Art Nexus Celebrates 40th Anniversary

Susanne, Celia and Francine Birbragher at the Art Nexus 40th anniversary party at Eighty Seven Park by Renzo Piano

Prestigious art magazine Art Nexus celebrated its 40th anniversary at the site of Terra's Renzo Piano designed, Eighty Seven Park.

Over 300 guest enjoyed a curated, silent auction of Latin American art, music on the beach and a who's who of art enthusiast.



Guest included Cuban curator Juan Delgado Calzadilla, socialite Christina Getty, Miami Children's Museum Director Debbie Spiegelman, Art Nexus Founder and Director Celia Sredni de Birbragher, photographer Alexis Rodriguez-Duarte, Tico Torres, Channel 7's Belkys Nerey, gallerist Jorge Sori, Miami-based documentary filmmaker Stella Holmes, Lionheart Capital's Gigi Ganatra Duff, designer Mark Alan Diaz who appeared on HGTV's Design Star Season 6 and Juan Carlos Arcila-Duque.

Photos by ​
​MANNY HERNANDEZ
​ / MannyofMiami​

Gilda Garza's TRUE ALOVE exhibition

Domingo Zapata and Gilda Garza


Gilda Garza's TRUE ALOVE exhibition aboard Iron Man Yacht at Miami Beach Marina, brought a crowd of art buyers, fellow artist friends, gallerist and society. The party was DJ'd by Duke Dumont, who's hit "Need U (100%)" recently topped the charts. 

Guests included Brittny and Lisa Gastineau, Shaun Ross, Lady Victoria Hervey, Claudine De Niro, and Domingo Zapata.



​PHOTOS by MANNYofMiami.com

Art Basel: Take the Kids

Kids are welcome at Art Basel. At both the main fair and the satellite fairs kids are free to roam the booths, talk to gallerists and soak in all the art. At the convention center Miami Children's Museum hosts "Art Kids," a separate room where kids ages 4-12 can be dropped off for art activities while parents attend the fair. Our kids painted canvases in the De Stijl style, made tile mosaics and worked on post-Impressionist sketches. There was also a story corner and design-y toys to use.

The Sound Positions experiences at Context (pictured above) were a draw for our kids, especially the recording of a North Carolina tobacco auctioneer.
At Pulse the kiddies enjoyed walking around the tents and we're delighted by the playground that is found in the Eden Roc parking lot where the fair is situated.
Our only quibble with Art Miami and Context was the no stroller rule. We get that strollers might be a nuisance in congested tents but we saw many exhausted parents carrying sleeping kids around the fair or trying to hold on to little ones that would have been safely strapped in (and less of a threat to the art).
By SARA Liss

Dom Perignon Celebrates Art Basel at Wall South Beach

DJ Rukus and Paris Hilton
(PHOTO by MANNY of Miami​)




Alex Auline, Michaela Tyvola
(PHOTO by MANNY of Miami​)







Jacob Zucker, Matilde Zikanes, David Bowly
​ (PHOTO by MANNY of Miami​)

Art Basel: Politics and Protest at Art Week

Given how consumed everyone has been by the politics of the U.S. presidential election, the shortage of politically or even socially inspired art at Miami Art Week is a little surprising. (Yes, it's an international event, but plenty of folks around the world are concerned with the consequences of a Trump administration.)

One exception is the Makaya Gallery, which is showing work in their Wynwood space and their booth at the Scope satellite fair with a strong social and political point of view.

"This show arose from what's going on," said Makaya co-owner Patrick Glemaud. "It's like a piece of history is being written now."

There's an opening Friday night at Makaya, but among the pieces that will stay up after Art Week are a number by Knowledge Bennett, including "Mao Trump," which superimposes Trump's face on a replica of Warhol's portrait of the repressive Chinese communist leader.
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Knowledge Bennett's "Mao Trump"

There are pieces from Miami artist Stuart Sheldon's "Banned in America" series. (Sheldon has also done a mural near Panther Coffee in Wynwood where people are invited to write in whatever they want "Freedom of" and "Freedom for.")

​
Makaya also has works from "Divided States of America," a series by Chor Boogie, a top street artist who began writing graffiti in San Diego in 1993, at age 13. In "Mi$$ America," a nude Lady Liberty is draped in an American flag, with a real $100 bill taped across her mouth. 

