Getting Ready for Art Week Miami: CONTEXT Gallery Highlights

The directors of Art Miami, the city’s original and longest-running contemporary and modern art fair during Art Week, are pleased to produce CONTEXT for its third year running.

CONTEXT sits adjacent to Art Miami in the Wynwood Arts District and is dedicated to the development and reinforcement of emerging and mid-career artists. Since its launch, CONTEXT has expanded to include 78 international galleries from 20 countries, with more than 460 artists now represented. Launched in 2012, CONTEXT’s open atmosphere creates a meaningful dialogue between artists, galleries and collectors while providing the ultimate platform for the presentation of mid-career, emergent and cutting-edge talent by emerging and established galleries.

The fair will take place December 2-7, and is expected to attract more than 72,500 motivated collectors, curators, museum professionals and art enthusiasts from around the globe.

CONTEXT HIGHLIGHTS:

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Brett Amory – Jumbo’s, 2014

Brett Amory at Jonathan LeVine Gallery – Brett Amory is a California-based artist who gained broad recognition for his ongoing series “Waiting”, depicting anonymous commuters he encountered in urban settings. His work was praised for its psychological depth and representations of alienation in contemporary society. These paintings are based on photographs taken by the artist, and has that explained he was drawn to subjects who appeared out of place, alienated, or awkward. The Jonathan LeVine Gallery, committed to new and cutting edge art, will showcase pieces from Amory’s series, including Jumbo’s.  

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Jerry Powers – Art Miami, 2014

An auction of the official Art Miami 25th Anniversary commemorative painting will take place during Art Miami’s VIP Private Preview on December 2, to benefit PETA.  The irreverent acrylic-on-reverse-canvas titled “Art Miami” was created by Jerry Powers, founder and publisher of Ocean Drive magazine and local cultural icon, who is making his debut as an artist with this piece. Powers will also exhibit eight original pieces at CONTEXT through the duration of the fair.

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John McEwen – Rabbit with Ladle, 2013

John McEwen at Olga Korper Gallery – John McEwen is a Canadian artist best known for his use of stars as sculptural elements as well as naturalistic images, flame cut from massive metal slabs. His works are often informed by poetic and art historical sources as well as drawing upon the rich history of the Canadian landscape. McEwen’s outdoor commissions such as Rabbit with Ladle pictured above, become an intrinsic part of their surroundings. The Toronto-based Olga Korper Gallery, committed to the promotion and exhibition of Canadian and international contemporary art, will feature McEwen’s work at CONTEXT this year.

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Russell Young – Helter Skelter #16, 1960

Russell Young at BANKROBBER – Russell Young is a British-American artist best known for his enamel, screen-print paintings on linen, which explore celebrity, rock and roll, death and history. Young uses themes to express feelings of isolation, alienation, and entrapment, which emanates through his art and touches the audience. The independent Bankrobber Gallery in Notting Hill, London cemented a reputation for showing edgy and contemporary artists and will continue this tradition by showcasing a selection of Young’s work including pieces from his “Helter Skelter” series.

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Hadi Tabatabai – Thread Drawing 12, 2012

Hadi Tabatabai at Beatriz Esguerra Art – Iranian-American artist Hadi Tatabai’s art work is a combination of drawing, painting and sculpture that describes a place that is as much an idea as a physical location. His compositions create a constant experience of sensations that exist at the edge of perception. Tabatabai works with a variety of materials such as slate, wood, thread, and wax, in addition to paint, to produce his works with a sculptural three-dimensional quality. The artist will be showcased at CONTEXT by the Beatriz Esguerra, a gallery which is committed to promoting the work of Colombian and international contemporary artists.

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Ye Yongqing – Flowers and Bird, 2009

Ye Yongqing at Amy Li Gallery – Ye Yongqing is among the most prominent artists in China’s booming contemporary art scene. Many consider Ye the godfather of the growing artistic community that has emerged in the Yunnan province of southwestern China. He has spent much of his career painting portraits of birds made up of jagged lines. Through Ye’s distinct stroke, the poetic impression of his birds aims to incorporate dreams and mythologies from the world over. Recreating the immediacy of his sketches, in large sweeping gestures, Ye has developed a style that is both traditional and new. A selection of the artists’ series of birds will be featured at the Amy Li Gallery booth at this year’s fair, including Flowers and Bird. 

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Vincent Michéa – N° 92, 2013

Vincent Michéa at Ethan Cohen Fine Arts – Vincent Michéa creates narrative paintings inspired by his hometown Dakar, Senegal. He pays homage to African musical figures on large scale canvases and provides hyper-realistic renderings of the fleeting material culture that elicits nostalgia in the viewer. The artist’s palette is often made up of the bold colors and hard edges common in West African fabrics. Ethan Cohen, a distinguished gallery which has presented both emerging and internationally renowned artists for over 25 years, will showcase Vincent Michéa’s work including N° 92. 

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Adam Wiseman – Ventanas, Tlatelolco Desmentido

Adam Wiseman at Patricia Conde Galería – Adam Wiseman is a Mexican photographer and recipient of Mexico’s prestigious Endowment for the Arts Fellowship SNCA/FONCA, and a Prix Pictet nominee for 2014 for his series “Factory Walls”. His photographs have been published in numerous magazines and his work has been exhibited across the globe. Wiseman’s photograph taken during the chaos of 9-11 resides in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. as well as the 9/11 Memorial in NY. The artist is known for presenting minimalistic quiet spaces allowing viewers to place themselves in the image and participate in the scene. The renowned Patricia Conde Galería, currently the only Mexican gallery specialized in photography, will showcase his work including Ventanas, Tlatelolco Desmentido.

 For more information, please visit :  http://www.contextartmiami.com/