me." she says. "I don’t attempt to represent any external reality. It’s like an act of meditation to me. My art is an attempt to express my inner poetic world in an intuitive way, similar to those most unconscious thoughts in our brains, one on top of the other , intertwined thoughts."
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Brinck takes images from her subconscious, from dreams that seem, to her, almost messages.

"These things tell us something about ourselves. I learn about myself from art.It always starts with doodling, then becomes more rational. I work on different conceptual ideas that define my work series in different versions." she says. "Starting with painting on canvas (oil and acrylic), as my most important media, then also incorporating digital techniques to my analog work, and always having drawing as a starting point for any creation. I work in parallel series and I dedicate time to each one, every day."

Despite the metaphysical aspects the works are intensely personal.

"In my art there are no hidden messages or codes for interpretation. My art has to do with my inner world, and the only one who can know  meanings... is the creator," says Brinck. "My pieces are mental maps that emerge from subconscious and mysterious associations and anyone is free to draw conclusions from the information absorbed visually."

Essentially the only one who knows what the works mean? Is the artist.

"Each viewer will feel what they want as a spectator of something personal to me. It is not necessary to explain each painting, only to feel it. It is not necessary to understand each dream, but to hear it and enjoy it. Life itself is
a mystery, and so is creation," she says. "For me, creation comes from a less visible and more powerful place, which is my soul. My message is to 'follow the
rabbit and find your own magic'."

This year at Scope Brinck is bringing a series of paintings inspired by naturalist field drawings. These are mixed media monotypes on paper with nods to the surreal and employs a collage-like interpretation of cactuses. Nature is often part of her work but here she tries to move deeper into the world of cacti.

"Since cacti can blossom in harsh conditions, they symbolize the power of enduring all things. These works are honoring this magnificent living being by creating an imagery that borrows from nature’s lessons." says Brinck.
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Madoda Fani, Showing Work Via Southern Guild At Design Miami, Mixes Traditional With The New, The Utilitarian With Pure Art In His Ceramics

11/28/2021

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by Patrick Ogle

Madoda Fani is a South African ceramic artist showing his art with Cape Town’s Southern Guild at Design Miami (in Miami Beach), December 1 to 5, 2021. Fani  creates pieces using traditional techniques, but on top of these, he creates his own traditions, his own adaptations. While he uses the hand-coiled, smoke-fired methods of the past, he goes beyond mere duplication of what went before.


"I use traditional techniques such as burnishing and smoke-firing, but with the smoke-firing, for example, instead of using a large fire pit where cow dung or wood is used as the fuel, I use a metal can and newspaper. With this, the firing process is much quicker (versus a pit firing which can last for hours)," says Fani. "The way I carve and create patterns, I would say, is unique. Everything works together with a kind of synergy - the old and the new – coming together and complementing each other to bring something beautiful to life."

Fani grew up in Gugulethu Township in Cape Town and contrary to the perception of many Westerners, even under oppression and hardship, people find ways to be happy, to live their lives.

"It was an exciting but also scary place to grow up. During the 80s, it was particularly interesting because of the rioting that took place. We often went to school and were then told we had to go home because there was unrest. I never used to go home though. I used to go and watch all the activity. I think I wanted to feel part of the course. I was also chased a few times by the police just for walking around...It was tough at times,but we were happy. We used to play with all the kids in the neighborhood and I even managed to be involved in some mural painting in the community. Life was a mix of excitement and fear, but I had a great childhood."
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Fani studied at Sivuyile College. His work was shown at the Salone Internationale d L' Artisanat de Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso. This was also where he first learned about smoke-firing from artist Simon Masilo.

The philosophy behind his work is directly related to his life and his background.

"I want to capture and showcase that distinctly African spirit through my work, by creating pieces that are immediately recognizable as being African. Exploring the ideas of movement, breathing and flow are also central to my approach." he says.

There is something that seems nearly alive when you glance at Fani's pieces; the work seems like it is about to move, as if it could spring to life at any moment.

"It is definitely a large part of my intentions when creating my pieces: I strive to produce work that moves while being still, pieces move and flow when you move around them," he says. "My aim is always to create work that makes you feel, think, discuss and interpret. Sparking dialogue between viewers is an important by-product of the creation process, and one I quite enjoy over hearing when possible."

Ceramics is an art form that can also be utilitarian. We all have pots and items we use every day. But ceramics are also fine art. Where is the line? Is there a line?

