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Farrah Karapetian's Photograms Were Shown By Von Lintel Gallery (Los Angeles) At Miami Project 2014, The Artist Talks Extensively On Her Work

12/7/2014

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Farrah Karapetian, whose work was shown at Miami Project by Von Lintel Gallery (Los Angeles) during Miami’s Art Week, is a creator of photograms, camera-less photographs. She took time to answer some questions about her work in general and Miami’s Art week.

The artist lives in Los Angeles and has recently had work shown at the Torrance Art Museum, the Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena, the UCR/California Museum of Photography, the Vincent Price Museum and the Orange County Museum of Art.

In addition to her work being shown in Miami, she has an upcoming solo exhibition at Von Lintel. Find out and see more HERE.  

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Slur
Your work seems to be both high concept and require extensive detailed attention regarding technique as well. To you, as the artist, what is most important--the concept or the visual, the aesthetic? I ask because, looking at the pieces (out of context) they seem beautiful with no explanation.

Thank you. I think, as in all introductions, human or otherwise, when we meet an artwork, we can find it beautiful and leave it at that, or we can find that we want more from it. Then we look longer and find out more about it... We ask questions about the elements that appear most mysterious and about which we are impatient to know more, but for the most part, all the clues are in the work. 

There is no separation between the concept and the aesthetic in a good artwork: they create one another. The idea one has informs the way a piece is made, which informs the way it looks, and the strongest work surprises even the artist insofar as the results are not exclusively what one has planned. 

My techniques are very simple. They shift depending upon the subject and depending upon what I've learned from observing a piece or body of work I've completed in the past, but all of those shifts are visible in the work: if you look long enough, you'll see where the paper has been touched, where glass might have refracted light, where two shadows suggest different moments of time captured in the image, where the fiction of a reenactment reveals itself. 

What's important to me is that the right person develop a relationship with the piece - not at all only in terms of then buying the piece, but in terms of a student imagining themselves into the process and thinking about how it affects his or her notion of photography, a novelist catching the metaphor or grammar of an artwork and thinking about his or her own process, or anyone registering any kind of analogy with the work. It doesn't matter what part of my work burrows into the mind of an observer, as long as it does, and then opens for him or her new lines of questioning. One wants to be part of the conversation in other people's heads.

For the non photographer, non-artists, can you describe the process you use to create your pieces?


My work tends to consist of photograms and related sculptures. To make a photogram, one puts a subject in between a light source and a piece of photo-sensitive paper, then exposes the paper with the light and processes the paper in chemistry, resulting in a photographic print of the shadow of the subject. 

So, if you walked into my darkroom to be the subject of a print, I would ask you to stand near the wall; I would point my photographic enlarger at you; I would turn off the overhead lights and turn on the enlarger; and we would look at your shadow together. If you and I had discussed at some point an object or an item of clothing necessary to the memory we were about to reenact, I would have remade it in a transparent material and I would have given it to you now to hold or handle. We would talk about the scene you were here to reenact for me, and I would ask you to use your muscle memory to be able to access the appropriate posture to create the shadow we both respond most to once I begin to expose the print. Then, I would turn off the lights and we would be in complete darkness. I would spend about 15 minutes cutting paper and another 15 getting it up on the wall - all in the dark. Then I would make my way back to my enlarger, you would resume the posture we had discussed, and I would begin the exposure, which is generally under 15 seconds. The room would go dark again; I would roll up my paper and put it in a tube; I would go process this paper in chemistry; and I would return to you so that you and I could discuss the palette of the resulting photogram.

Of course this process changes depending upon circumstance and the process behind making the sculptures and other kinds of photograms is fairly diverse, but that's a description of what has typically gone on in a shoot involving a subject with a memory that interested me.

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In Time
How does inspiration usually strike you in your work? You used past events, memories but what, to you makes a specific event or memory significant enough to create something out of it?

Much of the work of art is in paying close observation to oneself, what one has just done, what comes up next, and how it relates to something that has come before. In short, one has to be hyper-attentive to the threads of one's experience and observations; at the same time as one lives fully, one must reflect on one's life fully. It's a habit I'm sure shared across all professions wherein one must process the past, present, and future at once, but certainly shared across the disciplines of art and writing. 

