"Art Encounters: Interstices Between Literature, Cinema, and Graphic Design"
Through March 20. CCE Miami, 800 Douglas Rd., Ste. 170, Coral Gables; 305-448-9676; ccemiami.org. Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Some people believe a picture is worth a thousand words, but others swear a well-made poster can more effectively sway the masses. The image of a slippery soap bar covered in pubic hair on display at CCE Miami evokes thoughts of a brutal prison rape. Instead, it is a shocking graphic design created by Mexico's Paul Domínguez to promote Marlon Brando's stab at porn in Bernardo Bertolucci's controversial Last Tango in Paris, which showcased the actor as a middle-aged widower who engages in a sexually violent relationship with an anonymous young woman. Domínguez's striking image is part of "Art Encounters: Interstices Between Literature, Cinema, and Graphic Design." The exhibit, featuring 50 provocative posters by several generations of Latin American artists, explores the corner where the disparate genres collide. In a separate room of the gallery, another 200 posters are continuously projected, offering a further examination of Latin America's rich graphic design tradition.
"Space as Medium" and "Carlos Bunga: Metamorphosis"
Through February 28. Miami Art Museum, 101 W. Flagler St., Miami; 305-375-3000; miamiartmuseum.org. Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.
What does a bucket of black paint poured onto a wall and a giant cube full of 200 gallons of velvety black ink have in common? At Miami Art Museum, these and other sensory-numbing works are part of a modest but intriguing exhibition critical of the institutional white cube. "Space as Medium" explores the evolution of artistic practices, directly addressing the walls, floors, and ceilings of the physical spaces where they're installed. The group show includes works by William Anastasi, Lynda Benglis, Tom Burr, Eugenio Espinoza, Ryan Gander, Katharina Grosse, Wade Guyton, Nicolas Lobo, Charles Ray, and Rachel Whiteread. It's the type of exhibit that typically provokes heated theoretical debate while leaving the average viewer dashing for the exit and feeling like the victim of an egghead's scam.
"Global Caribbean"
Through March 30. Little Haiti Cultural Center, 260 NE 59th Ter., Miami; 305-960-2969; theglobalcarribean.org. Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
At the barely known and underused Little Haiti Cultural Center, a world-class exhibit focusing on the art of the Caribbean begs for attention. Curated by Miami's Edouard Duval-Carrié, largely funded by the French government, and cosponsored by the City of Miami and the Haitian Cultural Arts Alliance, "Global Caribbean" features the work of nearly 25 artists and offers a tantalizing survey of the region's top talent and contemporary trends. The exhibition showcases videos, sculpture, photography, painting, and mixed-media installations that gather the detritus of a colonized culture to create stunning collages of social commentary on the endless search for cultural identity.
