Beatriz Monteavaro's enigmatic work is not exactly primitive stuff. These aren't works you'd expect to find on a caveman's wall. Instead, the Miami artist's early inspirations stemmed from sources as disparate as horror movies, 1980s British subcultures, and America's fading theme parks.
Her haunting creations are on view in Monteavaro's debut at the Emerson Dorsch Gallery, where the artist and musician will be presenting a series of drawings reminiscent of punk fliers, and a working, interactive kick drum modified into a dark, snake-like sculpture beginning at 6 p.m. during the Second Saturday Art Walk this weekend.
It's one of several offerings on our radar riffing on the performative and ephemeral during Wynwood's first Art Walk of 2014. Here are our top shows on the marquee for what is shaping up to be a festive weekend.
Ouroboros and Chimera
Beatriz Monteavaro's beguiling early works were often nightmarish and appeared as if spawned by the aftermath of some civilization-ending event -- one that transported humanity back to the dawn of history where the likes of Adam Ant, Siouxsie Sioux, Malcolm McClaren and others were reborn as zombies. Recently she has been exploring the self-swallowing serpent from ancient myth and recycling her earlier creations into rough-hewn collages and structures to present hypothetical functions for artworks in a potential post-apocalyptic world.
In addition, Emerson Dorsch is presenting Saya Woolfalk's "Chimera" in which the New York-based artist is presenting her uncanny version of a futuristic utopia called "No Place" where a group called "Empathics" attempt to channel their blissful cultural milieu into the present day to uplift our sagging spirits. On display you'll discover Woolfalk's new videos depicting a figure transitioning into the status of "Empathic," photographs from the video production, and "hide drawings," not to mention some nifty sculptural skulls representing artifacts of the "No Place" culture.
Emerson Dorsch, 151 NW 24th Street, Miami. Call 305-576-1278 or visit emersondorsch.com.
Open
For her solo at David Castillo, Xaviera Simmons presents the first large-scale installation of her ongoing "Index" series, in which the artist creates photographic works which take their cues from sculptural trappings. The results fuse notions of the archive with a complex landscape that demands the viewer's strict attention to decipher in what the gallery press release calls a "dynamic site that challenges notions of artifact and embryo, subjectivity, cognition and cognitive capitalism".
David Castillo Gallery, 2234 NW Second Avenue, Miami. Call 305-573-8110 or visit davidcastillogallery.com.
For One Night Only
Don't let the title of this show by Ricardo Brey fool you. Although it marks his first solo in a U.S. gallery by the accomplished Cuban artist, it's neither a one eve deal nor features just-hatched artworks. Instead Brey's exhibit corrals pieces of varied media from different periods of his career including two site-specific installations at Pan American Art Projects. Brey says that he has recently been tilling the idea of Lagerstätten, German for mother lode, geological sites and fossil deposits, as a cornerstone to fertilize his conceptual leanings. "If applied to the study of paleontology, it uncovers how life goes on and multiplies in time and space," muses the artist, who lives in Belgium. Just don't confuse this Basel holdover with a visit to grandma's attic to discover musty relics.
Pan American Art Projects, 2450 NW Second Ave, Miami. Call 305-573-2400 or visit panamericanart.com.
Criminal Aesthetic Fashion at the Skyscraper Club
If you are still steaming from a velvet-rope rejection at some chi chi SoBe club on New Year's Eve, here's your chance to ogle some art while shaking that ass: Diana Lowenstein's faux fabulous Basel party. Anna Galtarossa and Daniel González teamed up to create a site-specific utopian shindig in their twin-solo project where they have festooned the gallery with a gaudy nightclub vibe and works on display invite interaction. Inside the space you can dance with Galtarossa's mechanical skyscrapers with rooftop laser lights or wear González's sculpture-shoes under his reflecting hand-sewn sequin banners.
Diana Lowenstein Fine Arts, 2043 N. Miami Avenue, Miami. Call 305-576-1804 or visit dlfinearts.com.
Material Girl and Assembly Required
This pair of new group exhibits at Edge Zones Art Center at the periphery of the Design District explores how castoff materials and works of an ephemeral nature can be deconstructed and reused by artist to create works of a striking visual nature. While the first show, featuring works by Jee Park, Kristen Soller, Clara Varas and Charo Oquet, focuses on materials thought of as 'feminine,' such as thread, tissue paper, jewelry and magazine cutouts, the second offering delves into how George Goodridge, Brian Gefen, David Marsh, Pucho and Nicole Salcedo each rely on employing an interplay of line, texture, fabric and diverse media to create works that tinker with notions of abstraction. Edge Zones is also presenting "Refresh," a musical component curated by Hissy K. featuring local bands and singers including Emily Sheila, Edan Archer, BlueJay and Kazoots throughout the evening.
Edge Zones Art Center, 3850 NE Miami Ct., Miami. Call 305-303-8852 or visit edgezones.org.
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