Context Art Miami, the sister art fair of Art Miami, features cutting-edge emerging and mid-career artists. This year, there’s one artist whose presence formed a posse around her: Tiffany Trenda. Trenda is literally a walking LCD cell phone screen installation performing at Context Art Miami until December 8th—and you should touch her screens.

Tiffany Trenda with Oscar Glottman. Photo by Neil de la Flor

The Malibu based performance artist’s latest work, “Proximity Cinema,” continues Trenda’s “investigation into the relationship of the body and screen,” which basically means the performance explores the relationship between personal space and mobile devices, and how these devices break barriers of decency, privacy and even intimacy.

In “Proximity Cinema,” Trenda is covered head to toe in a red synthetic body suit covered with 40 2.6” LCD mobile phone screens. She doesn’t speak and can’t see, so she must be led around the space. The image on the phone screens changes depending on how far away the viewer is standing from Trenda. “Go Ahead,” “It’s OK,” and “Don’t Worry About It” entice the viewer to invade Trenda’s space and to touch her body. When the viewer touches and swipes the cell phone screen, the screen reveals a photo of the part of Trenda’s body beneath it.

Tiffany Trenda. Photo by Neil de la Flor

Mostly the men entered Trenda’s personal space. They wanted to touch her screens and many had their photographs taken with her. With arms draped around her shoulders, they smiled as if they were intimate friends. Few women approached and/or touched Trenda’s LCD screens, at least during the performance that I observed.

Tiffany Trenda. Photo by Neil de la Flor

As I walked away, two men swarmed around Trenda. Photograph us, please, they elegantly begged. I’m not sure if they even read the images on the screen. There was too much commotion around her at that point, but one thing was clear. Everyone wanted to be as close to Trenda as possible and say cheese for the camera, but no one asked her for permission.

Tiffany Trenda is located at Context Art Miami, Booth E14, Licht Feld Gallery. Performances: Friday, December 6 from 2-2:30 and 3-3:30 p.m; Saturday, December 7 from 2-2:30 and 3-3:30 p.m.; and Sunday, December 8 from 2-2:30 and 3-3:30 p.m. For more information about Tiffany Trenda, visit www.lichtfeld.ch.