Global Artist Patrick Willard aka W4 Makes Art With Rare Concert Tickets

Miami-based visual artist Patrick Willard, aka W4, creates unique art with his personal collection of thousands of rock concert ticket stubs, backstage passes and VIP laminates, which capture a million magical moments from a lifetime spent traveling the world as a music journalist and television personality.

“These artifacts reflect thousands of unique musical events that collectively trace the arc of my personal and professional life”, explained W4.

With the idea of preserving and sharing these moments with his friends, W4 decided to integrate them into a series of art collages reflecting his own unique and personal style. The works quickly developed a collector and fan base igniting global exhibitions in cities including New York, Paris, Miami and more. 

Each of the artist’s creations is printed as a series of 8, every piece is signed and incorporates W4’s treasured concert tickets, backstage passes, hidden hippos, various symbols and a trail of Hindu writing. “I like the Hindi calligraphy, one of the strands of writing means ‘World of Lyrics’.”

For more information regarding this artist; direct all sales info. / inquiries to: w4@artw4.com

Samantha French's Escape & Jessica Pisano's Balance Exhibitions Open on April 1st at Sirona Fine Art

Dual Exhibition at Sirona Fine Art 

Opens Friday, April 1st 

featuring artist Jessica Pisano's solo exhibition 'Balance' and artist Samantha French's solo exhibition 'Escape'. 

As a still new gallery, Sirona Fine Art is working to define itself and find a collectors base for their artists. The initial focus of the gallery remains the same: to promote artists who encompass a broad spectrum of representational art, from academic realism to loose and painterly works. The main purpose is skillful art that connects. In choosing Samantha French and Jessica Pisano, Sirona Fine Art found two artists that beautifully succeed in this broad focus for different reasons.

Pisano incorporates backgrounds that are expressionistic, about the surface and movement of the paint medium, intermixed with gold leaf. She incorporates another reality on top of this, the painted reality of traditional methods of color and form. It is a harmonic marriage of classic and contemporary modes of painting. The backgrounds have immediacy and energy of the artist’s hand while the middle of the paintings have focus, quiet and strength.

Samantha French’s poolscapes shimmer and vibrate with patterned segments of intense color and barely paused floating movement. It achieves this through a neat combination of being absolutely real to the eye while being a very obvious quilt of pigmented canvas. French manages to convey playfulness and the eternal buoyant freedom of summer, the cool loosening from the heavy world around of us of heat and gravity into a floating dream. The work is accomplished and joyful.

Pisano and French present two different dynamics in painting style, color and emotions. What they both accomplish is a celebration of the world around us, the simple and achievable beauties in nature and experience, whether it be a personal, subjective view of the energy contained in a simple isolated tree or the memory of diving into an average but glorious body of water.

Samantha French and Jessica Pisano will open on April 1st at 7pm and will be an ongoing exhibit. Printed catalogs are available through the gallery.

Exhibition opens April 1, 2016
Sirona Fine Art
600 Silks Run #1240
Hallandale Beach, FL 33009
RSVP: info@sironafineart.com
ph.(954)454-9494

In partnership with Art Boca Raton, DocMiami International Film Festival presents the Encore screening of Hidden Books - The Art of Kumi Korf

Art Boca Raton March 18-21, 2016 - Show Highlights & Special Features: In partnership with Art Boca Raton, DocMiami International Film Festival presents the Encore screening of Hidden Books - The Art of Kumi Korf on Saturday, March 19th at 3:30pm; 3450 NW 8th Avenue in Boca Raton, FL 33431. 

Sam Hampton’s documentary Hidden Books, presents the work and creative process of book artist and printmaker, Kumi Korf. The film is both a portrait of an artist at work and the world she inhabits, as the camera follows Korf from her studio in Ithaca, New York where she kept her printing press, to Japan where she studied architecture and where she called home. 

Director Sam Hampton received the 2011 CINE Golden Eagle Award, Independent Documentary Short for the film. “What I want the documentary to do, more than anything, is to capture and illustrate the concept of Kithe – the Japanese meaning for the life force, inner power or spiritual energy that is a part of everything that exists. I always feel it when I look at or think about Kumi’s work.” 

Art Boca Raton Art Forum

Saturday, March 19th at 3:30pm.