​Chor Boogie "Mi$$ America"

Chor Boogie (real name Jason Hailey) says the series was originally commissioned by a patron in the pharmaceutical industry who switched from being an Obama to a Trump supporter.

"I asked the guy who did he think was going to win, and he said "Trump, no doubt about it"," Hailey says. "There was something in his voice that scared me. It was like they were serious about making this happen. And I said I gotta get this message out there."

"I have no fear in speaking truth, as long as I have two hands, heart, mind, body and soul to express the freedom that everybody all over the world deserves."

Glemaud said fears that some have expressed about censorship and curtailment of civil liberties make this a good time for protest art.

"We view it as a time of great opportunity," he said. "People are more awake when there's danger. This is a wake up call to people with a social conscience, that maybe things are not as nice as we think they are."

The anti-Trump bus created by activist artist duo Mary Mihelic and David Gleeson, who spent much of the past year driving it around the country as performance protest art, got attention after being rejected by satellite Red Dot Art Fair. They've since been taken in by the Conception Art Fair. The Herald has covered them, and a team from Fusion had profiled the pair, after seeking in vain for other protest art projects.

Mary Mihelic and David Gleeson's "Desecration Flag" at Conception Art Fair

Conception director Rachel Wilkins says she's seen little political work from the art world. "I wonder if people are afraid," she said Friday afternoon. "He [Trump] did just say that people who burn the flag should get their citizenship revoked. I hope artists don't react that way."
​

Mihelic and Gleeson's exhibit includes the "Desecration Flag," a giant flag Mihelic embroidered with quotes from the candidate's infamous "grab them by the p----" recording.

"I thought 'what would Betsy Ross think of Trump?'," Mihelic said Friday. "One woman told me "you shouldn't put that on a flag!" and I told her "you shouldn't put that in the White House."

They're also showing a red-stained bed impaled by a sword, inspired by Trump's "blood coming out of her wherever" remark about Megyn Kelly, and a comment his second wife, Marla Maples, made about his "swordsmanship" in bed; a giant paintbrush equipped with a telescopic rifle scope (which security did not allow them to bring to the protest area at the Republican convention, although the gathering was full of people carrying guns) and an antique ballot box filled with buttons with a black swan. In the financial industry, a black swan is an emblem of a completely unexpected event with enormous impact.

"We're saying Trump is a political black swan," said Gleeson. 

- Jordan Levin

Art Basel: Russell & Danny Simmons' RUSH Philanthropic Arts Foundation names grand prize winner of 7th Annual BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Artisan Series

Russell Simmons and Danny Simmons’ RUSH Philanthropic Arts Foundation joined with BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Gin to announce Philadelphia-based artist, Darius Frank as the Grand Prize Winner of the
7th Annual BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Artisan Series. Hosted on the rooftop of the transformed garage space at 11 11 Lincoln Rd, celebrities A$AP Rocky, Rosario Dawson, Sasha Lane (American Honey), model Nicole Banner, Rocky Barnes, Shepard Fairey, Timo Weiland, Kristen Taekman, celebrity chef Travis London, and a host of artists, musicians, and socialities attended the private event featuring free flowing BOMBAY SAPPHIRE cocktails and a guest DJ set by super producer Jermaine Dupri.

The event culminated the annual arts competition launched in 2010 as a collaboration between Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation and Bombay Sapphire to uncover the next big name in visual arts. Selected out of thousands of online submissions and a series of regional gallery events across the US and Canada, the
works of 14 artists and two finalists determined by online votes were showcased at the finale event. Grand prize winner, Darius Frank
will move on to collaborate with New York based non-profit arts
organization, Creative Time, on a groundbreaking public arts project
scheduled to be unveiled in Spring 2017 and to include a solo exhibition at
next year’s SCOPE Miami Beach. The two online winners were First Place Prize Winner Jimmy Jenkins Jr. and People’s Choice Winner Ivan Alifan.


Fabiola Fleuranvil

IG: @MiamiFabulous


Photo caption: Andre Guichard, Danny Simmons, Darius Frank, & Russell Simmons at the 7th Annual Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series Finale

Art Basel: Rush Foundation Art for Life Charity Auction raises over $150,000

Russell Simmons had a big night at his Rush Foundation Art for Life Charity Auction hosted at the swanky and brand-new SLS Brickell Hotel & Residences. Co-hosted by Danny Simmons, Sam Nazarian, and Jorge M. Pérez, the annual Miami Art Week charity event raised over $150,000 with Venus Williams taking home three pieces. Even Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) Director Franklin Sirmans got in on the action with one of the auction items consisting of Sirmans himself curating a gallery or exhibit for the final bidder.

