Performance artists danced to the beat, artists were painting on the scene, exhibits and galleries galore, bright colors and free-spirited people filled up the streets. Aromas of bakeries and their sweets lurked around every corner. Watch out New York and San Francisco, there’s a new art scene on the prowl. South Florida is an art affair with a collage of music, art, and eccentric people.
“I think what’s happening down here in South Florida is that artists are finding areas where they can express themselves and try new things,” said Ruben Ubiera, Artist, Michael Margulies Artist Agency. “Our Caribbean and South American intake make this melting pot different from other cities. No one is from here, so they bring a lot of their previous knowledge and put it to work here.”
Wynwood Art Fair 2011 was born last weekend in the name of art and love, with all proceeds benefiting the Lotus House Women’s Shelter.
“We have a fundraiser every year but this year we expanded to a three day art fair. The community has come together, from art galleries to museums, all contemporary arts, performance artists from across the country, and companies like Bank of America and Sothebys Real Estate,” said Lindsay Merril, Community Outreach Director for Lotus House Women’s Shelter. “We put out calls to exhibitors and performance artists, whom enter proposals to us, and then we choose the most that are in line with our event.”
One of the artists chosen to participate in the art fair was Ruben Millares. His choice of wardrobe for the day was a beige hat and a long bright red jumpsuit, similar to a mechanic suit full of paint residue that screamed out a day of hard art work. His main exhibit was a huge pink lotus flower in a cage.
“These are flower pedals that I’ve asked the fair goers to write down their dreams on, which are new dreams in the water that are going to make these flowers blossom as a heart inside a ribcage. So that good energy, those good vibes will make this flower flourish. I used plywood, painted lotus house colors, and eight domes that contrast with the steel, so you have to peek into this heart to capture the essence of this art.“ Millares said.
Millares also participated in a parade entitled “The Riddle of the Blue Sphinx. “ If you want to see more of his work check out www.rubenmillares.com.
This parade danced up and down the entire strip of the art fair. One of the booths it passed included artists that are trying to push the evolution of graffiti, a popular form of art in Wynwood called the post-graffitist movement. Together they are a collaboration of artists that chose a theme of exploration and travel for the art fair.
A piece in this exhibit that was hanging on the wall, was a boat that seemed to be flying rather than swimming. “This is performance art, its telling you a message. I think art should create a conversation,” Ubiera said.
“Think of concept. The picture is interesting to me because it’s depending on gravity in order to look like its traveling when it’s actually hanging and the way it’s coming down, while your mind is telling you that it’s actually going up. The boat represents me and I put a plane in the opposite direction because I am usually going against the plane. Because of aspirations, I usually take the hard route which is weird but I have learned to dominate my style that way. I love the guitar and music. The hibiscus flower is my country’s flower. I’m Dominican which is why you see plantains, trees, and drums. The rooster represents my spirit and my drive.” More of Ubiera’s work can be seen on http://www.marguliesagency.com/
Another piece to the travel and exploration theme inspired by graffiti was the three different perspectives. These included the artist’s self-portrait, the way the artist views himself, the observer, the way people view his art work, and the art’s perspective, the way the art sees him.
One of his pictures includes a black hand, a face, an oriental woman, and flowers. “This is not your traditional self-portrait”, said Daniel Fila, Artist, Krave Art, “I always have my art work out in front, that’s where my confidence came from early on. I still push my art work like that. That’s the face of me.”
Fila’s Art Work has a mind of its own. The right piece is his personal art story written but he is the author never knowing how people will receive his art. “My art work helped define who I am very early on,” said Fila, “When I was in 4th grade, I was a shy kid but when I was drawing, everyone would stand over my shoulder and laugh. That’s where I started to find my identity. I didn’t know my drawings were funny since I was drawing serious. It’s like my art had a life of its own because it was making people react in different ways.” More of his work at www.kraveart.com .
Another different type of art includes an installation specifically made for this art fair. This is an actual bedroom even in size except it’s completely made out of wire only. Each item in the room was made out of one piece of wire without being cut. “I think drawing with wire gives that feeling of innocence right off the back, said David Zalben, artist. “Everything I do is personal. Those are the beverages that I drink and the book “Freud” on the floor is my favorite artist.”
What was Zalben’s time line to get this task completed? “I don’t measure anything by time; it’s a waste of time to measure by time.”Zalben said, “I measure everything by quality. What does it matter if it takes five minutes or three years? As an artist, you can’t time clock anything. People in general measure everything by time. I do believe that’s what creates a lot of anxiety and frustration, so I try not to do that.” More of his art philosophy can be seen at www.davidzz.com.
Imagine growing up in a family full of art because your grandmother owns her very own museum. It’s no surprise that Hadley Martin Fisher has hopes to open up his own museum one day and follow in his grandmother’s footsteps. He does however have his own collection of arts. One unique piece of art: Inside a television there is a man who is looking out towards a mirrored image of his current surroundings full of human faces spinning on a fan.
To see more of the collection, go to http://www.hadleymartinfishercollection.org/
Wynwood Art Fair seemed to be more of an art festival than an fair because there were so many different types of artists, people, sponsors, and volunteers involved. Wynwood Art Fair 2011 was a treat to the art world as well to the women and children in need of guidance and a place to live at Lotus Women’s Shelter. You don’t need to wait until next year to get into all of the action. Check out the photographs at http://s1181.photobucket.com/albums/x438/Ericareports/?albumview=slideshow and videos at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG6zMSXpjjg;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFY9gLVf3cI; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSBCcnlUXu4; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-l9EkX44U0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFY9gLVf3cI; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSBCcnlUXu4; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-l9EkX44U0
