Art + Culture Diaries #4
Miguel Paredes particular brand of pop art transcends borders on multiple levels. Although he is based in Miami, his wonder years were spent in New York mixing it up in the pop art milieu of Andy Warhol and Keith Haring while at the same time soaking in the sumptuous aesthetic birth of the New York City graffiti scene. There is no doubt that the layers of paint in his images speak volumes about the layers of life experience that can be soaked up by individuals who truly live. Legendary graffiti painter Lee Quinones told Cultureserve, “I see his work as an honest visual memoir documenting the tumoltuous dawn of folkloric New York. Miguel is a vivid reminder of this era — he is charismatic and funny, and yet strikingly fierce as a thinking artist.” So, if you missed his November B-BOY show in NYC at Capla Kesting Fine Art don’t worry, he’s on view in two locations at Art Basel Miami this December. True to form, Miguel’s work is appearing in two art shows - one for the mainstream (Kent Gallery 12/3-11) and one for those who like it “guerrilla style” (Fountain Miami 12/6-9)). His work at Fountain will feature a new series of paintings of legendary Salsa musicians. (Below: Motherhood on view at Kent Gallery and Le Christ from the B-BOYS series)
For the past couple of years, I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying the work of London based architect David Adjaye right around the corner from my house. The private Brooklyn home he constructed for the artists Lorna Simpson and James Casebere stands out in a neighborhood of traditional brownstones like an inquisitive leap into the future. This past month, I had the chance to hear him speak about this home, and his other public and private constructions, at Columbia University. Once again, I was quite impressed. His desire to re-imagine the urban environment and re-invest in it has materialized in numerous neighborhoods in London and now, more and more in the United States. What resonated most for me were his comments on references and inspiration. He discussed using artifacts as a strategy (ancient, crafted, non-architectural artifacts that represent the manifestation of abstract ritual into simple form). For example, his inspiration for the building Rivington Place (London) rested in the jagged forms of Mende Helmet Masks of the Sande Women’s Associations of Sierra Leone and Liberia and, his inspiration for the multi-colored block structure of The Idea Store Library (White Chapel) came from similar patterns found in Kente cloth. His use of ancient artifacts as “DNA” for his modern day architectural creations offers a powerful, innovative and futuristic take on the relationship between Africa and the West and where it can go.
(Photos, left to right: The Idea Store Library by Timothy Soar and Rivington Place by Ed Reeve)
Younity’s premiere art exhibition, The Crossover: A Fusion of Female Stylez, Ideaz and Skillz, this past month in New York City was a smashing success. Opening night was crowded from the minute the doors opened until the crowd’s final collective toast of Nuvo for Her Sparkling Pink Vodka in champagne glasses! Speaking of pink, Lady Pink, the iconic female artist for a host of the show’s participants, blessed the crowd with her presence along with Shiro who came in from Japan and several NY based artists. Younity’s founders Alice Mizrachi and Toofly put together a super tight roster of local and international artists who truly represented for the ladies. Watch out for a lot more from this developing international women’s artist collective…
Unbreakable, acrylic on canvas, 30×40, by Toofly
Artwork from The Crossover will be on sale online until December 25th.
