Art week in Miami 2016 got underway full throttle with the opening of Untitled, Art Miami/Context, Scope and a number of private parties to cause a liver transplant. We attended Untitled which is perhaps the best of the satellite offerings.
The fifth edition of Untitled, Miami Beach revealed the most consistent quality edition of the fair yet. 129 international exhibitors, special artist projects featuring Rirkrit Tiravanija and Tomas Vu, Noemí Escandell and Haim Steinbach, new collaborations with institutions including the ICA Miami and Aperture Foundation, and the return of the popular Untitled, Radio. The fair will take place on the beach at Ocean Drive and 12th Street from November 30th – December 4th. We especially liked the Microscope Gallery showing artists Eileen Maxson, Kevin Reuning and Zach Nadler. Dittrich & Schlechtriem, Berlin for a tiled installation of work by Simon Mullan. Special mention must also go to Eric Firestone Gallery from East Hampton for its impressive stand of Arp like sculptures and abstract paintings. UK representation was thin but Jack Bell, Ronchini, Rod Barton and Modern Forms all had strong stands. Watch out for the fair’s San Fransisco edition in January 2017.
Untitled, Miami Beach is a curated art fair that focuses on all disciplines of contemporary art. Founded in 2012, Untitled’s curatorial team works to identify and curate a selection of galleries, non-profit institutions and artist-run spaces, positioned within a a large marquee on the beach.
Artlyst also attended the launch of a pavilion on the beach by the Chinese artist Sun Xun. It is titled, Reconstruction of the Universe’, ink drawings, sound, various architectural and design elements, all of which are included in a massive pavilion made of curved bamboo. For this work, Sun Xun has employed his entire artistic arsenal, making this one of his most technically complex artworks to date. Sun Xun’s work incorporates traditional craft and cutting-edge technology, and explores global history, politics and memory. Audiences are invited to enter the installation after dusk to experience the full impact of the illuminated work.
Sun Xun was proposed for the second Audemars Piguet Art Commission by guest curator Ruijun Shen. During the summer of 2016, experts retained by Audemars Piguet worked closely with the artist and his team to develop innovative solutions in order to project his film, Time Spy, onto three spherical screens, which will be displayed inside the pavilion.
The animated films included in the installation take inspiration from the Five Elements – metal, wood, fire, water, and earth – that structure the universe and influence change according to Chinese cultural tradition. The works utilises different materials to symbolize each of the elements: a sequence showing miners at work has been created using carbon powder, a large woodcut animation depicts white blooming flowers, ink brings the rolling waves of the sea to life and images of ants and the Earth are finished with coloured pencil.
An exceptionally diverse range of visual references will feature in the installation, all of them informed by Sun Xun’s deep study of Western and Eastern cultural traditions. An image evoking Song dynasty ink drawings sets the overarching tone and mood, while other moments offer glimpses of Socialist Realism, Renaissance painting, and various modern and contemporary strains of art.
The development and presentation of the installation was undertaken in collaboration with the artist’s three galleries: Sean Kelly Gallery in New York, ShanghART Gallery in Shanghai, Beijing and Singapore, and Edouard Malingue Gallery in Hong Kong.
Artist Sun Xun said: “I’m looking forward to presenting Reconstruction of the Universe in Miami and I hope this will be a unique experience for viewers. I have created an immersive environment, which bridges the gap between past and present, reflecting on global history and memory. I want viewers to feel as if they have entered another world. I have always been interested in time and my work for the Audemars Piguet Art Commission is deeply rooted in the history and metaphysics of the world surrounding us.”
Olivier Audemars, Vice Chairman of the Board of Audemars Piguet, said: “We developed the Audemars Piguet Art Commission with the intention of making a significant contribution to the world of contemporary art. Sun Xun continues to produce works of artistic impact, and we’re delighted to be presenting one of his most ambitious projects to date. It’s a pleasure to work with an artist who creates works requiring exceptional technical accuracy and creativity, and who shares Audemars Piguet’s core value: “To Break The Rules, You Must First Master Them.”
Further to the Art Commission, Audemars Piguet continues to be present at the Art Basel Collectors Lounge. Created by Chilean designer Sebastian Errazuriz and taking inspiration from the ice formations and the beautiful snowy winters in the Vallée de Joux, the lounge highlights the concept of an ice cycle as a metaphor of time while presenting a selection of Audemars Piguet’s most complicated timepieces and Savoir-Faire.
Off today for the opening of the main Miami Beach Art Basel and Design Miami. More to report later…