3450 NW 8th Avenue, Boca Raton, FL 33431.

www.artbocaraton.com 

The Ladner Collection of Cuban and Latin American Art will be offered at Art Boca Raton March 17-21, 2016

The Ladner Collection of Cuban and Latin American Art will be offered at the Art Boca Raton Art Fair March 17-21, with an appraised value of over $1.1 Million Dollars it is among the most important privately owned collections. Dr. William Ladner of Boca Raton began his collection over 30 years ago by focusing on a select group of young Cuban artists that immigrated to America and began the Cuban Art scene in Miami.

The Ladner Collection: Victor Salmones, La Danza

The changes in our political and economical relationship with Cuba today cause a large portion of this collection to take on a very special meaning and impact. The artworks in this collection are original statements of this historic era. Many of these Cuban American artists are now included in museum collections throughout America including the Smithsonian and the Metropolitan Museum.

The Ladner Collection: Arturo Rodriguez, Misterioso

The artists include Arturo Rodriguez, Cuba whose works are in the Smithsonian Museum, NSU Museum and The Metropolitan Museum, New York. Enrique Castro-Cid. Chile. The Guggenheim Museum, The Smithsonian Museum, The Brooklyn Museum and MOMA, NY, Demi Rodriguez, Cuba The Smithsonian Museum. Ramon Carulla, Cuba and Pablo Cano, Cuba.

The Ladner Collection: Norma Bessouet, Appoximation

To further diversify Dr. Ladner balanced his collection of other Latin American artists including Antonio Segui, Argentina, Norma Bessouet, Argentina, Ernesto Barredo, Chile, Luis Benedit, Argentina who added their style, size, imagery and content. Select paintings of the most recognized and important artists in the Ladner Collection of over 115 works of art will be exhibited at Art Boca Raton at Booth 108.

The Ladner Collection: Enrique Castro-Cid, Brickell Monday

The Ladner Collection of Cuban and Latin American Art is being offered intact by Lenore Stern-Morris and Gary Hendershott at Booth 108 who will be exhibiting select paintings from this wonderful collection during Art Boca Raton March 18 – March 21 at the International Pavilion of the Palm Beaches, on the campus of Florida Atlantic University; please visit www.artbocaraton.com for directions and times.

The Ladner Collection: Antonio Segui 1987

Hendershott goes on to state "This is a unique opportunity for a collector or a museum to expedite the building of their own collections by acquiring this life-time collection of over 115 paintings, offered intact preserved for future generations rather than disbursed and forever separated. Many collectors and museums realize this life-time factor to not only preserve the historical value of this collection, yet also to advance their own collections."

The Ladner Collection: Demi Rodriguez, Kites

Evi Photopoulos' Award-Winning Film 'The BLACK WINES of EROS' in the spotlight at Cannes International Film Festival & Marche Du Film 2016

International filmmaker & artist Evi Photopoulos' award-winning film 'The BLACK WINES of EROS' has been selected for two Festivals during Festival de Cannes - Page Officielle. The short film is being spotlighted with daily screenings and winner at Cannes International Film Festival & Marche Du Film.

Photopoulos is the Guest of Honor with daily screenings of her short film 'The BLACK WINES of EROS' via New World Cinemas May 10-20, 2016. 

"The Festival de Cannes is a celebration of cinematographic art. We exist to showcase the new writing, new genres and new visual innovations of our time. Every year in May, Cannes gives a sort of snapshot - both ephemeral and lasting, when one adds up the years - of what constitutes the art of cinema." -Thierry Frémaux, Director of the Institut Lumière and of the Cannes Film Festival.

BLACK WINE of EROS Trailer

The project is a multi-media involvement of fine art, costume design, scenario, poems/songs, and acting based on Photopoulos' poetry book 'Eros The Nude'. Guests at the film festivals will enjoy a live performance with the artist & filmmakers' songs played on the piano during Cannes Festival & March du Film by composer Giannis Christodoulopoulos (Olympic 2004).With daily screenings and her composer playing songs on the piano based on Photopoulos' book of poems. Also New World Cinemas March du Cannes May 11-20, 2016; Official Poster and Daily Screenings with two (2) days of exclusive distribution; May 13 & 14.

The Giants are coming to Art Boca Raton!

Experience the famous Giants in the City at the inaugural Art Boca Raton contemporary art fair. The gigantic, inflatable sculptures transform public space into a powerful and memorable art encounter.

