The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum FIU, part of Florida International University, kicks off the summer of art in Miami with two original new exhibitions.
CUT: Abstraction in the United States from 1970s to the Present examines a multi-generational group of artists who challenge painting surfaces by making cuts, carvings and indentions. Spheres of Meaning: An Exhibition of Artists’ Books presents more than 30 works ranging from manipulated texts to new narrative forms.
CUT features more than 20 artworks by leading abstract artists, including Al Loving, Elizabeth Murray and Jack Whitten, alongside younger artists such as Clara Varas, Maria de los Angeles Rodriguez Jimenez, Loriel Beltran, and Alejandro Contreras. CUT presents a diverse group of artists, 15 of the 17 are artists of color.
Clara Varas, Crescent (Pink and Yellow), (2017), courtesy of the artist and Spinello Projects
The other exhibition debuting this summer, Spheres of Meaning, celebrates artists’ books by creatives who are either living in Miami or have called Miami home, including Purvis Young, Margarita Cano, Lydia Rubio, Diego Gutierrez, Carlos Macia, Jeannette Stargala, and Rosemarie Chiarlone.
The opening reception for both shows is on Saturday, June 8 (4:00-7:00 p.m.). The two new exhibitions are curated by Dr. Amy Galpin, Chief Curator. That same day at 3:00 p.m., Galpin will lead a conversation with Miami-based artists Loriel Beltran and Carol Todaro. Both shows remain on view through August 25. More details about both exhibitions continues below . . .
Sam Gilliam, Of Yellow and Gingers, (1979), collection of Jumaane and Lauren N’Namdi, image courtesy of the artist
CUT: Abstraction in the U.S. from the 1970s to the Present
“This exhibition expands on narrow definitions of American art,” said Dr. Jordana Pomeroy, the Director of the Frost Art Museum FIU. “For too long, the narrative of American abstraction has been limited in scope. This show reassesses what it means to be an abstract artist living and working in the United States.”
During the 20th century, many American abstract artists challenged traditional methods of art-making, using a palette knife instead of a paintbrush, soaking their canvases in diluted paint, and other ways of “cutting” that transformed their two-dimensional abstract paintings into three-dimensional works. For some of these artists, their “cuts” were seen as incisively political. For others, the new ways they pierced their canvases or cut the paint itself were investigations into the very materials they used.
Jeffrey Gibson, Study #6 (Waves Crashing), (2011-12), courtesy of the artist; Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York; Kavi Gupta, Chicago; and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles
The American abstract icon Jack Whitten once stated: “I cut paint, I laminate paint, I grind paint, I freeze paint, I boil paint.”
CUT also explores the important role that abstraction played in positioning American art onto the international arena, expanding traditional perceptions of American art since the mid-20th century and how the work of these artists changed perceptions.
By presenting different generations of artists alongside each other, CUT demonstrates how these artists executed a striking array of methods to manipulate their work, through the 1970s, the 80s, 90s and today (some are creating new works for CUT).
Roberto Jamora, Joan Carries All of This at the Women’s March (In Conversation with Joan Ariete-Hein),(2018), courtesy of the artist and Page Bond Gallery
CUT features work by canonical artists such as Al Loving, Elizabeth Murray, Sam Gilliam, Jack Whitten and Ed Clark. The roster of younger generation artists in CUT includes Nanette Carter, Roberto Jamora, Loriel Beltran, and Clara Varas. Other artists in the exhibition are Jacin Giordano, Jeffrey Gibson, Mark Bradford, Charo Oquet, Howardena Pindell, Maria de los Angeles Rodriguez Jimenez, and Angel Otero.
Highlights: the museum’s new acquisition by Elizabeth Murray will debut here (donated from the collection of Francie Bishop Good & David Horvitz). The monumental work by Mark Bradford is on loan from Art Bridges and was featured in the artist’s 2017 presentation at the Venice Biennale.
Maria de los Angeles Rodríguez Jimenez, Clean Her Blood (Limpiale La Sangre), (2018), courtesy David Castillo Gallery
Spheres of Meaning: An Exhibition of Artists’ Books
Also opening on the same day, this show presents a range of artists’ books, from manipulated texts to new narrative forms, and books as sculpture.
Rosemarie Chiarlone, Rupture Unseen, 2019, courtesy of the artist
Spheres of Meaning celebrates the rich and varied talent of artists living in Miami, alongside other artists who once called the city home, but whose books remain tied to the cultural fabric here. Seven of the artists in Spheres of Meaning will be creating entirely new work, thanks to support from Oolite Arts.
Jeannette Stargala, The Fleetingness of the Color Red, (2017), courtesy of the artist
These “spheres” present philosophical inquiries, personal reflections, and ruminations on complex and often related notions such as nurture and nature. Delicate and intuitive, the allure of these books invite closer examination. The works present eclectic interpretations on the book ─ from the ethereal to the deconstructed, and many bringing to light poignant reflections on autobiographical experiences.
Visitors to the museum galleries will be able to personally explore some of these artists’ books via accompanying iPads or facsimiles.
Donna Ruff, Relief and Rescue, (2006), courtesy of the artist
For some of the artists in Spheres of Meaning, making books is a primary creative form, while for others, artists’ books serve as one of many media in which they engage. Spheres of Meaning features works by: Margarita Cano, Rosemarie Chiarlone, Rafael Domenech, Diego Gutierrez, Lisa Haque, Carlos Macia, Lydia Rubio, Donna Ruff, Nicole Salcedo, Claire Jeanine Satin, Onajide Shabaka, Jeannette Stargala, Carol Todaro, and Purvis Young.
Lisa Haque, Milk Teeth, 2018, courtesy of the artist
.jpg){kind=tracking}