"For me, the line has become more and more blurred over time – we are seeing how ceramic pieces don’t have to be one or the other, and can in fact, be both at the same time. Sometimes my work is functional (such as my furniture pieces), but that doesn’t mean that that comes at the cost of its aesthetic beauty ('fine art')," says Fani "Some of my pieces while not necessarily being 'utilitarian', are inspired by traditional, functional objects (such as beer pots and other vessels), so the final pieces have that essence within them, even though they may not be seen as 'functional'."
The Philadelphia Museum of Art acquired one of Fani’s functional ceramic pieces, iTafile III earlier this year and it was a big step in his art career.

"Having iTafile III in a museum like The Philadelphia Museum of Art is a great honour – it’s the kind of thing you only dream of achieving one day," says Fani. "It not only represents me as an African artist, but it also represents the continent of Africa as a whole, as well as my entire family."

iTafile consists of three pieces of ceramic furniture and are Fani's second venture into furniture. The first was a piece called Soze Isitulo Sodaka (Mud Chair) for a group show with Southern Guild.

"All of these were a new kind of ceramic exploration  for me and an opportunity to incorporate a more functional application into my work. It was also about accepting a new challenge and pushing myself out of my comfort zone," he says. "Even the firing process was tricky because I had to ensure the tables  were straight and this presented some challenges to my usual way of firing. Whilst the ceramic furniture pieces were new territory, the pieces still embodied my signature patterning, protrusions, and incisions."
Fani is excited for this week at Design Miami, showing work with Southern Guild. For artists and designers these fairs are, to use a bit of understatement, a big deal.

"I think it’s the same for most artists and designers, especially those from African countries: fairs like Miami provide an international platform on which to show their work and gain more exposure," says Fani. "My hopes are to delight attendees with my authentically African pieces, and to offer them something they haven’t seen before. I want people not to be able to stop thinking about them – to the point where they simply have to have them. I’m hopeful that I may get a few commissions as well."

Fani has nothing but praise for his collaboration with  Southern Guild.

"It’s a very collaborative relationship with Southern Guild, in that Julian (McGowan) and I discuss the work and look at how it can be stronger or better. You’re always being pushed to extend yourself, but you’re fully supported along the way and your vision isn’t compromised," says Fani. "The relationship has definitely helped me grow as an artist and to develop in many ways, particularly scale-wise. Also, artists can create work but then they don’t know where it will go – Southern Guild has opened many doors for me with regards to platforms and reaching people both locally and overseas."

After Design Miami 2021 Fani will finish a large-scale piece, one he refers to as his "favorite piece ever." It will be shown at the Investec Cape Town Art Fair in February 2022.
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Pinta Miami Returns With A Multifaceted, Fascinating Art Fair Focused On The Art Of Latin America

11/27/2021

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interview by Patrick Ogle

Pinta Miami (December 2 -December 5, 2021) is the first, and surprisingly still the only, fair during Art Week devoted entirely to Latin American art. The fair is always full of fascinating galleries, artists and, where many other fairs are so massive as to be intimidating? Pinta always manages to both cover Latin America and not be overwhelming.

Mercedes Abella, who handles communications for Pinta, talked with Mapanare about the history of the fair, and what you can expect to see--from contemporary artists to Latin American Masters. Abella is most excited this year to be reuniting with artists, gallery owners and art lovers in person and with Pinta, as well as representing Miami and creators from Latin America.

“I’m looking forward to celebrating the love for art and discussing the many possibilities that art holds for us in the near future” she says.
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Aparición en el estudio de Humboldt by Alejandro Pintado via Galeria Ethra
Pinta is a multi faceted fair with the usual booths but also over arching sections like this year's solo and special projects. How would you recommend visitors approach the fair to get the most out of it?

As you mention, besides the Main Section where visitors will find an exclusive selection of galleries, this year’s focus is on Solo and Special Projects. Within Solo Projects, the exhibiting galleries will highlight the works of selected artists whose oeuvre speaks of creative production regarding the pandemic and its effects. A stronger distinction is given to Nohra Haime’s artist, Ruby Rumié, who depicts the artist’s responsibility towards the community in a photographic installation that embodies social and territorial heritage as a creative approach to violence and injustice.

