Miami Project: Slideshow and Commentary

by Paddy Johnson and Corinna Kirsch on December 8, 2012 Art Fair

Miami Project at closing time.

Is Miami Project the new PULSE? No. It’s better, and we’ve got a slideshow with commentary to prove it. After having spent a good portion of our evening last night touring the fair, we offer our highlights, lowlights, and everything between, below.

We haven't seen much Janet Fish in a while, so it was nice to see her painting Anderson's Fairy Tales (1999) on view at DC Moore Gallery. Her work is more painterly than I remember it being, so there's an unexpected energy to this still life. The Louise Nevelson book-like sculpture, Sky Garden Cryptic VI (1978) is also great, but that's mostly because we like most things that remind of us of books and buildings at the same time.

We first saw Ron Nagle in Wallspace's summer show "The Mystery Trend." He's been making these small-scale, hyper-colored ceramic works since for decades—before Lynda Benglis, even. We're a fan, and we hope to see more of his work. These three alluring oddities were featured in the booth of San Francisco-based gallery Rena Bransten.

 

Fredericks & Freiser's large, centrally-located booth took up one of the prime spots at the fair. That placement seems to have paid off for them, as when we spoke with them they'd already sold a few of their larger works. Our favorites from the booth, these three paintings by John Wesley, happened to be on the smaller side.

 

Remember when Nina Katchadourian's "Lavatory Self-Portraits in Flemish Style" were a big hit on the Internet? Or that time her book-spine poetry series took up everyone's attention for a day? Well, now you can see several of her hits at Catharine Clark Gallery's booth.

Easily the best work in the show, IMO. Paul Housley at Ziehersmith.

I'm not so sure about the over-the-top theatricality in Andy Freeberg 's photograph of a dealer in front of that godawful Kehinde Wiley, at Kopeikin Gallery.

Unfortunately, some tacky works managed to squeeze their way into the fair. Carroll and Sons showed Joe Zane's "Princess", a taxidermied chihuahua sitting atop a heart-shaped pillow. Its nails are painted, too.

I spent a lot of time making fun of Charles Linder's lightbulb pig at Gallery 16, but it gradually grew on me to the point that I now think it might be okay after all. That may just be because it's in front of a Michelle Grabner painting though.

This Michelle Grabner painting at Gallery 16 is gorgeous and mysteriously still available. Not sure what the problem is here, beyond the lightbulb pig (currently out of frame) that's stationed in front of it. Also in frame: Shaun Odell.

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