Genaro Ambrosino, Early Art Basel Pioneer, Returns With New Gallery General Audience Presents

Human Structure Divided, Derrick Adams 

Miami Beach Convention Center during early editions of Art Basel Miami Beach, is opening General Audience Presents together with Lissette Garcia, a local art advisor and independent curator, near the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami.

General Audience Presents joins indie spaces Bridge Red Studios/Project Space and Under The Bridge, in a neighborhood that's becoming noted for its alt art vibe.

Ambrosino's new project space plans to traffic in "thoughtfully curated exhibits that encourage a discourse between emerging and mid-career artists and the local arts community," he says.

Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. "Architectural Archetypes," GAP's inaugural exhibit, features work by multidisciplinary New York-based artist Derrick Adams, the artist's South Florida solo debut.

We spoke to Ambrosino about his return, the new space, and what's next.

Elevation Section,  Derrick Adams

Cultist: Why did you decide to open another space now?

Genaro Ambrosino: It just was the right time. 
A number of people had been insisting for months that I reopen but for some reason it was never quite right. 
Then a series of conditions came together and here we are. Plus, I was getting bored of just traveling.

Why did you partner with Lissette, and what is the mission for the space?

I knew from the get go that if I ever opened a space again I was not going to do it alone. Also my idea was to not have an art gallery per se but rather a project room, an exhibition space. I didn't want to represent artists like I did with Ambrosino Gallery so both these conditions had to come together: a partner that wanted to share responsibilities and that also had the same or at least similar vision.

Lissette happened to be that person.
We have known each other for a while; she was actually my assistant director at Ambrosino Gallery for a number of years and knows the way I like to do things. A big plus is also that unlike me who practically disappeared from the scene five years ago, Lissette has done hundreds if not thousands of studio visits with artists throughout the United States these past years while working for Artist Pension Trust. I am a bit jealous but also very lucky in that regard; you can't pay for such experience and she will be a great resource to achieve our goal of exhibiting up-and-coming and mid-career artists who are "under exhibited" in Miami.

The area you are in has become a hotbed for alternative projects. Are you going to keep things experimental or will it become a commercial venue?

Well, the space is a commercial venue at the end of the day. Both Lissette and I pay for everything so we would like to make some of that money back, especially because that would allow us to finance more daring projects. But marketability is not the focus of the project room. We want to show things that excite us regardless of their commercial potential. That is why we decided to keep the space very small, not only to keep costs down but also to make it really easy for artists to take over the room and create something special with it.

Seen, Drawn, and Unseen, Derrick Adams 
Who are some of the artists you plan to work with, and are any of them local?

Our program is very "relaxed" so to speak. We have only scheduled four projects for the first season, one of which is of a "local", William Cordova, whose installation "yawar mallku: look 4 me in the whirlwind" opening during Art Basel Miami Beach 2012 will mark his return to exhibiting individually since his show at MOCA years back. 
We intentionally left a few empty weeks in between shows so we can fill them with happenings, performances, video, one-day or short length installations by local artists, you name it. I believe the space has to be malleable and needs to generate its own life; and we will be there to encourage it. I am sure we will be receiving proposals and we will carefully consider them and chose the ones that we consider fit the mission. For me one thing is absolutely imperative: I have to have fun doing this, otherwise there is no point in "coming back."

What is the core philosophy behind your programming?
Hhmmm... I can't speak for Lissette, but I am interested in exhibiting artists whose work has a message that I find relevant and that is both visually and intellectually stimulating.

Do you have plans for a Basel project?

Just the William Cordova installation.

Tell us about the artist in your inaugural show.

The artist with whom we open the space is Derrick Adams. 
He is a true multi-disciplinary artist from NYC who taps into his local cityscape for inspiration. He fuses urban textures and human iconography to create a series of hybrid works that I find fascinating. Derrick has a very solid body of work, both performative and more "conventional" bi/tri-dimensional that has been exhibited at MoMA PS1, PERFORMA 05, Brooklyn Museum, Jack Tilton, The Kitchen NYC, Studio Museum in Harlem, and (BAM) Brooklyn Academy of Music. He was also a recipient of a 2009 Louis Comfort Tiffany Award and an honored finalist for the 2011 William H. Johnson Prize. He is not totally unknown to Miami because he also did a Fountainhead residency, but this will be his first show in town.