For the Special Projects section, curated by the esteemed Félix Suazo, the emphasis is put on social and ecological concerns. Very much related to issues faced in Miami, as well as globally, the installations in this section are an unmissable and eye-opening experience where aesthetics lead to philosophical and existential matters.  
 
With Pinta in its 15th year, do you feel that headway has been made in familiarizing collectors and art aficionados with contemporary art from Latin America?

Very much so. Pinta’s principal objective is to provide visibility to Latin American creators and managers. We believe the region to be extremely rich in its historical, social, and artistic spheres; all worthy of global attention. Besides its yearly fair, Pinta hosts an array of virtual and in-person events that cater not only to established collectors, but to young people who are venturing into the activity. The Latin American art market is growing year by year, and Pinta is set on creating bridges that not only brings the collectors closer to new and diverse art, but also provides artists and galleries tools for the marketing of their works.

Read more about Pinta’s projects HERE 

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Balaró by Paula Juchem via Janaina Torres Galeria
For visitors unfamiliar with Latin American art, what do you think will surprise them most about this year's Pinta?

Latin American modern masters have gained much notoriety in the last years, but I think that what will surprise visitors the most are the incredible creativities and far-reaching voices that younger, more contemporary artists exhibit. New techniques, or the rekindling of traditional techniques, socially aware  expressions and bold artistry are some of the qualities that, to me, describe this generation of artists  that will exhibit in this edition of Pinta.

Conceptualizing Global Warming and Traditional Technique is similar to the themes in the work of many artists these days (echoing the concerns of people everywhere). What was the genesis of this project and do you think art can actually have an influence on solving important issues? Does it need to?

Both themes, global warming and pre-Columbian culture, have been enjoying a deserving attention. However,  I believe there is a call to action that isn’t being answered by the general public/populations. So, to answer your question, I see Art as a necessary wake-up call but I think the public also has the responsibility to react. Therefore the curatorship of Pinta’s Special Projects has opted for immersive installations, where visitors will be engulfed with these pressing matters, as they enjoy the brilliant creativity of the two artists Nan González and Lisu Vega.

How do you focus a fair like Pinta? Latin American art is a vast subject with many styles and national traditions (and then variations within those).

This year’s Pinta is displayed as a Concept. With the many Latin identities in mind, Pinta becomes a display of cultural richness in itself, rather than establishing divisions by country/region. Latin American art is vast, but shares a common thread and similar historical processes which have influenced life and art in today’s Latin America. Pinta’s focus is on the universality of our concerns and the many ways of expressing those, as well as beauty expressions that do vary but that come together in a very poetic way.
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El Tablero by Carlos Páez Vilaró via ACCS Visual Arts
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The Quilts Of Gee's Bend (Alabama) Come To Art Basel Miami Beach Via Nicelle Beauchene Gallery Featuring Artists Rachel Carey George And Mattie Ross

11/26/2021

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by Patrick Ogle

Nicelle Beauchene Gallery (New York) will feature four historic quilts by artists, Rachel Carey George and Mattie Ross at Art Basel Miami Beach 2021 (December 2 to 4, 2021). The two artists were part of the group known as the Gee's Bend Quiltmakers.

The gallery is not simply showing these pieces but acting in a broader sense to spread the word of "craft" as fine art. Inside the art world curators, collectors, historians and gallerists have accepted at least some "craft" into the discussion, into the pantheon, of what is considered fine art. This is by no means the universal view, nor is it the view of the general public. The use of quotes around craft is with intent; how are these disciplines NOT regarded as art? Why isn’t craft considered art by some?

"It is paramount for us to include the centuries-long tradition of quiltmaking (and “craft” more broadly) within discourses of modern and contemporary art. As a result of the wider exposure the Gee’s Bend Quiltmakers, in particular, have received in the past 20 years, many artists working today have acknowledged the indelible influence the quilts have on their current practices," says Patrick Bova, Director at Nicelle Beauchene Gallery. "We hope younger artists in both Gee’s Bend and beyond feel encouraged to keep the tradition alive."
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Mattie Ross, Diagonal Four Block, c. late 1960s, Cotton, 96 x 81 inches.
Carey George, born in 1908 was the daughter of the minister of Gee's Bend’s primary congregation, Pleasant Grove Baptist Church. She lived until she was 103 years old and worked until she was 90 doing farm and repair work. She made quilts going back to the 1930s. The two pieces being shown at Art Basel Miami are Sweep, from the 1960s, and My Way, both from the 1970s.

