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12.15.2008

FAIR WEATHER: Pulse

Miami Art Fairs, Art Basel Miami, Aqua, Art Miami, Bridge, Pulse, Red Dot, Scope, Rubell Collection
Already posted:


David Poppie at Pavel Zoubok, New York (more below)
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Pulse is a fair that never disappoints, and I’m going to talk about it in a moment. But for those of you have not been to the Miami fairs, I should say something about the locations: Miami Beach and Wynwood.
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Miami Beach is the home of the Convention Center, which holds the big fair a few blocks in from the beach; the Containers, located along the strand in Collins Park; and a group of hotel fairs: Aqua, Bridge, Ink, Art Now and the new-this-year Artist Fair, located along Collins Ave, which runs parallel to the beach. Lincoln Road, with its pedestrian mall and outdoor restaurants, runs perpendicular to Collins a few blocks south of the art action. Ocean Drive, which begins in South Beach, takes over as the beach road, pushing Collins a block inland. Ocean Drive is lined with the landmarked Art Deco hotels that face the beach at the southernmost end of Miami Beach.

Even though I never make it into the water, I love being near it, if only to take the brick-path beach walk from my South Beach hotel the 10 blocks north to the Convention Center and hotels. Over the past couple of years, however, many of the fairs have migrated away from the hotels—which, admittedly offer cramped space at best—to the Wynwood section of Miami, across the causeways, a $22 cab ride away. (Yes, you can take a fair-provided shuttle if you don’t mind being on someone else’s timetable.)

Wynwood, with its warehousey buildings and grass lots large enough to accommodate the giant fair tents, has thus become the active alternative location for the various venues. Taxis and pedicabs ply the fair route. I felt weird having another person take me around on his own pedal power until he assured me, “It’s my job this week. Just tip me well.”
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Pulse

While I’m not keen on the location—SoHo Studios, just far enough away from the rest of the Wynwood venues to require some sort of transportation—or the hard concrete floor that’s hard on the joints, the art at Pulse never disappoints.
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The Pulse venue with pedicab at the ready. (I pulled this from the Pulse website, since I forgot to photograph the venue. This image is from last year.)
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This time, two elements grabbed me: The compelling booth installations, and the large number of artworks that involved assemblage and/or multiple parts. Of course there were other interesting things, and you’ll see them in upcoming posts, including the tapestry that was the centerpiece of the Schroeder Romero booth, some great works on paper, and my usual focus on geometric art.

. Installations: Some installations shown here consist of whole booths devoted to one theme. Others are just so well designed that the the whole and its parts are in perfect equipoise. I liked them all.


Nettie Horn, London: Debbie Lawson's hallucinatory carpeted Victoriana

Period atmosphere from Anna Klinkhammer Galerie, Dusseldorf



Envoy Enterprises, New York: James J. Williams III, Canteen Reading Room. Art booth or art bordello? Fabulous either way


My photographic notes show a sign that says The Siennese Shredder, but I'm not going to assume it's from Italy and I can't tell you the artist or artists who did the work. (Pulse doesn't provide a catalog.) It's a compelling installation though, no?



Morgan Lehman Gallery, New York: The whirlwind of an installation by Andrew Schoultz with individual works on the far wall

Marx and Zavattero, San Francisco: Libby Black's installation stopped you in your tracks. But talk about lightweight. The whole installation is made out of paper. (And it will take a bundle of paper to acquire it. Price: $61,500)



Winkleman Gallery, New York: Everyone's favorite blogger, Edward Winkleman, facing camera, with gallery manager Murat Orozobekov, aka Bambino, back to camera, and friend.
What I love here is the way the installation is set up like a mini museum. From left: Andy Yoder garage door Chrisopher K. Ho quad of small drawings; Sarah Peters drawings behind Ed; naked Ed and sculpture also by Ho. On the table are art-world condolence cards from Compound Editions by Jennifer Dalton and William Powhida


. Multiple elements: This may sound corny, but when you see what artists do with stuff like pencil points or shoe taps, you're reminded (once again) that we just don’t think like other people.


Pavel Zoubok Gallery, New York: This gallery specializes in collage and assemblage, and the whole assemblage-of-an-installation reinforces the gallery's point of view, above and below, and below that

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Space, Bratislava, Slovak Rebublic: Laubert's tap-embellished carpet. Detail below
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Marcia Wood Gallery, Atlanta: Pamela Phatismo Sunstrum, I Will Wade Out, 2008, collage and glass beads on canvas paper, 16 x 24 inches.
I love the poetry of this piece: the shimmering figure alone in the landscape but calling out and connecting with the universe


Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai: Valay Shende's beautifully sculpted figure covered in watch faces evinces all the metaphors and expressions having to do with time



Lyons Weir.Ortt Gallery, New York: Paintings and the sneakers and trucker caps made from them
The artist, Tait Roelofs, seated at his sewing machine, below.
"Can I wear these?" asked a potential collector. "I wouldn't recommend it," the artist replied


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