Miami Art Scene™ announces Giants in the City at Art Boca Raton March 18-21, 2016. A traveling public art exhibition of massive inflatable sculptures, whose proportions are deliberately designed to create an atmosphere of colossal artistic expression. Art Boca Raton will showcase interactive art demonstrations, documentaries & late nights at the Boca Raton Museum of Art. One of the fair’s highlights is Giants in the City, sculptures that powerfully transform their immediate space and time with profound meaning and symbolism; creating long lasting inspiring dialogues between the work and the spectator.

Giants in the City was founded by Miami-based visual artist Alejandro Mendoza, produced and organized by Irreversible Projects. "I wanted to create social interaction & dialogue that can lead to a sense of social cohesion," said the renowned artist and curator. The project has been traveling the globe extensively since 2008, showcasing the colossal inflatable sculptures to audiences in places including Monte Carlo, Key West, Mexico City, Miami Beach and more. "Giants in the City was created to encourage interactive activities and relaxation, contemplation in nature, heightened perceptions and the process of creative thought," explained Irreversible Projects’ Noor Blazekovic, who curates and organizes the project alongside Mendoza.

Art Boca Raton will be held in the International Pavilion of the Palm Beaches on the grounds of the Research Park at Florida Atlantic University, dubbed Art Boca Raton Art Week with an extraordinary line-up of lectures, events, interactive demonstrations, local artists at work and off-site events in conjunction with the inaugural art fair. Located at 3450 NW 8th Avenue, Boca Raton, FL 33431. Art Boca Raton opens with an exclusive Vernissage on March 17, 2016 to benefit the Boca Raton Museum of Art  and Art School. Ticket prices for the event are $150 and $250 and may be purchased through the Museum at www.bocamuseum.org/vernissage.

For media inquiries, to obtain an interview or receive additional information, please contact: Kat Wagner at Miami Art Scene editor@themiamiartscene.com / (786)571-6112. See and learn more about Giants in the City at www.giantsinthecity.com. 

New ‪mural at Radius Garage expands Downtown Hollywood's street art scene

The street art scene in Downtown Hollywood continues to grow as contemporary outdoor murals pop up on the exterior of various buildings as part of the Downtown Hollywood Mural Project (DHMP). To date, 18 vibrant installations are on view throughout the Downtown community.

This month multi-media artists Monica and Tasha Lopez De Victoria, aka the TM Sisters, are bringing their talent to Downtown Hollywood’s Radius Garage, located at 251 N. 19th Avenue.

One of four artists to install an exterior mural in the Downtown area this year, this is the first time the Miami-born duo will showcase their work in Hollywood. The sisters will be painting a large-scale mural of a sunset. The installation began on Feb. 8 and is expected to take several weeks to complete.

The TM Sisters’ work spans mixed media collage to site-specific interactive video performance and everything in between — installations, fashion, social experiments, events and performances. “We’re experimenting all the time; we love to play and collaborate,” Monica told ArtStreet Miami. “We balance each other off.”

Described by the Miami New Times as “techno tropical,” their work is immersive and colorful and influenced by South Florida’s landscape — cultural presence, energy, weather and its colors. Voted “Miami’s Best Artist” by the Miami New Times in 2012, the TM Sisters have shown in exhibitions both locally and internationally, including the Serpentine Gallery in London, the Second Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art and Performa ’07 in New York. Their work has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, Vogue Italia, STEP Inside Design, L’official and on the cover of ARTNews for its 2007 “25 Trendsetters” feature article.

The TM sisters display their color chart + rendering of the new ‪mural at the Radius Garage (251 N. 19th Ave.)

“Street art is not only bringing creativity, aesthetic beauty, and civic and ethnic identity, but also revitalization to Downtown Hollywood. We’re proud to have the TM Sisters be a part of that; after all, they do great work,” said Jill C. Weisberg, project manager/arts specialist for the Hollywood Florida CRA. “Taking something that is so non-descript as the Radius Garage and turning it into something people are going to be excited to see is talent. Monica and Tasha, along with the other artists who have been involved in the project, are beautifying the city in unexpected ways.”

Launched in August 2012 by the Hollywood Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), the Downtown Hollywood Mural Project is the largest walkable mural project in Broward County. DHMP is a key element in the CRA’s arts-focused initiative to enhance diversity and vibrancy in the Downtown area and features renowned local, national and international artists.