Sweep consists of six quadrants. Mismatched fabrics are organized in radiating angles while two sections are added to make the quilt longer. Feed sacks and Red Lion Middlings are also incorporated. Quilts are often made of what we might considered "odds and ends" but the trick is HOW this is done. My Way is a bit misshapen and incorporates corduroy and denims in a number of colors. It is even more improvisational than the other and is illustrative of the style of many of the Gee' Bend artists. This may be made up largely of surplus fabric from Sears that was shipped to Alabama.

Ross, born in 1903, was a founding member and treasurer of the Freedom Quilting Bee, a quilting cooperative established in 1966. It was a local nonprofit that seems to have blended the notions of the Civil Rights Movement with a labor union. Ross, in some ways, sounds like the quilting version of Hans Hoffman. Many learned their art from her.

Monkey Wrench and Diagonal Four Block (both from the 1960s) demonstrate a precision and mastery of composition as well as an expertise in hand sewing. Both show the artist's love of pattern and are more formal than Carey George's work.

The two artists are a fascinating juxtaposition of styles within a genre.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE QUILTS OF GEE'S BEND HERE

"These four works by Rachel Carey George and Mattie Ross were selected as key examples of quilts being made during the 1960s and 1970s—a period of key political and social change that resulted in a new sense of collectivization and empowerment among quiltmakers in Gee’s Bend and neighboring towns. We work with a number of women and their families in Gee’s Bend, and have both historic and contemporary quilts." says Bova.

When these quilts were made the artists and the Gee's Bend Quiltmakers were not recognized as artists necessarily.

"At the time, they were utilitarian. Today, they are recognized both as a broad group of makers as well as individual artists with distinct styles of their own. It is necessary to identify and honor women—especially Black women artists—for their artistic labors rather than grouping hundreds of them together under one name," says Bova. "Quilts are indeed typically pieced together by one artist, but all of the elements of a quilt—top, lining, and backing—are often quilted together by a group of women, making them both individual and collective labors."

Nicelle Beauchene Gallery will show these pieces at booth S4 at Art Basel Miami Beach.
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Raymond Saá Talks About His Intricate, Complex Work Coming To Untitled Art (Miami Beach) 2021 Via Pentimenti Gallery

11/25/2021

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by Patrick Ogle

Over the years, at various fairs, Pentimenti Gallery (Philadelphia) has  consistently stood out. This year, at Untitled Art Miami Beach (November 29 to December 4, 2021) the gallery will show work by Anne Buckwalter, Brandon J. Donahue and Raymond Saá.

Saá graciously took time to talk about his work.

The artist creates abstract collage paintings and drawings referencing both his Florida upbringing and his Cuban roots. He employs a unique layering process that leaps out at the viewer.

"I refer to them as a stacked composition, because that’s the process of making. Starting with the bottom of the artwork, and then literally stacking ‘postcards’ on top of one another, building the composition from the bottom up," says Saá. "Each row of ‘postcards’ is dictated by the previous row, I’m not  creating a composition, but rather building one."

Building seems an apropos term because while there are natural, almost botanic aspects to these pieces there is also a strong architectural element in the work.
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Untitled (AC202105), 168 x 152.5 cm, acrylic on collaged canvas, 2021
These intricate, structured works are not, however, meticulously planned but rather come together in an organic way.

"That’s really what I love most about collage, is there is no set composition, it’s constantly changing or in flux," says Saá. "The ability to completely change the composition, with a new addition at any point in the process, is a big part of the process.

The artist says that when and why he gravitated to collage is a tough question to answer.

"I’m not sure I have a specific answer to when I started using collage but I think it’s always been a part of the work since college. I was a painting major at Maryland art institute and in grad school at Parsons, I was a sculpture major. Probably my work has always been somewhere in the middle," he says. "I’ve always had an affinity for materials, and the way things are assembled and made. Growing up, my mother always had a sewing machine sitting on the dining room table, and it was a part of the culture in my house, so it makes sense to me that this has infiltrated my work now."

You can simply look at these pieces and enjoy them in an aesthetic sense but you can also dig deeper.

