The Reality

The reality is that thousands of arts professionals and enthusiasts did descend on Miami, trying to negotiate, infiltrate, and consummate the 20 plus simultaneous fairs. Aesthetic and economic indicators were on view in a blur of fashion, gossip,VIP-ness, and booze.

Here I am reflected in the helmet of Matthew Day Jackson's space suit, which was part of his diverse but integrated solo project at Marfa Ballroom (a not-for-profit from that other artworld mecca-Marfa, Texas). His works are always culturally and historically rich, and this installation made connections between Buckminster Fuller, the vat of poisoned Kool-Aid from Jim Jones's compound in Guyana, constellations and military test sites.

There were times during the 3 days of non-stop looking and talking that I wished I could've slipped into this protective garment and silently perused the stalls, containers, and hotel rooms.
But alas, it was sold.




Amanda Ross-Ho's installation at Cherry & Martin (Los Angeles) was a generative studio/showroom, as her pattern-cut sheetrock was host for collage drawings, studio photos, cut paper samples, and paint stained towels. These systemic overlays are sensual and strategic in a Jasper Johns kind of way, and Ross-Ho uses an expanded palette of painted and printed materials with great gusto. I'm looking forward to seeing more of her enigmatic work in the upcoming Whitney Biennial.



With a photo mural of his home office as backdrop for his videos, photos, and promotional materials, Douglas Weathersby made a significant contribution to booth by Solomon Projects (Atlanta). Stacked monitors showed a selection of his videos of dry and wet painterly gestures (included in the Louis Morris exhibition at The Contemporary in fall of 2006), while real shelves mixed it up with replicated ones. This dense and dynamic corner within a corner provided a strong gravitational pull, sucking viewers in to look at Weathersby's own productions as well as equally robust art by Joe Peragine, David Humphrey, and Scott Ingram.

Back in Atlanta, these three artists and the spaces that brought them are what I am thinking about.

posted by the Contemporary