This makes me think of George Orwell's essay, "Why I Write," wherein he describes his habit of narrating his existence: "For minutes at a time this kind of thing would be running through my head: ‘He pushed the door open and entered the room. A yellow beam of sunlight, filtering through the muslin curtains, slanted on to the table, where a match-box, half-open, lay beside the inkpot. With his right hand in his pocket he moved across to the window. Down in the street a tortoiseshell cat was chasing a dead leaf’, etc. etc." In other words, he sees himself in the abstract as he participates in his life, and this became the stuff of later writing. 

I mention all this because I think the word "inspiration" can be misleading. It implies that something inspiring happens in isolation, whereas in fact I think an experience or observation or a chance event feels inspiring because the way it connects to my life and/or work is surprising and feels true. If that feeling lasts for any length of time, I will pursue it, and begin to work with it until indeed it has resulted in something else surprising and true. If that doesn't happen, I put it away. Sometimes it rears its head again years later, as a part of a thread whose time has come.

What do you hope people take away from your work (aside, obviously, from purchasing it!)?

A physical registry of experience; a sense of surprise; a lasting image; a new question; a new desire.

You have a BA and an MFA; what was your BA in? I am curious how you moved from a BA (as opposed to BFA) to an MFA.

Well, at Yale, where I got my BA, the art major is a BA rather than a BFA. So, yes, I majored in fine art and concentrated in photography as an undergrad, but the art major is integrated there into the liberal arts curriculum. I actually think this is a great model, because after undergrad art is always integrated into the larger world and its variety of perspectives. Sometimes micro-cultures like the art world can become too insular. I took six years between my BA and MFA, though, during which time I really tested my practice and developed it to a point at which I needed grad school: I had questions that needed to be played out in an interdisciplinary arena unlike the more medium-specific context of undergrad, and UCLA's grad program was the right fit for that.

Have you shown work in Miami before? What do you feel showing does for you as an artist? How do you think this ever expanding week of art help (or not help...) artists? What is good and bad about the week overall?

No, I haven't shown in Miami before, nor been there, and I'm excited to visit Miami as well as exhibit with Von Lintel Gallery there this year. I want to see how the coastline differs from others I've known. Art fairs can be overwhelming for me, visually and experientially; there are so many dynamics between artworks and so many dynamics between people. When I go to a fair - or in this case, 20 fairs, numerous museums, and the NY Times Luxury Conference - I always need to rent an apartment so as to start the day quietly and alone. There's no need to see everything, anyway; the upside of that much art in one place at one time is that it is an opportunity to see work one might not see otherwise, in person rather than as a jpeg. (Jpegs lie.) I want to be surprised by what I see and learn from it. That's what seeing, making, and exhibiting artwork is 100% about. 

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Monica Jahan Bose Returns To Miami To Perform Her Work, "JALOBAYU" At Select Art Fair (Miami Beach)

11/28/2014

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The inimitable Monica Jahan Bose will, once again, visit Miami with a performance piece. That piece, entitled, Jalobayu, will take place as part of Select Art Fair (7200-7300 Collins Ave.) on Miami Beach 4 p.m., Friday December 5. Jalobayu means “climate” in Bengali (combining the words for water and wind).

“The body, wrapped in a 216-foot sari written on and worn by 12 coastal women in Bangladesh, collaborates with wind, sand, and water to speak to increasing cyclones, sea level rise, and loss of food and heritage caused by climate change. The endless sari is part of STORYTELLING WITH SARIS, a collaborative art and advocacy project highlighting gender and climate change. JALOBAYU juxtaposes women’s words and their worn saris against the backdrop of the rising ocean in Miami Beach,” says Bose. “The intent is to raise awareness of climate change and link Miami Beach to coastal Bangladesh, both of which face devastation due to climate change. The performance starts in the Pavilion, moves to the beach, includes viewers in the sari procession, and eventually ends with me entering the water. I will be encouraging viewers to hold the massive sari and join the performance and also to text and tweet images and reactions to me. “

It is a little difficult to visualize but the Bose’s work is often that way; there is the purpose, there is the interaction with viewers and there is communication with viewers. The ongoing, worldwide, Storytelling with Saris collaboration here makes an interesting point; it isn’t just poor countries like Bangladesh that face climate change, it is everyone. This is especially true of a city like Miami Beach which sometimes floods when the moon is full.

