Jenny Morgan at Mother Gallery
With the proceedings of Art Week Miami winding on, the halls at the Miami Beach Convention Center continue to draw massive crowds of both buyers and visitors, its luxe appointments and impressive stock of established blue chip works commanding big headlines and even bigger price tags. But across Biscayne Bay, the New Art Dealers Alliance had kicked off its annual take on the Miami Fair Week. NADA Miami, set up inside the Ice Palace Film Studios, puts itself forward as showcasing new art and to celebrating the rising talents from around the globe, exploring new or underexposed art that is not typical of the “art establishment,” by their words. NADA Miami is also the one of the only major American art fairs to be produced by a non-profit organization, and is recognized as a much needed alternative assembly of the world’s youngest and strongest art galleries dealing with emerging contemporary art.
Hou Zichao at Downs & Ross
The result of this mission statement is a fair that gives itself a decided familial atmosphere, with artists and gallerists milling around the entrance for a smoke, chatting at their respective booths, or greeting each other in the courtyard with a smile. This atmosphere leads to a relaxed, considered approach to the fair itself, bringing and emphasizes a lingering, considered approach to viewing the work on view, offered additional strength by the scale and surrounds of the fair.
Monsieur Zohore at DeBoer Gallery
Samantha Rosenwald at JDJ
At Downs and Ross, one could view striking compositions by Hou Zichao, densely layered canvases that used color and space to create cunning negotiations of the figurative and abstract, while at JDJ, one could view stark black and white works by Samantha Rosenwald, mixing a gritty aesthetic with peculiar, imagined worlds. A strong contrast could be found at Bradley Ertaskiran, where Bony Ramirez‘s colorful portraits made for an intimate, immerse viewing experience. Also striking were deconstructed canvases by Monsieur Zohore at DeBoer, creating surreal, subtle narratives running under the surface of the work.
Mark Thomas Gibson at Loyal Gallery
Coady Brown at Stems Gallery
The loose atmosphere and friendly demeanor of the galleries on hand, combined with the modest size of the fair made for an open-ended presentation well-attuned to the fair’s reputation. Marking a vital statement on the determination and continuation of NADA’s vital mission, the fair is a welcome return to Miami’s Art Week. It closes December 4th.
Bony Ramirez at Bradley Ertaskiran
– D. Creahan
Read more:
NADA Miami [Exhibition Site]
