16. Cat Dove

In honor of our Artopia Party tonight, Cultist proudly presents “100 Creatives,” where we feature Miami’s cultural superheroes in random order. Have suggestions for future profiles? Email cultist@miaminewtimes.com with the whos and whys. ​16. Cat Dove
With a beautiful name like Cat Dove you would expect a girl who is interested in equally beautiful things. But the Miami artist is more into fusing the nice with the not so nice: “I think all my work has elements of the serenely beautiful and the insanely ugly, which I first observed growing up here,” Dove says. Influenced by her environment and own psyche, Dove’s work is expressed through photos, collage, and performance art. Since moving back from London, where she studied at the University of the Arts, her work has begun to incorporate all three mediums.

Miami itself is a significant factor in Dove’s work. The artist

finds that the binary between ugly and beautiful is representative of the city’s aesthetic. Dove’s dumpster collaboration, The General,

conveys her infatuation with just that. Partnering with Kyle Chapman,

the two artists used epoxy and a variety of fabrics to transform one of

Miami’s finest dumpsters into a structure containing more navy blue

fringe than most fabric stores.

Dove’s idea of mixing beautiful and ugly

elements into her work also stems from the spontaneity found in her

surroundings explaining, “I love contrast in general. It’s like

conversing with a beautiful girl who has a filthy mouth. It throws you

off a little. It’s exciting. It’s off kilter. It’s what I love.”

​Dove integrates deep, personal layers into her work:

“Someone recently saw some of my work and called it ‘psychological

masturbation.’ I make art for selfish reasons, so I’m fine with that

description,” she states.

Another one of Dove’s innovative works, Zebra,

deals with the ritualistic and transformative ideals of the body and

includes photographs of a woman turned into the striped animal. The work

is ongoing and will be shown at Tomm El-Saieh during Saturday’s

Art Walk. Dove hopes to continue showing more solo and collaborative work, and most of her work can be seen on her blog. 

1. List five things that inspire you. 
-David Lynch-The bittersweet-Perfect composition-The possibilities the future holds-Whisky
2. What was your last big project? 
My

Zebra project, but it’s ongoing. I’m sure it will be finished at some

point, but it will be after a lot more body paint, hair weave, and

blurry negatives. 
3. What’s your next big project? 
A collaborative performance series. I’m really excited about it.  
4. Why do you do what you do? 
I have to. 
5. What’s something you want Miami to know about you? 
Some collages from my Fresh Young Pussy

series will be shown at Tomm El-Saieh Presents (2014 NW Miami Ct., Miami.) this Saturday at the Art Walk. Some

other Miami artists will be showing some awesome work as well. Come by

and get it while it’s good. 
What’s something you don’t want Miami to know about you? 
I’m not telling. 

The Creatives so far:

17. Campbell McGrath
18. Frances Trombly
19. Jose Mertz
20. Emma Trelles
21. Pablo Cano
22. Natasha Tsakos
23. Freegums
24. Aurora Natrix
25. Gean Moreno
26. Yaddyra Peralta
27. Barron Sherer
28. Brigid Baker
29. Daniel Fila
30. McLaine Oberhellmann
31. Fro Rojas
32. Annie Hollingsworth
33. Preston Allen
34. Cristina Molina
35. David Josef Tamargo
36. Jillian Mayer
37. Alfonso Vega
38. Natasha Lopez de Victoria
39. Aholsniffsglue

40. Heather Maloney
41. Jorge Rubiera
42. Elaine Lancaster
43. Nick Duckart
44. Danielle Estefan
45. John Dufresne
46. Monica Lopez de Victoria
47. Bill Bilowit
48. Alette Simmons-Jimenez
49. Tawnie Silva
50. Ginger Bardot
51. Jonathan David Kane
52. Naomi Fisher
53. Rocky Grimes
54. Teresa Barcelo
55. Paul Tei
56. Lee Materazzi