"I think that there are two different processes in viewing and understanding the work, first is the initial comprehension of the work in regards to composition color balance," says Saá. "The second process comes as the viewer engages deeper into the work and discovers the craft component, both in the works on paper and collage canvas works; part of the fabrication that relies on sewing for its assemblage."
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Untitled (PS202110), 91.5 x 106.5 cm, gouache collage on sewn paper, framed, 2021
Showing his work in Miami is a homecoming for Saá and he says he is grateful to Pentimenti's Christine Pfister for showing the work. He also says he is excited to be shown alongside Donahue and Buckwalter.

"I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to exhibit in Miami a couple of times, but Untitled Art Fair is a first. I have visited Art Basel Miami often and Untitled Art Fair has always stood out. Each booth is more exciting than the next, with masses of innovative and important artwork." says Saá.

Pentimenti will be in Booth B45 at Untitled.
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Jeff Kowatch, Based in Belgium Went From Copying The Old Masters As A Child To Creating, Unique, Unmistakable Work On Dibond Aluminum Composite

11/22/2019

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PictureQue Seurat, Seurat

92.5 x 75 inches
by Patrick Ogle

Jeff Kowatch, from Los Angeles, is an abstract artist who currently lives and works in Belgium with a years long pit stop in New York City between those destinations. His work, while striking even in photographs, truly comes alive when seen in person. It is difficult to imagine, from a distance, but many of his pieces are on aluminum, yet they give a soft impression, as if they were quilted.

His art “career” started quite young.

“I started painting when I was ten. My mother put me in an adult art class (Aaron Brothers Art) in California and the teacher had us copying reproductions of old master paintings that he kept filed in a cardboard box. I did this till I was about eighteen years old,” he says. “When I was eighteen,  I had a friend who took me along to one of his theater classes, heavily based on the Lee Strasberg method and the Stanislavsky system. To make a long story short the friend didn’t stick around and I ended up becoming a method actor or shall I say method painter doing animal exercises jumping up and down, screaming and learning to not be ashamed of making a fool of myself for all of about ten years.” 

Kowatch says that this period was one of personal development and it formed who he is.

“To give you an example, I worked on a scene from the Seagull of Chekhov three to four nights a week for two and a half years and the scene only takes about three minutes on stage. At the end I had a complete understanding of how far in depth one can go with a work of art.  When I spoke with others about what I attained in this scene which was, being completely in the moment, they said it sounded like a zen experience. Well, I ended up quitting the theater and taking up zen meditation for fifteen years, meditating up to four hours, every day. Crazy? Yes. But it makes for who one is.”

His theater training became a big part of his painting practice. 

“My work has always been about getting to the essence of things and making them universal and I always worked with subjects, whether based on religion or fiction like Don Quixote,” says Kowatch. “Well, how do I make the Coronations of the Virgin Mary universal, what is the essence of this idea? Funnily enough I’m not a virgin let alone a woman or the mother of Christ for Christ’s sake. So this is where the theatre training comes in, with the magic 'if' Imagination.” 
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Coronation of the Virgin Mary

90.5 x 120 inches

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Booth at Expo Chicago 2019
As you might imagine given the thought and years of study behind it, Kowatch’s  work is unique and complex and he uses a variety of media in creating it.

“The drawings have always been a part of my process even more so now that I’m working with these rigid supports and with oil bars which are basically oil paint in stick form. The paintings on the other hand are built up on linen with a lead gesso surface that is sanded to a smooth finish. A painting can take up to two years to complete with up to one hundred layers of oil paint using a technique of glazing and scraping. When I start an oil painting they are full of energy and spontaneity and can be quite aggressive but as I built it up all of this is lost and replaced by a more peaceful and contemplative mood, which I’m  looking for and at the same time always found it a shame that one doesn’t see this raw and exciting energy that I started out with.”

Kowatch says that the drawings are the “other side” of his work, the part that gets buried beneath the time consuming process of his paintings. 

“The drawings also give me a certain sense of satisfaction since they can come together rather quickly whereas when I start a painting I know that I’m going into it for the long hall. Which is basically living in a constant state of doubt. So it’s a nice way to work in a balance way, to be able to have a bit of pleasure coupled with its opposite,” says Kowatch. “The drawings help me to also see the paintings in a different way and vice versa for the drawings, one helps the other. With the drawings you can’t build it up with glazing drawing is about cross hatching and shading to build volumes. This is why I scribble basically. The line’s are blended together with the eyes à la Seurat. The big drawing you saw in Expo Chicago was called  Que Seurat Seurat. My earliest childhood memories are of a field trip to the Los Angeles County Museum and by being struck by Seurat. It’s not until recently that I realised that basically my whole life I’ve actually been painting Seurat’s. Haha, that’s quite funny I find! My paintings are just oversized spots!”

