Art up and about – Knight Foundation
Arts

Art up and about

An interesting trend has emerged (again) in the art-exhibiting world. Maybe as a result of one of the deepest recessions and maybe responding to a need for more and less structured venues, one-off art shows have become common place. Nomads really. For instance, as of now, Spinello Gallery has no set home — it has been wondering around the Design District and Wynwood, with quality shows in various spaces. Artformz, as well, decided to pack up the permanent gallery and take up space for specific shows.

That’s the case through May 5 for “Common Ground,” the second in a series of collaborations between Spain and Miami, organized by Alette Simmons of Artformz, with help from several other groups on both sides of the Atlantic (including the Design District, where it is showing). In the first incarnation, 10 Miami artists went over to Spain. This time on our shores, the exhibit features 11 artists from Valencia and eight from Miami, including Kerry Phillips and her folded sheets; George Sanchez-Calderon and his Xerox images; and Duane Brant and his pots, to name a few. According to the exhibition description, “When a group of people with diverse backgrounds is given an opportunity for dialogue, investigation and openness, the ease with which a common ground is encountered sometimes appears magical. For the co-curators of the Artist Invites Artist project this is not surprising, it is their objective. We all seem to have some small molecule of a connection to each other, and even when several artists, working in a variety of media, exhibit their work side by side, similarities become evident.”

Opening up tonight in a permanent but off-the-beaten path gallery, Carol Jazzar, is Shoshanna Weinberger’s “sometimes all of me is not enough,” which promises to be an intriguing exploration of notions of female beauty, across racial and ethnic stereotypes. In these drawings (yes, a drawing show), the Jamaican-born, New Jersey-based artist incorporates props associated with our hyper-sexualized pop societies, such as thongs, bras and chains, which end up exploiting the female form rather than celebrating it.

“Common Ground” runs through May 4 in the Buena Vista Building., Suite 120, 180 N.E. 39th St., Miami; 305-439-9577. “sometimes all of me is not enough” runs through June 10 at the Carol Jazzar Gallery, 158 N.W. 91 St., Miami; www.cjazzart.com.