Centrifuga, 2011 by Rafael Barrios © Gabriella Radujko

Photographs Not Taken

There are the photographs not taken

An aged, elegant couple
sitting on a 5th Avenue park bench just north of the Met
matching blue-tinted eyeglasses
serenity in their long couple-hood
a “biopic” of quiet seated before the volta

A widow living in a tenement built by Mussolini
tending to a crude distillery housed in a Mussolini granted garage
the quiet drip drip drip of slivovica welcoming visitors to sit
in the deplaned seats of the now defunct Jugoslavenski Aerotransport
Wearing a stained, but clean apron
this simple, yet noble woman, is unknowingly part of an image
solely recorded by grey matter

A recently slaughtered calf hangs from a hook on the ceiling of a farmer’s work room
slowly dripping its blood in anticipation of the butchering
Tiny raised glasses of herb-infused liqueurs toast the beast
foreshadowing the soon to be prepared tripe, stews and soups

And the pic formed by a talented, but short-sighted gallerist in a town house gallery
standing before walls once rioted with iconoclastic works
most resting in storage now, unseen, unaccompanied, and increasingly
unremarkable with their exile
Clean white crew neck T-shirt over standard Levi blue jeans
a nod to basic good taste and handsomeness
minus the scarred belly clothes would later hide

Untaken photographs, but photographs nonetheless.

Gabriella Radujko

http://modernartswriting.wordpress.com/

12/04/11

Art Basel Miami 2011:

Saving the mothership for last, but not least. Here is a quick photo-journal of myself racing against the clock on the closing day at the Convention Center.

Photo Credits: Brinson Renda

12/03/11

Here are a few photo’s from the Wynwood Walls and Mamushka’s in Midtown.

Photo Credits: Brinson Renda

12/01/11

Here are a few photo’s from wandering around the Design District.

Photo Credits: Brinson Renda

12/01/11

Fountain Art Fair:

Fountain Art Fair brought in its sixth edition of emerging artists, independent galleries and collectives to Miami this year, and I was glad to see this friendly fair back in Wynwood. It’s a perfect fit inside of the old industrial warehouse space. This fair reminds me of the newer Seven Miami project, but it’s been around the block a few more times. I enjoyed the electric energy of the galleries and showcased artists. It’s like a mini Wynwood Art Walk rolled into one space; very reminiscent of the local and familiar street art, DIY spaces and cutting edge contemporary boutique galleries that buzz all year long down here. This is the inviting, accessible, out of the box, punk rock attitude fair you have to see at least once in your art loving lifetime!

Photo Credits: Brinson Renda

11/29/11

Pulse Miami VIP & Press Preview Night:

Pulse launched it’s seventh edition in the lower Wynwood Arts District with a bang! Amidst the opening party, overflowing drinks, endless buffets and upbeat music, the booths inside were buzzing in the spirit of Basel. Pulse offers a variety of programs that mixes up the fair nicely  and allows each gallery to showcase its artist(s) on a proper platform. Pulse Play> was one of my favorites due to my love affair with video art. This year it was curated by artist Lucie Fontaine and featured works by Ciprian Muresan, Daniella Isamit Morales to name a few. Also inside, was the Wagner + Partner Gallery, from Berlin, with its first ever American solo exhibition of artist Natascha Stellmach. They showcased the widely talked about artist with her “Fuck Art for Letting this Shit Happen;” a project based off of her former exhibition that involved Kurt Cobain’s ashes, a joint and much controversy. The outside garden allowed space for some larger-scale installations. Some of the installations from the Pulse Projects were: A nastolgic treasure trove of over a thousand found nic-nacs was Mac Premo’s The Dumpster Project, one of the longest experimental videos to date by Josh Azzarella and German based artist Michael Laube’s 22-11 installation.

Photo Credits: Brinson Renda

11/29/11

Seven Miami Art Fair:

Seven Miami returned for its second year at Basel. You can really feel a fresh and young energy in the new artfair. I made my way to Wynwood during their opening day / relaxed BBQ. There were extra walls this year that gave the opportunity to showcase more emerging talent, while maintaining the openness that I remembered from its inaugural year. Compared to your normal dog and pony formula, Seven breaks the ‘booth’ barrier in it’s artist’s presentation. The space is open, engaging and has the polished curatorial thought process of a large museum while sustaining a humble DIY project space kind of feel. Seven’s clearly a professional fair with a touch of grass roots, so to say. I’m excited to see what new projects they bring in 2012.

Seven is a collective project organized by the following galleries: BravinLee programs, Hales Gallery, Pierogi Gallery, Postmasters, P.P.O.W., Ronald Feldman Fine Arts and Winkleman Gallery.

Photo Credits: Brinson Renda