Kowatch started using oil bars on Dibond (aluminum composite) because he had previously used handmade, wax-based oil pastels on hand made paper.  It became difficult because they had to be framed as they never really dried.

“So I switched to these oil bars which dry the same as oil paint does and I was looking for a way to avoid paper as well so they wouldn’t have to be framed. The advantages of Dibond is its lightweight, stable and doesn’t move like wood,” he says. “There was a bit of getting used to the oil bars though because they moved across the surface like lipstick on glass. This was entirely too fast for my internal rhythm. With the wax based pastels you really had to push them across the surface. Which slowed everything down allowing my brain to proceed at the same pace as my hand.”
Picture
Everlasting Bouquets

63 x 55 inches

Many, but not all,  artists stick to using a particular medium. Kowatch is not doctrinaire about materials and likewise technique.

“Technique for me has always been a means to an end. What I mean by that is that there is just this internal need to express one’s self.  It doesn’t matter what you use. You can use bottle caps like El Anatsui,” he says. “Secondly, it was what was given to me as a child and for that matter by history as well.  And honestly I don’t want to have to think about technique so I can concentrate on the subject at hand. Therefore I do work in a very fixed way.”

Immediately after Kowatch moved on from copying the masters he began a series of paintings, his Apostle paintings. These paintings used roofing tar and house paint on burlap.

“Burlap because it was inexpensive. Tar because I felt the Apostles needed to be very earthy and grounded. Latex house paint once again because it was inexpensive and I could get an interesting cracking effect if I put the paint on when the tar was still wet. Later on in 1997 after completing the Coronation of the Virgin Mary, which by the way is the only painting I worked on for three years, I invested in linen and oil paint, since at this point, I believe I had found a voice and could permit myself professional materials, let’s say more archival,” says Kowatch. “At this point I’m living in New York in a wonderful loft in Chelsea before it was Chelsea. The Dia was there and maybe Pat Hearn just arrived. Still very poor, cadmiums can be quite expensive, luckily I came across an amazing guy in Brooklyn who sold pigments and taught me how to grind my own paint and make sun thickened linseed oil to use for glazing. He even gave me a photocopy of techniques  of old masters. Robert Doak. I went back and visited him a couple years ago and he was still there, just missing a bit of his hearing. Great guy, I’ll never forget him.”

Kowatch held two simultaneous shows in Brussels in 2019 and the Royal Fine Arts Museum purchased a large piece, Christ Leaving Brussels, for their permanent collection. His work was shown at Expo Chicago by Galerie La Forest Divonne (Paris/ Brussels). Kowatch was the only artist in their booth. Shortly thereafter he was their featured artist in Art On Paper (Brussels).

Look for upcoming events and more work from Kowatch HERE.      
Picture
Christ Leaving Brussels

99.5 x 170 inches

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Philadelphia Fine Art Fair Brings The City Of Brotherly Love Its Own Fine Art Fair, April 4 To 7, 2018, An Interview With Director Rick Friedman

3/4/2019

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PictureThe Awakening by Wilfredo Lam. Cernude Arte (Coral Gables, FL)
by Patrick Ogle

Philadelphia Fine Art Fair opens its doors for the first time April, 2019. It seems hard to believe that a city with the history and the cultural significance of Philadelphia had, up to this point, lacked a fine art fair but that was the case.

Rick Friedman, the fair’s executive director, says there are many  reasons he decided it was time.

“Firstly it has a long history of being a mecca for the creation, exploration and patronage of visual arts. There are 30 local art museums and foundations, each with members, patrons and top tier donors--the esteemed  Philadelphia Museum of Art has 55,000 members, alone,” says Friedman. ”There are five arts schools. There are about 30 commercial galleries (and) there is a sizable base of wealthy, influential art collectors and art philanthropists with outstanding, mind-blowing  collections”

He says the city is also considered one of the “mural capitals” in the USA. has a large population (6.5 million in the greater Philadelphia area), the largest collection of sculpture in the country (1,100 works).

