Arts

Awakening at the Awarehouse

The Awarehouse is not really a gallery or even a regular exhibition space. For the most part, it is known as a handsome multi-media and live music venue, which sometimes hangs up art. But, this month and through July, the art gets serious here — although, in its essence,the group show meshed with the musical evening, which became the main event, featuring the likes of Mr. Feathers and Askultura.

Upon first approaching the garden this evening, a plane landing at night greets visitors on an outdoor wall. Runway lights make up the looping 16 millimeter installation from Barron Sherer called “Low Visibility Loop.”

Resting on a platform, the metallic green disco-ball chair with huge molecules — or space balls — sprouting from the seat is the next eye-catcher as you walk into the crisp, two-story renovated warehouse. It’s from SInisa Kukec, as is the light-reflecting, rotating, large, mounted sphere across from it. In between, a whitish, moon-like projection make up his troika. Behind his are three comic-strip cut-out collages from Stephan Tugrul. Rather than looking messy and loud, as pop-collage often does, these are strangely elegant. The cut-out magazine images are layered and layered, so they form their own structure, resembling a landscape set against a metal-gray background.

There’s a nice new sculpture from Brandon Opalka on the front wall, in a similar vein to the works he unveiled at his recent solo show at Dorsch gallery. Made from bottles, a book and a mirror, it’s a 21st century urban altar.

But for many on opening night, the centerpieces in the show move around with you upstairs in the furnished open loft space. They are the hologram sculptures from Mark Diamond, a long-time Miami artist known for his moving, 3-D images. There are some quiet, panoramic still works that deserve a sit-down on the chairs, but the holographs — one of red hot candies, another of a certain jazz musician and his horn — require a good walk around, again and again. Too much explaining will take away the effect.

Downstairs in the back, video artist Juan Maristany and Freddy Jouwayed collaborated on a room with video sculpture and an interactive drawing. On this opening night, a floor covered in pens encourages the crowd to pick one up and add their own scribblings to the ever-spreading wall drawing. Jouwayed works it, too.

There are numerous paintings and some freaky sculpture as well from other artists. All the art will be hanging around for another event on Second Saturday in July, for the type of evening that makes this work come alive.

Awarehouse, 550 N.W. 29th St., Miami; awarehousemiami.com.