You have seen it all and were an early Basel pioneer. Do you plan doing things different this time around?
I don 't really have a "master plan" to make things like or different than... 
All I know is that I am not going to take myself too seriously and that my only real plan is to have fun at this, with no regrets.


Did you miss the action while you were away?

I thought I would, but no, not really. I had things I needed to take care of these past five years and I am glad that I could take time off and do them. I'm actually not done, that's why it's great to have a partner in this new endeavor, and it allows me to focus my attention on those projects as well.
What is the best thing about the Miami art scene?

That it is still relatively small.

And the worst?

That it is still relatively small.

Bridging differences through art

ISLAMABAD: For art lovers, it was no less a treat to be at National Art Gallery, where paintings, sculptures, posters and pen and pencil work was exhibited.

An exhibition at National Art Gallery celebrating 30 years of Rohtas.

The exhibition was part of the celebrations to mark the 30th anniversary of Rohtas Art Gallery.
The art gallery managed to put 160 art pieces by 64 artists from Pakistan and aboard on the walls of the gallery.

Brazilian Ambassador Alfredo Leoni inaugurated the exhibition while Naeem Pasha, gallery founder and architect, Quddus Mirza, curator of Rohtas Art Gallery, Saleema Hashmi and a large number of diplomats and art lovers attended the function.

Rohtas Gallery opened its doors in 1981. It was the height of General Ziaul Haq’s martial law when Rohtas Gallery opened in Islamabad to offer space for progressive thought, to nurture creativity and celebrate art and culture.

Naeem Pasha, architect and gallery founder, along with a group of friends that included, Shoaib and Salima Hashmi, Ahmed Khan and Zahoorul Akhlaq, held a brainstorming session to decide a vision for the gallery.
They decided it would be a modern contemporary art gallery primarily presenting the works of Pakistani artists, dedicated to creativity and artistic excellence.

Since that time, the gallery has become synonymous with innovative, non-conventional expression.

An exhibition at National Art Gallery celebrating 30 years of Rohtas

It has hosted six to nine exhibitions a year, and allowed artists from Pakistan, Britain, Germany, Spain, Portugal and the United States to share their paintings, graphics, sculptures, ceramics, photographs and experimental work with the public.

Artists exhibited their own unique style in the paintings. Lenticular prints, pencil and poster paint, gouache on wasli (paper), silver leaf on wasli, oil on canvas mixed media on canvas, wood and bronze work and others. A few artists painted in the abstract style.

Contemporary subjects also found in the paintings of the artists. Some pieces of senior artists were provided by Naeem Pasha, Pakistan National Council of the Arts and Rawalpindi Arts Council.

Naeem Pasha and Salima Hashmi’s art pieces were also on display.

While addressing the gathering, Brazilian Ambassador Alfredo Leoni said that Pakistan was known for its contemporary art in the world and its artist had created their place in the world.

He said that the promotion of art and culture would strengthen the friendly ties between the two countries. He said that the modern art created a soft image of Pakistan in the world.

“We celebrate the 64th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Brazil and Pakistan, in 1948. Brazil was the first Latin American country to establish diplomatic relations with Pakistan and the first Latin American country to open an Embassy in this country. On the other hand, Pakistan chose Brazil to open its first Embassy in Latin America: in Rio de Janeiro, then capital of Brazil, 61 years ago, in 1951, he said.

He appreciated the work of Rohtas Art Gallery and said that it was playing the role of a bridge between the world and Pakistan.

Naeem Pasha said that the art gallery started the work during Zia’s martial law and provided a platform to the modern artist.

Quddos Mirza said that the exhibition brought back the confidence of contemporary artists in the country.

Competition for a slice of the lucrative Chinese art market is hotter than ever

Estimates for Sotheby's autumn sales in Hong Kong are pitched at around $205 million (£126 million), writes Colin Gleadell. 