“If you blend those tasty ingredients together, you have one of the greatest potential art fair cities in the nation! On the east coast, this is the only art fair that sits between NYC and Palm Beach..and there are a lot of people between those two cities.” says Friedman.
Picture

Merritt Gallery (Maryland, Pennsylvania)

Friedman knows the traits in cities that support fine arts fairs. He has produced shows in: The Hamptons, Aspen,  Houston, San Francisco, Palm Springs and Silicon Valley. A new fair has just been announced in Jackson Hole.

Given that all of this is true why hasn’t Philadelphia had a fair before and why did Friedman decide to start now?

“I recently re-emerged back into the art fair producing business after retiring. And when I evaluated various locations around the world,  Philly was compelling.” he says “Also, we were able to find a suitable, accessible, well-known, and affordable site, with good dates, that was not a union controlled building, so The Armory was perfect, which is actively run by the US military , in the center of town.”

Just don’t call it The Armory Show although you can perhaps call this boutique fair AN armory show. PFAF is  a smaller fair with 35 galleries. Visitors to the various New York Art Fairs and Miami’s Art Week will find this refreshing and far less ulcer-inducing.

“We want to visitors to have a manageable and comprehensive experience, to really meet each dealer, and explore the art, so each gallery will have greater mindshare than in larger fairs, say, with 75-100 dealers” he says. “Also about 25 percent  of the galleries are local, so we present a Philly flavor not found anywhere else. This is the first Contemporary gallery focused fair ever in Philly, so it is geared to the 6.5 million residents in that region. Can you imagine if there was one contemporary art fair in NYC?”

Choosing the galleries to participate in a fair is, of course, key.  The galleries who wanted to come on board also helped shape what the fair.

“It became apparent that the exhibitors that were jumping up and down were contemporary, not modern dealers, so we migrated more towards 1970’s- present. Evolving from what we originally planned, a modern, 1930-present,” says Friedman. “We evaluated galleries on their quality of painters, reputation , past art fair history, knowledge  of gallery owner, price point, and what they were going to bring.”
Picture
Rising Anger by Grant Neil Bowerstock Gallery (Provincetown, MA)
PFAF, like any top notch fine art fair, works to be part of the city where it is held. Fairs that ignore their surroundings, and there are a plethora of them, miss out. The notion that an art fair can just be plugged into any city like a grocery store is misguided.. What is the point of a fair held in New York, Miami Philadelphia or any other city that gives no thought to their city? PFAF has a number of events that help integrate the fair and the city.

“We created a charity silent auction SculptCare, which raises money for the restoration and conservation of the city’s  sculptures around town. We are inviting top tier donors from all the leading regional museums .and 25%of the galleries are from the Philly area. Many are showing Philly based artists,” he says. “A panel discussion, A Passion for Possession: Collectors on Collecting features local powerhouse collectors. We created a Collectors Circle of most renowned patrons in town. We are honoring the Philadelphia Outstanding artists – Dina Wind, and Philadelphia 2019 Art Collector of the Year- Cecily Sherman, who lives four blocks from  the fair site.”

Each city, each region has its own particular challenges. One issue for Philadelphia is that it has been seen as an antiques and turn of the century market. PFAF needed (and needs) to change that perception and show the city is a contemporary art city.

“I don’t know anyone under 60 years old buying antiques. Times are changing.” he says.

Another issue is not Philadelphia-specific.

“Also, whenever you do the first, something new, many people want to take a wait and see attitude, so it took a lot of convincing,” says Friedman. “ And cajoling, and kissing a lot of frogs, but our team was  driven, steadfast, and determined. We saw the vision. But that is OK, doubt is expected, but we finally found our prince.”

This year the fair aims to maximize commerce at the exhibitor booths. Friedman says the art being shown is extraordinary. As the fair goes on, year after year, he hopes to make the fair a must attend stop on the national art fair train.

The art fair train finally has a stop in Philadelphia.

Picture
Daniel by Julian Opie. Corridor Contemporary (New York)
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Andile Dyalvane, From South Africa, Talks About His Work, Design Miami And The Energy, Artistry Of Clay

12/4/2018

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Picturephoto by Justin Patrick
by Patrick Ogle

Andile Dyalvane is an artist and designer from Ngobozana in the Eastern Cape (South Africa). Pieces by Dyalvane are held in numerous collections and he has shown his work all over the world. This week he is showing work with Southern Guild as part of Design Miami 2018 (Meridian Avenue and 19th St., Miami Beach , December 4 to 9).