In attendance at the private event was Jorge Perez, Russell Simmons,
Danny Simmons, Troy Simmons, Mayor Carlos Jimenez, Franklin Sirmans, chef Jose Andres,
chef Andrea Drummer, artist Rafael Domenech, artist Tomas Esson, Venus
Williams, Sam Nazarin, and Andrea Fiuczynski.

Proceeds
from the auction benefits the foundation’s arts education programs for
inner-city youth and gallery programs for emerging
artists and curators.

Fabiola Fleuranvil

IG: @MiamiFabulous

Miami Independent Thinkers at Scope

Kerry McLaney, one of the founders of Miami Independent Thinkers

Miami Independent Thinkers, representing Miami's flourishing art and artist community at the Scope Arts Fair.

This year's artist include: Ahol Sniffs Glue, Andres Bardales, Cecilia Lueza,
Christopher DuWerks 
Dudot​, ​
Christopher Valdes
​, ​
David McCauley
​,​

Jay REMOTE Bellicchi
​,​
JC Arana
​, ​
Juan Manuel Delgado
​, ​
Lauren Shapiro
​,​

Loren Abbate
​, ​
Liz Prohira
​, ​
Marina 
Gondola​, ​
Matthew Drennan Wicks
​,​

Natalie Zlamalova
​, ​
Raul Santos
​, ​
Victor Gardino
​, ​
Vivian Carbonell
​,​ and

Yuhmi Collective
​.


​

​Photo by ​
Manny Hernandez
​ / MannyofMiami​

Art Basel: Must see art at 6th Annual Art Africa Miami: Afrotopia exhibition

The 6th Annual Art Africa Miami Fair has proven itself a mainstay in Miami Art Week with an expanded showcase of contemporary artists from across the African Diaspora and as one of the leading drivers of Overtown's resurgence as an art and cultural hub. This year's exhibition titled, Afrotopia: African Diaspora and the Politics of Representation, opened with a VIP Champagne Brunch preview at the newly renovated and historic Clyde Killens pool hall in Overtown.

Presented in collaboration with the Southeast Overtown/Parkwest CRA (SEOPW CRA) and the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau's 'Art of Black' initiative, the well attended preview hosted the likes of City of Miami Commissioner Keon Hardemon; Clarence Woods, Executive Director of the SEOPW CRA; Alexis Synder, District Chief of Staff with Congresswoman Frederica Wilson's office; John Beckford, Chief of Staff for Commissioner Dale Holness; Retha Boone, Executive Director of the Miami-Dade Black Affairs Advisory Board; Tina Brown, Executive Director of the Overtown Youth City; Teri Williams, President of One United Bank, Eric Knowles, President of the Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce; and actress Stacy-Ann Rose, from HBO's Ballers, among others.

Afrotopia articulates the evolution of the African Diaspora from the beginning of time, the present, and leading into the future. It's a metaphor of how the Black Diaspora continues to change based on the circumstances from the Middle Passage, Reconstruction, Civil Rights, and now, but also explores a utopian situation extracting current realities to create idyllic spaces towards our sustainability. The collection of artists featured in Afrotopia reflects the shift in constructively moving forward into a future of our thinking. The politically and socially charged collection of works i triggers necessary dialogue, challenges current perceptions, preserves Black culture, and promotes economic liberation.

The exhibition features works by artists: Nakazzi
Hutchinson, Turgo Bastien, Maximo Caminero, Miles Regis, Carl Craig,
Ivan Gross, Doba Afolabi, Freddy Osorio, Rafael Lopez Ramos, Anthony
Burks, Tessa Mars, Jean Sebastien, Dan Arlan, Philippe Dodard, Solomon
Adufah, Philippe Curtis, Najee Dorsey, Noel Theard, Guy Syllian,
Christina Nicola, and Robert McKnight, among others.

Fabiola Fleuranvil

IG: @MiamiFabulous

PHOTOS Patricia Field x ArtFashion at White Dot Gallery in Wynwood

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Lady Bunny



South Beach Pioneers Tara Solomon and Louis Canales

PHOTOS by ​
Manny Hernandez
​ / MannyofMiami​