Do not think because Bose mixes art with activism that it is any less art--there is an aesthetic to her work, a beauty to it , that stands on its own outside of its ultimate aim--as important as that aim is. Her work is multifaceted and vibrant. She brings difficult issues alive in an artistic sense.

Click To Find Out More About Monica Jahan Bose

Bose is an artist, lawyer and activist.  All of these are reflected in her work which speaks to women’s empowerment and resilience; especially in the face of societal and environmental challenges.

“I use the sari in my work as a symbol for the female body, fertility, and energy.  I am currently engaged in a long term art and advocacy project called STORYTELLING WITH SARIS with 12 women from my ancestral village, a community ravaged by climate change.” she says.

For those wondering what a sari is; it is a five to 18 foot long by  four feet wide drape that is commonly worn in South Asia. Women wrap the drape around the waist and ultimately drape it over the shoulder. It is an unmistakable article of clothing.

Bose’s artistic work is not all performance; she is a painter and a printmaker as well. Some of her prints and paintings will be shown by Gallery Cosmos from Dhaka, Bangladesh at Select (booth C3).  There will also be a video/installation related to Jalobayu at the booth.

This latest performance is, as you may have gathered, part of an ongoing artistic effort by Bose. 

“JALOBAYU is a part of a continuing story I am weaving together about gender, empowerment, and the impact of climate change.  The same sari was used in other performances, including SUBLIME VIRTUE at the DUMBO Arts Festival and UNWRAPPED at the (e)merge art fair in DC.  The performance draws on past mythological and actual narratives and also connects to past performances using these same saris,” she says. “JALOBAYU references narratives, both real and mythological, including the Indian myth of Draupadi, the eternal virgin who was married to five brothers, as well as the true story of my grandmother Johora, who was married at age seven and years later swept away by a cyclone. In South Asian and other cultures, water symbolizes death, destruction, purification, and renewal. Draupadi bathes and become a virgin daily.  My plan is to use my work to activate awareness on climate change.  This performance launches this new direction in my work.”

Bose’s notion that art can make a difference is not unique but it certainly is more dedicated and ongoing than most who take on the mantra of “art can change the world.” The sticky question here is a simple one; how?

“I am using my art to give a human face to climate change, which is usually an abstract concept to people.  Twelve women's real stories and their worn saris are used in my performances and sari/video installations.  By engaging viewers with visceral performances and immersive installations, I first bring about awareness and next trigger them to take action,” she says. “For example, I am doing a series of interactive workshops where participants pledge to reduce their own carbon footprint. My recent Solar Sari Salon in DC showed people film and images from my work in Bangladesh and then signed them up for switching to renewable energy, such as solar and wind.  I have recently received a grant from the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities to do arts programming to increase climate awareness.”

She says she hopes the performance in Miami helps people feel a human connection with the people of coastal Bangladesh and empathize with their vulnerable position.

“ I hope they will be in touch with me via text or email or check out my website and learn more about these women and then decide to take steps in their own life to reduce carbon emissions.” she says.

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Bose lauds Art Week in Miami as a place for artists of all types, from all over the world to come together.

“I have gained a great deal every time that I've participated -- by exposure to new types of work, meeting new curators and writers, and interacting with the diverse crowd that comes to look at the art. It is a fantastic opportunity for an artist to have literally thousands of people come and look at your work….” says Bose, adding; “And I really love Miami -- it's melding of cultures, its location on the ocean, and its vibrancy and energy.”

After Miami Bose is working on a series of art activism (artivism) events in Washington D.C. to raise awareness and spur action on climate change. In January she returns to Bangladesh, to the island of Barobaishdia to continue who work with the 12 women of Katakhali.

