It has come and gone but, many have asked, “What is MIA-ARTFAIR?” After visiting twice, once by myself and once with a friend that wanted to attend, it is still a good question to ask. I did, of course, see some interesting work, but experimental work was at a minimum. One couldn’t deny that there was more work by the modern masters than seen during the Art Basel Miami events and fairs.
Aside of Aldo Castillo Gallery having multiple project spaces with solo artist projects, there was the large scale installation made up of used materials, such as shoes. It was quite a creative feat and children were sure to love its playful nature. It was set up like a playground, but obviously, one couldn’t play there. The painting on the walls of the installations I liked a lot (blue walls painted with cows).
Although “tribal” art is not what one would typically expect here, there were some fantastic bark cloth pieces by some women from New Guinea. One would hope they were not being taken advantage of, but who really knows.
I was not able to attend the lectures and such, but José Bedia was honored during the fair. His work continues to resonate for many.
Although bright colors are not normally that attractive to my personal environment, a series of works-on-paper by Sohan Quadri could easily change my mind. Although he clearly has Western influences, such as Mark Rothko and Clyfford Still, his work is uniquely Eastern. His work often contains tranquil coexistence of binary opposites.
