A Soulful Glimpse into Miami Art Week’s New Epoch
Emerging Digital AI & OnChain
Miami Art Week, Art Basel, Digital AI, and OnChain Art opened my mind to the creative possibilities and big ideas for digital, AI, and OnChain artists. I began my tour at the Sagamore Hotel to see Laurence Fuller and Vincent D’Onofrio @GraphiteMethod. Laurence Fuller doesn’t disappoint when it comes to beautifully expressed creativity that is reminiscent of a romantic film in “Birth Death aaand Action”. This exhibit was well put together! Only one artwork per screen creates an exceptional viewing experience.
Seen at Sagamore in MakersPlace TransientLab exhibition.
Traditional at Art Basel MB
Barry Flanagan, Juggler (1994) Bronze, which is delightful to see.
Richard Prince Art Basel – did you know Ellen Sragow gave Prince his earliest gallery representation in New York (1970s)—unknowingly embarking on what would become “Fugitive Artist.”
By Far My Favorite Piece!
Ebony G. Patterson / Monique Meloche Gallery …and the dew cracks the earth, in five acts of lamentation…between the cuts…beneath the leaves…below the soil…. (2020) – created sculptured animation on paper. I kept going back to the five-piece panel because there was so much beautiful movement in the work. Speaks to the inner spirit reaching outward.
Second Favorite
Brian Bress / the Meridians section M14 with joshlilleylondon
Very crisp alluring piece the movement of the video catches you off guard and then delights you. I was amazed by the clarity. Here are the mechanics:
High-definition four-channel video (color), four high-definition monitors and players, and wall mounts. 81.5x 46.25 x 5.25 inches
47 min., 20 sec., loop
Installation by Masako Miki, which I so enjoyed soaking this delightful whimsical piece! Hyakki Yagho, Night Parade of 100 represented by Ryan Lee Gallery
Third Favorite
Masako Miki created a playful installation that spoke more to the soul than to the wallet. Night Parade of 100 Demons is a new, immersive installation that draws you in with open arms. Masako Miki is represented by Ryan Lee Gallery.
Tribute to Nam June Paik
Sasha Stiles, Hans Ulrich Obrist (art curator and critic), and introduction by James Voorhies, curator of Bass MOA. This in-depth talk about Nam June Paik was eye-opening. I first experienced Paik’s art in the 1980s, – he pioneered video art. James Voorhies showed his interview with Paik. Paik disclosed his working relationship with John Cage and talked about his process. It was extraordinary to learn about Paik’s process.
After the conversation about Paik, Hans Ulrich Obrist turned to Sasha Stiles’s work with AI and the posthumanism movement. She trained GPT2 on her voice and style of poetry and then it took off. She showed two visual poems #cursivebinary – I find the binary code in handwriting to be sublime.
Posthumanism
The conversation turned from creativity to technology and posthumanism, a category of human and machine evolution and one in which I spent time writing for IEET & Futurists of AZ years ago. Sasha talked about her involvement with Bina48. BINA48 is owned by Martine Rothblatt‘s Terasem Movement. Bina48 is her wife, Bina Aspen Rothblatt. It’s an incredible undertaking. I was fortunate to sit next to Claire Jervert, who is actively involved with the development of Bina48. Claire spoke at Creative Tech Week in 2019, she is an artist and talked about her portrait sittings with android robots – with the final being a VR experience.
More Emerging Digital Onchain
DIVE_MIAMI_ curated by OlesyaBargo at the Gates Hotel was a great setting for the on-chain art that was mastered as is the art by TocoDeco. Scarlet Ibis shows off the beautifully imagined dreamscape and well-defined recognizable style of TocoDeco. The installation of this show was nicely done giving the audience a good viewing experience. Done right:
- Each screen had about 5-10 artworks
- At least 2-3 minutes of viewing time
Vibism Experience
On social media, I talked a lot about Vibism curated by Quantum Spirit. I can’t stop talking about it. Quantum Spirit’s vision of Vibism was envisioned by 16 artists digital / AI artists with perfect simpatico. Each piece reflects the meaning of Vibism – takes on the movement of the Vibists.
The AR experience was delightful against the grainy sands of Muscle Beach. The tech frustrations didn’t take away from the experience. I only hope that Quantum Spirit will take the curation of Vibism to a museum or Scope so that all can enjoy the feeling that Vibism exudes.
Artists: Emaweird, illustrata, Superjimmer, Hanne Van Briel, Moba, ABCDJ, friskyfoxtrot, p0ng, Infinite Mantra, kapstone, BLAC, NuclearSamurai, Neal, KEZIAI, Weird_Momma, FARRAH
Quantum Spirit is an artist and curator. It takes energy to bring an outstanding show like this together. I bought Quantum Spirit’s beautiful piece Hover to support this amazing effort.
In Search of Monimel
The last stop on my adventure was to Ampersand where an onchain exhibit that included a piece by Monimel. Curated by Layerrxyz at BuildOnBase. It took 1.5 hours to get there from South Beach, finally arrived at 6:50 pm. I’m a New Yorker 1.5 hours is an outrageous and unacceptable amount of time to be stuck in traffic. I looked for to seeing Monimel’s piece. Screens rotated through 100s of pieces, but sadly I didn’t get see to Monimel’s piece because at precisely 8 pm they told everyone to leave. The exhibit featured amazing works of art but felt like it was more about the Coinbase wallet rather than the art and artists. Monimel is a rising star in the NFT art world, whose art I collect, should be given a proper showing. Her piece “What We See on Earth (Mother Nature)” is exquisite as are her other pieces. I’m sad to say I never got to see Momimel’s art. While waiting for the art to cycle I did catch other artists I enjoyed:
- Maryanne Chisholm
- DarkestDollx
- Artnaz
As an artist and collector, -our art needs more than a moment in time.
I got a big hug from Anna L. Zubarev – I participated in the Luna collaboration and created Going to Luna.
Learnings
I learned so much from my visit to Miami Art Week – the greatest learning is digital art is on the rise and will surpass traditional. AI art is becoming more and more accepted as an art form – the artist collaborates with AI, AI is trained by the artist, and AI generates art based on the artist’s direction. AI artists, curators, gallerists, and collectors need to work together to make this movement work on par with the giants in the traditional art categories. We lack a collective PR engine not just social media’s quick hits. The art needs to be shown professionally not as fleeting moments in time.
Did I see outrageous art at Art Basel? No – it was very tamed.
Next Miami Art Week I hope to get my digital AI art a show.
About Tery Spataro
I am a storyteller, creator, and polymath who explores the intersection of humanness and technology. I am always seeking to push the boundaries of creativity. Science fiction and fantasy are particularly inspiring to me. My goal is to create art that entertains, inspires, and energizes.
The tools I use are meant to fit the stories I tell and mediums include fine arts, digital art, NFTs, books, videos, music, fashion, and products.
Classically trained artist, digital for decades, began using AI in 2020, with a business background in brand, marketing, and emerging technology – I push the edges of creativity.