“I am initiating a climate knowledge sharing and adaptation workshop in the village in partnership with the International Centre for Climate and Development, “she says. “ Brooklyn-based filmmaker Nandita Ahmed will be coming with me and we will be working together to document the work and create a new film focusing on climate and following these women for the long-term as their lives and climate conditions evolve.  Absent immediate action by the world, Katakhali Village and much of coastal Bangladesh is threatened with disappearance. “

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Tandem Press (Madison, WI) Coming To Miami To Show Prints At Ink Miami Art Fair 2014

11/27/2014

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Tandem Press, from Madison, Wisconsin and affiliated with the University of Wisconsin Madison, will take part in the Ink Miami Art Fair during Art Week 2014. Ink Miami Art Fair is one of the hidden gems of Art Week in Miami. It isn’t exactly HIDDEN; all you need to do to find it is head to the Dorchester Hotel at 1850 Collins Avenue in Miami Beach, December 3 to 7.

Tandem Press is a staple at the fair.  Both Ink and Tandem Press specialize in printed work.

“Tandem Press is a printer and publisher of limited edition fine art prints. We work with nationally and internationally known artist from around the country. My favorite part of the job is connecting the art lover with the artwork,” says Amy Newell, curator at Tandem. “Often, editioned prints by an artist are more affordable than that artist's unique work. Editioned prints help more people to connect with these artists and artworks. I love helping collectors add internationally known artists to their collection while selling work that is within the collector' budget. “

Newell, a printmaker herself, says she loves everything about printmaking.

“I love the processes! I love ink on paper and I really enjoy talking to the visitors about printmaking. Because many of the fairs in Miami show all types of artwork, and not strictly prints, the visitors for the fairs may know a good deal about art but may not know much about printmaking. INK Miami is a great opportunity to meet art lovers and introduce them to the fabulous world of printmaking!” she says.

Scenes From Ink Miami Art Fair 2013

When choosing what work to bring the folks at Tandem have a few things to consider but they always try to select their newest work.  They will always have a variety of work in their bins of wrapped prints --which are ALWAYS worth checking out if you are looking to buy prints (a list of artists they are bringing is below). “It is always a challenge determining what artwork we will bring for display… we try to bring our newest work. A print may be old to us but it is not old to the person who has never seen it before,” says Newell. “We have worked with over 60 artists in our 27 years so, as you can imagine, we have so much to choose from! “

Newell says that with Art Week brings visitors from all over the globe and that it is an amazing time to be in Miami for her and everyone at Tandem Press.

“We meet so many people that we may never meet any other way.” she says.

While you cannot see every fair during Art Week (which now seems to be more than a week) you should make an effort to go to Ink to have a look at Tandem and the other exhibitors there. It is a smaller fair that will not take nearly as long as the larger fairs.



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Artists Tandem Press Will Show At Ink Art Fair Miami Beach 2014

Jim Dine – “What can I say? He's Jim Dine.” says Newell..
Judy Pfaff_ sculptor and instillation artist from New York
Alison Saar - Sculptor from LA
Mickalene Thomas - painter from New York
Maser- graffiti artist from Dublin, Ireland
Richard Bosman - painter form New York
Suzanne Caporael - painter from New York
Valentina DuBasky - painter from New York
Ikeda Manabu - artist from Japan
Jose Lerma - artist from Chicago/ New York
William Weege - artist from Madison, WI (founder of Tandem Press)
Robert Cottingham - photo-realist painter from New York

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Nohra Haime Gallery Brings Work By Natalia Arias To Pulse Art Fair 2014 In Miami Beach

11/27/2014

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PictureVini, Vidi, Vinci
Nohra Haime Gallery, out of New York City, is heading back to Miami and Pulse Art Fair in 2014. The gallery is bringing the work of British-born artist, Natalia Arias. Arias was raised in Columbia and currently lives in Miami. Her work investigates identity, beauty and cultural impositions. A selection of her newest photographs that detail the “complex process of conceiving an idea” will be shown at Pulse.

“Through the poetically portrayed object of a light bulb, she reflects on inspiration and the paths that lead to it. Arias considers both triumph and defeat in the process, using light to symbolize it. In Vini, Vidi, Vinci, 2013, her clever use of light and shadow gives a feeling of uncertainty and transformation as a blindfolded woman makes her way through a light bulb forest towards victory,” says Eva Rick, Director of Special Projects at Nohra Haime Gallery “All together, this body of work presents a modern conceptual and visual lexicon that walks towards the questioning of modern life and the proposal of new ideas. Its profound message and reflection is offered in a whimsical and intelligent way.”

Rick says Arias’ work is intimate sincere, controversial and super modern.

