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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

Find 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."

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."

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.

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.

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."

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.

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."

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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Isabel Brinck Talks About Her Intense, Personal Work At Scope Miami Beach 2021 Via Gallery Labs (Buenos Aires)

Madoda Fani, Showing Work Via Southern Guild At Design Miami, Mixes Traditional With The New, The Utilitarian With Pure Art In His Ceramics

Pinta Miami Returns With A Multifaceted, Fascinating Art Fair Focused On The Art Of Latin America

Read more about Pinta’s projects HERE

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

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

Raymond Saá Talks About His Intricate, Complex Work Coming To Untitled Art (Miami Beach) 2021 Via Pentimenti Gallery

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