His work is based mostly on clay.

"Clay is familiar to me. When I explored different mediums at my tertiary level of schooling, I was inherently drawn to clay because the oxen and cattle herds I made as a boy while herding my own father’s cattle came quickly to mind," he says. "The context of the medium made more sense as I studied its attributes and my memories in relation to my identity made greater sense. This in itself is akin to both a telling legacy clay gives to his/story and the energy I give to clay in the present. To describe this particular energy is without a doubt to be aware of the greatness of life and, indeed, a divine life force that feeds us."

His pieces begin in the sketchbook, ideas,memories, past observations, his current location and, perhaps most importance, his lineage, his people. 

"These ideas and visuals inform memories and create further forms and clear narrative. I am from the amaXhosa tribe, the house of Mpondomise and Jola clan lineage. I practice the traditions of my family and culture even though I have come to find certain degrees of function in parallel spaces and environments in the urban setting of the city of Cape Town. My identity as coming from the countryside is crucial to narrative because my home is where I draw my visionary strength from." says Dyalvane.

 photos by Adriaan Louw

There is something about his work that speaks universally. It has been shown around the world, collected around the world and received accolades around the world. The appeal is broad.

"I am humbled and honoured in gratitude for the phenomenal reception and
appreciation of all that I express. We all have a sense of our own truths, some more firmly than others, but it’s there… a sort of connectivity to a greater source," he says. "To reveal my own connection to a greater source, that in self-awareness, is perhaps where others may find their own true self.This is my gift, in each piece, it is given to those who find self-truth there."

Dyalvane's art is  functional. Perhaps not every piece has a practical use but certainly they often do (or could). He finds this potential function an added strength to his artistry.

"I’ve recently come to realize that the function of my works has its greatest gravity in narrative. The tradition of oral education and storytelling has long held honorable respect in African cultures as developing various foundational aspects of culture itself," says Andile. "As self-realization is celebrated in community and ceremony in my cultural learnings a ndpractices, it has been assigned to me the great honor of helping others to remember that they belong and are an important part of healing memories. In so doing, function is then just as much a metaphor as the vessel that carries literal abundance for those who accept it."
Picture
photo by Adriaan Louw
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In addition to being an artist Dyalvane is a founder of Imiso Ceramics.

"A series of chance meetings between friends and associates with the commonality of attending the same tertiary institution and five-way conversations around starting a business that none of our peers attempted to go at on their own, gave us courage to place these very thoughts into the ethos of Imiso. Imiso is derivative of the word ‘Ngomso’ in isiXhosa, which means ‘Tomorrow," he says. "We placed the context of tomorrow into who we intend creating our legacy for… the next generation. We find that a better tomorrow applies to all generations and are open to sharing what we do with anyone who seeks to understand why we do what we do and how."

He is being shown at Design Miami by Southern Guild, who have represented him around the world for years.

"Southern Guild gallery for the past 10 years has represented my collectible design collection of works with success in both South Africa and globally. Part of the body of works from my ‘Idladla’ solo exhibition collection will be showcased as part of the phenomenal pool of great designers they represent here in South Africa and Africa." says Dyalvane.

Miami has worked well for Dyalvane. It is an opportunity to show work, of course, but it is also an opportunity to understand his fellow humans.

"To be platformed within a world-renowned design showcase aligns itself well to
being able to share my story through clay. The reach is important and connectivity crucial toward the greater understanding of humanity. I have been to Design Miami twice as well as Design Miami/Basel," he says. "Cultural expressiveness is key to developing and understanding the structures of identity, and this is what Miami says in her streets, walls, dress, public artworks and, of course, on her beaches. To showcase expressions from all over the world makes for a befitting fair platform – the exchange of realized visions is intensified with equal satisfaction and pride in those who represent the work."

After Design Miami Dyalvane has plans a variety of plans that will take him around the world. These plans are also laced with something of an esoteric personal question.

"To grow – the present constant of change has a great challenge for me. I’ll be making a few trips abroad in 2019, with highlights including a residency at Leach Pottery in Saint Ives, in the UK and a workshop and lectures at Haystack
Mountain School of Craft on the coast of Deer Isle, Maine in the US. I’ll also be hosting workshops next year as well as establishing a home base in the Eastern Cape countryside for expanded works." he says.

Dyalvane is not a man who stays still. Be sure to see his work if you attend Design Miami 2018.
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