“She combines with absolute perfection a ‘dark’ side of questioning modern life, the cultural clichés and stereotypes that guide our society; and a ‘bright’ side, full of light, confidence and optimism. “ she says.

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Holy Mess
Each year the gallery thinks about how their artists would best be presented in Miami.

“We try to be varied and stimulating in what we show each year. We give a chance to all of our artists to show in Miami throughout the years, and to the public to see different things,” says Rick. “We always consider the quality of works demanded by the Miami Art Week, its vibrant personality (and how to coordinate it with the works we present), and the composition of a project that will excite and move different types of public.

And Miami is one of their favorite yearly art dates.

“It gives us the chance to promote our artists, meet new clients and built relationships with them in a stimulating environment. Our gallery is based in New York, so we do get a lot of international clients, but Miami is always a good way to expand our gallery further,” she says. “We have always had a good experience in Pulse, it’s a fun fair, it brings an opened and up-to-date clientele, and we are surrounded by an impressive quality of works and galleries.”

Nohra Haime Gallery has been around for over 33 years and has a long history of working closely with the artists on their roster while they also seek out new talent.

“Nohra Haime Gallery represents artists from different ages, countries, backgrounds and mediums, adapting to our time and maintaining our projects balanced through this spectrum,” says Rick. “We are proud to constantly expand and collaborate with institutions and museums, and build a strong relationship with the collectors who we advise worldwide.”

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Projects Gallery (Miami) Showing Artists At Aqua, Red Dot And, In An Experiment In Artistic Democracy, At Their Own Gallery Space During Miami Art Week 2014

11/26/2014

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Projects Gallery do not have as far to go to participate in Miami's Art Week as many galleries; they can just go up the street (more or less) even if their artists are from further afield.

"Art Week in Miami has been, basically, the culmination of the year's efforts and begins the next season at the same time.  We will be showing works at Aqua, Red Dot and doing Square Foot Art Basel Miami Redux, a call-to-artists exhibition in our Miami gallery," says Helen Hyder, director of Projects Gallery.  "The latter represents approximately 200 12"x12" works from, literally, across the globe, based on the idea of a democratic approach of first come first served as we  automatically accept the works of the first 100 artist who apply."

Square Foot Art Basel Miami Redux is a brilliant idea. No curators, no judges-- just artists from across the globe who take the initiative to submit their art to Projects Gallery. YOU, the viewer are the curator and judge. I can see MFAs who don't do art pulling their hair and shrieking "YOU CAN'T DO THAT." In fact, you can. One huge problem in the art world is the various forms of elitism. Projects strike a blow here against all of them (yes, others have done similar things but all too infrequently).

The gallery is located at Wynwood Lofts, Unit 208, 250 NW 23rd St., Miami.

The gallery makes an effort to work with artists who have an unusual approach with materials and whose work shows a mastery of technique.

"Projects Gallery is a gallery that functions with a brick and mortar location but, over the last 10 years, has become increasingly involved in doing art fairs," says Hyder. "The esthetic glue of the gallery has been our interest in artists who work with unique yet ordinary materials, and the challenge has been to build reputations with artists we have worked with for a number of years and at the same time develop and discover new artists who continue to enhance the gallery platform."

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Images below from Projects Gallery's Room at Aqua 2013

The gallery show works by the following artists:

-Harry Enchin, a software developer and innovative image creator from Toronto, Canada  uses archived 100-year-old photographs that are integrated with contemporary reshoots. 

-Joanne Mattera, art blogger, art critic, curator, writer and artist, who specializes in encaustic works. 

-Shirley Steele, from Texas , innovatively marries technology and image generation in unique digital printmaking techniques. 

-Vivian Wolovitz, from the horse country outside of Philadelphia,  well-known  and extensively shown in New York , wil show new pieces from her Greek residency. 

-Alex Queral, born in Cuba, creates  innovative portraits carved into telephone books. His work is represented in numerous books on contemporary book making and in several museum collections, including Ripley's Believe It or Not! and the Woodmere Museum of Art. 

-Dana Donaty, from the Miami area, a successful muralist who will be debuting her high-energy, vivid fantasy and reality paintings. 

-Margery Amdur, fresh from a series of museum shows across the U.S.A,  will be installing one of her unique, complex sponge-based sculptures. 

