Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Art Basel Hangover


Well this past week and weekend is over and I have had time to recuperate from all the events and art. A bit of history, I’ve been going to Art Basel and its events since it opened in 2001. I have witness its evolution to what it is now. Which is to say it is a short time for a huge amount of artwork in general, good and bad depending what your taste may be. Personally, having been born here I am very happy to have one time in the year were a bunch of contemporary artist come to Miami to show off, it does beat the monotony of the summer. And in the end it’s great to see something different, kind of like a carnival. Although I have had years where I have been a bit annoyed with the events but I digress.

Last year was soooo over the top with the events that this year’s fairs are far more tamed by comparison but this is a good thing. There seems to be more quality work in my eyes and found Aqua Miami to be the best show this year from all the satellite fairs. Last year Pulse Miami was my favorite but they refined themselves in a bad way. There was not enough effort to show new work. I don’t know how balanced my opinion is due to the fact that I am bias to California Artists these days but I was very impressed with what I saw and just simply with the fact that it was all in one place.

One of this years surprised for me was the CIFO show of video art. The Bill Viola piece really snuck up on me. I remember going to a New York retrospective of his many years ago and felt that I have become quiet accustomed to his work. Do not misunderstand me, I really enjoyed the New York Exhibition but after having all the pieces together and seeing it kind of diluted me. Perhaps it’s time, but Viola’s video at CIFO was very good on a social level. More than other videos I can remember.

Last but not least was the graffiti around the City of Wynwood which is always impressive. The Primary Flight exhibition was awesome. It is nice to get in your car and drive around and see really cool stuff on the walls. Also it’s an exhibition that truly does not close so I recommend anyone to take a look.

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