Bernice Steinbaum's "Strung Out"

My name is Kimberly Susana Colomer and I am working on my Art History bachelor's degree from the University of Florida. I am currently interning at the Bernice Steinbaum Gallery in Miami, Florida, as well as Tony Wynn Modern Art Gallery, Miami, Fl, where I have the chance to see a Gallery Dealer and an Artist at work. I have the pleasure to see first hand what a gallery director does and how they manage a gallery. Along with Bernice Steinbaum's assistant director, Johanna Monserratte and Chief Preparator, Juan Jose Griego I am exposed to current contemporary artwork and gallery responsibilities. With the knowledge I acquire from both galleries, my art history research, and the Miami Art scene itself, I will blog about current and upcoming exhibitions as well as reviews that will update art loyalists and art collectors.

(courtesy of Bernice Steinbaum Gallery http://www.bernicesteinbaumgallery.com/)

Two weeks ago was the opening reception for Karen Rifas's "Strung Out" and Aurora Molina's "A Critique of Established Attitudes Towards Aging and Beauty." Both very different artists, each managed to attract many viewers to the gallery as well as collectors. Karen Rifas, an established artist, showcased her linear installation cords that emphasized setting and rigidity. Her dancers, performing rhythmic sways around and between chords, evoked very abstract yet methodical thoughts producing audience contemplation and pensiveness as they walked through each installation. It was a severe atmosphere giving the gallery a harmonious balance when equated to Aurora Molina's animated vivacious sculptures.

In the Project Rooms upstairs was Aurora Molina's "A Critique of Established Attitudes Towards Aging and Beauty." Her pieces were robotic mechanisms made from pantyhose that possessed the childlike and grotesque elements of the elderly. They had sensors which made the crowd responsive and allowed viewers to see the beauty and lightness of the aging population even through the most ugliest of faces. It was an evident contrast that many people seemed to enjoy, making the exhibition very successful and notable. As for me, I networked with the crowd and observed reactions from both showcases, concluding that two artists, both the complete antithesis of one another, were able to synergize art under diverse circumstances and under one roof.

(courtesy of Bernice Steinbaum Gallery http://www.bernicesteinbaumgallery.com/)

It was my first opening reception and just one of the many at the Bernice Steinbaum Gallery. I will keep you posted on future exhibitions as well as interesting tips on how galleries in Miami function and what being an artist in the 21st century entails.