-Florence Putterman, a practicing 87-year-old icon of women painters, whose work is included in numerous museums and is the subject of numerous art magazine reviews, will be showing work. Her work is held in the collections of the Smithsonian Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

-Ira Upin will show images from his strong-man series (currently on exhibit at Miami's Museum of Contemporary Art and the Venice International Exhibition). 

-Frank Hyder, from Miami, whose work is in numerous museums in Latin America and the U.S.A., will show examples of his luminaries and mixed media paintings and sculptures.

-Boris Renjifo from Cali, Columbia will show his bronze and stone sculptures. 

-Ross Bonfanti, from Canada, will show his world-renown "concreatures."  These “beasts” have been shown from London  to Singapore. 

Hyder says composing a show is a complex process of balancing the visual with the market to "create a bouquet." But there is more to it than the creative and the commercial--there is the mundane, the nuts and bolts.

"With so many events happening at exactly the same time, it requires enormous pre-event preparation and then the impossible traffic situation during the fairs makes daily executive infinitely more difficult than normal." she says.

Many galleries have difficulties showing at one location while Projects works in many. Be sure to check out their artists and offerings. They really go all out and offer a voice to artists who might not have a chance to "speak" during Art Week in Miami.
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Adah Rose Gallery (Kensington, Md) Returns To Miami For Pulse 2014 With Artists Jim Condron, Randall Lear And Jessica Drenk

11/25/2014

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PictureIn the Sadness of Bourgeois Surroundings

by Jim Condron

Adah Rose Gallery, out of Kensington, Maryland, is once again coming to Miami to show work at Pulse Miami.  The gallery is always a highlight at the fair with artists creating provocative work that often differ wildly from one another in form but also form a cohesive aesthetic.  The gallery is an excellent fit for Pulse, which features galleries that focus on contemporary artists from around the world. This year Adah Rose Gallery is showing work by: Jessica Drenk, Randall Lear and Jim Condron.

“Jessica is an artist I have shown in the gallery from the beginning and her work is always a great success in Miami. She is an amazing sculptor with a beautiful aesthetic which includes transforming everyday objects back to nature or fossilizing them and freezing them in time. This year we will have Jessica's elegant WAVE sculpture which is made from the very mundane PVC pipes,” says gallery owner Adah Rose. “They are elegantly carved and sanded by hand and placed in a wood frame. The pure elegance of the work is evident in the natural undulations of the wave, the way light hits it in the day as the light changes, and in the references to music, bamboo, porcelain and china. There are references to the oscillations of both sound and natural waves. We will also have Jessica's carved Book Sculptures where she so exquisitely transforms books back to nature by immersing them in wax and carving them.”

Lear, a young MFA from American University in Lancaster, PA, creates playful, colorful work. There is a kinship between his work and Condron.

“Randall's work is beautifully crafted and finished. His large installation A Gaggle of Painted Doohickeys is comprised of many smaller works that are applied with great detail and finesse” she says. “The works are refined and take months of thought and painstaking taping and craft. In the end though...they are funny, engaging, cheerful, bright and intelligent.  He is also a painter and we have a wonderful series of diptychs playing with architecture and space.”

Randall Lear

Condron, a painter out of Baltimore, uses diverse materials to created 3D wall paintings. His work mixes painting and sculpture.

“His works are much more experimental and improvisational. His work is steeped in art history as is Randall's which I like but you would not necessarily see it in the work and they are not looking for the viewer to see it,” says Rose. “Jim uses a bit of casualism in choosing his materials and responds to color first and texture second. They are an attempt at a mature provisional painting style. A combination of study of the past and a desire for playfulness and incongruity of materials. “

Rose says she likes how the quiet simplicity of Drenk’s work contrasts with the humor and brilliant colors of Lear and Condron.

“I also like that Jim, Jessica and Randall are creating sculptural work with a play of materials in very different ways.” she says.

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Scott had never seen work that was so indifferent to the effect it had on those who came to see it by Jim Condron
Rose says that Miami is, of course, an opportunity to sell work but it is also a way to get people to see the work and learn about the gallery.

