Ruben Millares "Man or War."
As has become abundantly clear, art openings are no longer segregated to a Second Saturday — every week something new opens, on various nights. Last week saw Museum of Contemporary Art unveil its solo outing of painter Rita Ackerman, while Miami Art Museum, a Knight Arts grantee, spun a new web with “The Record: Contemporary Art and Vinyl.” This weekend, another crop of shows enter the terrain.
In fact, terrain is the underlying exploration of the collage and sculpture exhibit from Phillip Estlund, “Subprime/Subtropics” at the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood. Estlund, who works out of both New York and Palm Beach County, plumbs the actual nature of what’s left behind, psychologically and physically, in the aftermath of both man-made and organic disasters. South Florida, of course, could be considered a ground zero for such a study.
Phillip Estlund. Courtesy of Gavlak Gallery
Estlund works in “two-dimensional collage, which further examines mankind’s hubris and naivety in his domination of his environment. Nowhere is this more evident than in the vulnerable hurricane and drought region of South Florida … Estlund’s collages combine recycled images from old books on landscapes, field guides, modernist architecture, hunting and fishing motifs, and ‘Do it Yourself’ home improvement,” is how the center describes his very topical work.
Down in Little Havana, the 6th Street Container (a 2011 Knight Arts Challenge finalist) is opening a massive photography show, all from women. Photos from 42 artists, some familiar, some not, will be presented. If you’ve never been to the alternative space several blocks off of Calle Ocho, you might not comprehend what this amount of work will mean. It is called “Container,” as the space resembles a long shipping container — it is tight and small and this could be dizzying.
Another off-the beaten path gallery will preview a show this Saturday, at the WDNA Gallery on Coral Way, the home of Miami’s treasure of a public radio station, the jazz-centric WDNA. A performance by Smiling Gums will fuse jazz, rock and Latin rhythms, with Ruben Millares on guitar and vocals. Millares is also a visual, video and performance artist (his collaborations with Antonia Wright have been seen in feasts such as Museum of Contemporary Art’s Optic Nerve), and his exhibit, “Man or War,” of ink drawings, sculpture and video made throughout the last year will be on display.
As is often becoming the case, a lot to see, a lot to chose from, suiting a lot of tastes.
“Subprime/Subtropics” by Estlund runs through May 27 at the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood, 1650 Harrison St., Hollywood; artandculturecenter.org.
“Photography by Women,” at the 6th Street Container, through April 16, 1155 S.W. Sixth St. (rear of the building); www.6thstreetcontainer.com.
“Man or War,” by Millares, preview on March 23 (official opening March 31) at WDNA Gallery, 2921 Coral Way, Miami; 305-662-8889.
