For the first time since he was arrested and held for a ridiculous amount of time in prison, dancehall legend Buju Banton returned victoriously to the stage on Sunday night to a throng of very happy fans in Miami. Other reggae greats like Everton Blender, Nadine Sutherland, Freddie McGregor, Gyptian, and Wayne Wonder kicked off the show. Then the man of the hour ignited the adoring crowd. Read more »
That’s a wrap! Those of us who didn’t make it out to Miami’s week o’art this year were doomed to compulsive voyeurism. Now that it’s over, combing through the massive photo lot — like vacation albums simultaneously on steroids and mushrooms — is tedious, so here are some random, captioned highlights. Read more »
Covered in Swarovski crystals, gold and neon lights, Dzine’s latest exhibition shines at Miami’s Bass Museum of Art. The Chicago-based artist, a former graffiti writer, is showing a collection of work appropriating and mixing elements of pop culture, Chicano “lowrider” culture and gaudy design. On display are a series of crystal-studded installations and objects that include turntables, chandeliers, lowrider bikes and even a ghost bike-inspired tricycle tricked out with all sorts expensive accoutrements that would get stolen within the hour. |The Art Collectors|
“Dzine,” October 3, 2009 – February 21, 2010, Bass Museum of Art, Miami
Renowned surrealistic photographer of scantily clad celebrities David LaChapelle has turned his focus to luxury status symbols. Intended to inspire some reflection on the real value of “Cars and Money,” an exhibition of his series “The Crash” and “Negative Currency” is on view at Miami’s Wolfgang Roth and Partners Fine Art. Collaged images of smashed cars are titled after luxury ad phrases like “Luxurious Power” and “Boundless Freedom,” while negative images of pink dollars reference the false commodities of the recent economic collapse.
“Cars and Money: New Works by David Lachapelle,” December 2 – February 13, 2010, Wolfgang Roth & Partners Fine Art, Miami
New York-based photographer the 13th Witness reports back from Miami where the seasonal change isn’t so depressing.
Photo by the 13th Witness
Dozens of artworks went up in flames last night at Art Burn 2009, an incendiary exhibition outside Miami’s jumble of fairs. Carrying on the tradition of anti-Renaissance priests and desert ravers, burn master and artist El Celso systematically torched creative pieces of kindling that included workwork by Michael De Feo, Darkcloud and fire tagger Ellis G. As promised, the inflammatory performance was well documented by co-host of combustion C-Monster.
Michael Jackson makes his latest posthumous appearance down at Miami’s art mess. Riding a white horse in gilded clothes and cape, the King of Pop was unveiled in a massive Kehinde Wiley painting inside Deitch Projects’ booth at the Basel art fair. Read more »
Artists having trouble getting seen at Art Basel Miami should consider surrendering their work to an inflammatory new installation. Street artist CELSO is staging Art Burn 2009, a brief exhibition of “combustible works on wood and paper” that will be torched in a blaze of glory. There’s no fee to submit, but only the “best works will be burned,” a painful critique for those deemed unworthy of destruction. |C-Monster|
Photo via El Celso
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