“I also love talking to people about art. In Miami, thousands of people come through each day which is so exciting compared to the perhaps 10-20 people that might come through the gallery in a week. (more at Openings of course),” says Rose. “I also love meeting and chatting with my fellow gallerists from all over the world and seeing their programs. It is just so cool!”

She says she love the Pulse team and the sense of community they create at their fair.

“They are helpful, warm, fun and very committed to making every one as happy as possible.  I think the caliber of my fellow galleries is very high too and I like the work there which is why I choose PULSE,” she says. “I know that it is also critical to meet art consultants, curators and academics who can boost your gallery by choosing to show one of your artists in a show. I have had great luck meeting wonderful art consultants but so far...no curators.  Maybe this year!”

Rose says she has good friends in Fort Lauderdale and that Pulse and Art Week in Miami is no more difficult than any other fair. She adds that she only does fairs in areas where she has friends and family to help out.

“I am very lucky in that way!” she says.

Adah Rose Gallery exists because Rose believes in these artists. Getting people to see, to appreciate and purchase contemporary art is a challenge.

“It is difficult to get people to visit the gallery and very few people are genuinely interested in art--let alone contemporary art.  I love sitting in my little gallery and seeing the space transformed each month and I am so proud of the work we have shown. When I go to Miami or New York for a fair? You meet people who love art and it reaffirms that art does affect people, that it is important,” says Rose. “I am realistic and know that it is a privilege to show it. Feeding people, housing people and giving people health care is all much more important. In the end though music, poetry, literature, dance and art celebrate our humanity and show the best of us.”

Jessica Drenk

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Pentimenti Gallery (Philadelphia) Heading To Context/Art Miami 2014, Showing Work By Oswaldo Romberg

11/21/2014

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PictureBlack Constellation (Red to Blue) By Osvaldo Romberg
Pentimenti Gallery, from Philadelphia, is heading to Miami to be part of Context/Art Miami. The gallery will be in booth E33 and will feature a solo exhibition of paintings by Osvaldo Romberg. The works on display are from the artist’s series, Dirty Geometry.

“Osvaldo is an Argentine artist, curator, and professor who has lived and worked in Philadelphia, New York, Argentina, Austria, etc., “ says gallery co- owner and director, Christine Pfister. “The new paintings and sculptures continue Romberg’s interests in abstraction and abstraction’s historical lineage.”

Pfister says one of the most difficult things she does is decide which artist or artists to bring with her to Miami. Every year Pfister considers the gallery’s overarching goal of alternating between group and solo shows. She then looks at her artists and tries to choose the ones that have worked and are ready for the opportunity.

“The most difficult thing about bringing Pentimenti to Miami is having to say “no" to the artists I decided not to bring,” he says. “It is always a hard decision as I know many artists strive for the opportunity to be in a fair.”

This year this difficult decision led her to Romberg and his unique take on abstraction.

“Osvaldo Romberg is exciting for his clear and refined concepts which distinguish his work, especially his abstract works, from those that deal specifically with visual criteria,” says Pfister. “His works succeed at connecting the 15th century to the 21st, while avoiding the pomposity typical of historically-concerned work.”

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Christine Pfister, Co-Owner and Director of Pentimenti Gallery
Art Week in Miami is seen as a boon to the city of Miami and its reputation in the art world (and beyond). The week, which seems to be expanding slowly beyond merely a week, matters a great deal beyond South Florida.

“Participating in Art Week allows Pentimenti to gain much needed exposure outside of a local frame.  Being there gives us (Pentimenti and the artists represented) credibility and puts on an international stage which in-turn raises the prestige of the gallery program at Pentimenti.” says Pfister.

Pentimenti, as noted based in Philadelphia (
145 North Second St.), has a specific aesthetic.

“...usually it is material based, contemporary work that somehow surprises me - whether with color, form, or concept. I search for work that speaks to me and gets me closer to the personal vision I have developed as a curator,” says Pfister. “Additionally, when choosing artists I look for those who have proven that they are serious about their practices and have taken the time to develop an engaging and sincere voice within their work. These are people who have connected their artwork to their livelihood (both financially and/or spiritually), and respect the role the gallery plays in sharing their voice with viewers.”

Pentimenti’s booth, whether showing a group of single artist, is always a highlight of Context/Art Miami. Be sure to drop by and check out Romberg’s work.
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