Inside a sprawling white tent in midtown Miami, Jesse Gellar stands atop a riser, his lanky frame clad in a Tyvek suit, his face covered by a black and gray respirator.
The New York-based artist spray-paints his graffiti tag over and over again on massive acrylic sheets that stretch the length of a third of a football field and soar 20 feet into the air.
As varying shades of blue, pink, yellow, and gray cover the clear structure suspended from tent poles, the 32-year-old pauses to inspect his handiwork.
Geller is in town to create a rectangular mural that will hover over the VIP lounge at Art Wynwood, an international contemporary art fair that opens with a ritzy private preview for collectors this Thursday, Valentine's Day, and runs through this weekend. Now in its second year, Art Wynwood is honoring the late Tony Goldman, who helped shape both the Wynwood Arts District and the fair.
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Geller's abstract-patterned opus was commissioned by Jessica Goldman, Tony's daughter and CEO of Goldman Properties; and Nick Korniloff, director of the growing art fair.
Says Meghan Coleman, the art manager for Goldman Properties: "This installation is a different and new format for [Jesse], and the acrylic surface he is painting on is covered with all these gradient colors yet still appears light and airy."
This year, Art Wynwood boasts 66 galleries from 13 countries, marking more than a 20 percent increase in participation from the 50 art dealers who attended in 2012. Nearly a quarter of the fair's roster is made up of local spaces, including Pan American Art Projects and the Robert Fontaine and Black Square galleries.
Continue reading "Art Wynwood Returns."
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