Miami
With so many fairs and biennials all over the world, the inevitable question arises: “Why bother?” But the 2013 Miami spectacle proved that it’s still possible to have meaningful encounters with art in a restricted space and time frame. As leading collectors vied against each other and top dealers operated in overdrive, pockets of tangible authenticity managed to emerge from the dense maze of noisy booths and outdoor spaces. Even fair organizers have recognized the possible economic damage of ennui by adding curated shows and perimeter booths for emerging galleries and artists. It is often here that the breaks occur. At Art Basel, tucked away in the NOVA section at Revolver Galería, Peruvian-born Jose Carlos Martinat created an installation of two fake palm trees spewing bits of paper that appealed from afar with its promise of a deserted island in a frothy sea—a clever take, perhaps, on the artificiality of the fair? According to Martinat, the trees, which stood for Cuba and Puerto Rico, were rigged to search Google for the two islands and the U.S. The data was then processed into notes in English and Spanish. Forming a loose mound, the discharged papers spun a seemingly random yet revelatory account of problematic relations..…see the entire review in the print version of December’s Sculpture magazine.
