Are You a Cat Person? Check Out This Unique Miami Gallery Exhibition

The next time you're driving south on Northwest Seventh Avenue in Liberty City, you'll pass a painted palm-covered building on your right, just before you drive over the bridge into Allapattah. If you step inside through Sunday, May 17, you'll be greeted by a delightful exhibit filled with artistic renditions of man's often-overlooked companion: cats.

The International Cat Salon is on display inside the aptly named Gato Gordo (translation: "Fat Cat") Gallery, the joint vision of owner/director Inna Malostovker and curator Oscar Esteban Martinez. The duo chose the name for their gallery because they believe cats "embody a spirit of curiosity, elegance, and mystery — qualities often found in great art."

The showcase comprises digital, painted, and sculpted renderings of felines, with pieces ranging from miniature cat figurines and paintings of the common house cat to an image of a cat superimposed onto the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood. One sculpture, by artist Wendy Bale, is a clay recreation of the skull of a saber-toothed tiger discovered in Iowa in 2019.

Each item is distinct in style and the specific four-legged subject it portrays, and this variety can be attributed in part to the diversity of the artists who created the pieces. In fact, many of the pieces on display came from international artists.

"Part of being a gallery in Miami is to...have [art] from people from different countries," says Martinez, who is originally from Colombia. His partner in the venture, Malostovker, is from Russia.

Promoting young talent, including emerging poets and musicians, is also part of Gato Gordo's stated mission. To accomplish this, Malostovker and Martinez have positioned the gallery as a kind of social club for the community. One recent event invited guests to sip wine and take inspiration from the surrounding artworks to create their own feline-focused work. Previous events have included a Black History Month exhibition, poetry nights, a body painting show, and a Korean textile tradition exhibition.

While these disparate displays might appear unrelated at first, Martinez notes one of the factors that inspired the duo to open Gato Gordo was the desire to explore the interaction between humanity and nature. That's why much of the artwork on display in the gallery during any given exhibition features flowers, animals, or poignant aspects of the human experience.

"I think to be human, you have two options: to create or destroy," Martinez says. "I prefer to be on the side of creation."

International Cat Salon. Through Saturday, May 17, at Gato Gordo Gallery, 4600 NW Seventh Ave., Miami; 917-494-0862; gatogordogallery.art.