China on a plate: this 'nine-dragon charger’ (1723-35) is expected to fetch up to $5 million 

Demand for Chinese art and antiques may have cooled, but competition for a slice of this lucrative market is hotter than ever. In just over a week’s time, Sotheby’s holds its autumn sales in Hong Kong, where estimates for the series are pitched at around $205 million (£126 million), a far cry from its $350 million sales this time last year, or the $447 million achieved the previous spring.

At the same time, the world’s fourth-largest auction house, Beijing-based China Guardian, is making a play for the wider international market by holding its first auction outside mainland China, in Hong Kong. And, to make matters more interesting, Sotheby’s has just announced that it will be holding sales in China.

To take the last point first, the significance of this is potentially huge. Last year, China overtook America to become the largest auction market in the world, with art sales estimated at $12 billion in 2011. But until now, no foreign auction house has been allowed to conduct sales in China. Both Sotheby’s and Christie’s have had offices there since 1994, and in 2005 Christie’s licensed its name to Beijing’s Forever auctioneers, providing expertise and know-how and promoting its brand.

But Sotheby’s has stolen a march on its rivals by establishing a joint venture, in which it holds 80 per cent of the equity, with the Beijing state-owned Gehua Art Company. Given the approval of the Chinese government, Sotheby’s (Beijing) Auction will be the first international art auction house in China.

As a bonus, it will, in an exclusive arrangement, be able to hold auctions and exhibitions in a $100 million tax-free storage facility, or free port, which Gehua plans to build next to Beijing’s main airport. International buyers and sellers, or even mainland investors who keep the work in the free port, will therefore be exempt from the various import and VAT charges that apply in China, amounting to 34 per cent.

Bond trader offers $1.7-million reward for stolen art collection

Bond trader Jeffrey Gundlach has offered $1.7 million for the safe return of a cherished $10-million collection taken from his Santa Monica home, one of the largest rewards on record for the return of stolen art.

Gundlach, a bond fund manager, announced the reward at a news conference Monday in downtown Los Angeles, according to Times business reporters. The sum is believed to be topped only by the $5 million that the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston offered for the return of $300 million worth of art stolen in a 1990 robbery. Those paintings, which include three Rembrandts, are still missing and the thieves have not been caught.

Gundlach gave few details about the crime, which he said he discovered Sept. 14 after returning from a two-day business trip to New York. In addition to the art, the thieves made off with expensive watches, rare bottles of wine and even his red 2010 Porsche Carrera.

Santa Monica police have released few details about the Gundlach burglary but said they were working with art-theft experts from the FBI, Interpol and Los Angeles Police Department.

The biggest unanswered question: Was the caper the work of sophisticated art thieves or street burglars who couldn't tell a Renoir from a Rockwell? The theft has shaken the Southern California art world as movie moguls, pop stars, actors and star lawyers wonder whether it could happen to them. "Everybody's talking about it; the buzz is out there," said Cheryl Perkey, a Los Angeles art consultant to wealthy collectors and celebrities. "People who have valuable collections, that's always in the back of their mind, the safety of their collections." Gundlach set aside $1 million of the reward money for a Mondrian piece, which one art-theft expert said was the most ever offered for a single painting.

Gundlach originally offered a $200,000 reward for information leading to the return of the paintings.
He added $1 million for information leading to the return of a Piet Mondrian painting called "Composition (A) En Rouge Et Blanc." He is offering $500,000 for the return of three other paintings, two by Joseph Cornell and one by Jasper Johns.

Police said Gundlach estimated the value of his collection—which included some of the biggest names in contemporary art: Mondrian, Johns and Richard Diebenkorn—at about $10 million. Two of the pieces sold for a combined $8.7 million in recent years. The Mondrian painting sold at auction for $5.3 million in 2002, according to Sotheby's.

Johns' "Green Target" sold for $3.4 million at Sotheby's in 2004. That painting was part of Johns' first solo show at Leo Castelli Gallery in New York and is very desirable because of that history.

Gundlach declined to say whether the paintings were insured. Art consultants said such protection is affordable and wise.

"With that level of collecting, he had to have insurance," said Merry Norris, an art consultant to wealthy individuals. "He'd have been ludicrous not to."

Shanghai Expo pavilions repurposed as art museums

SHANGHAI - Two years after the hustle and bustle of the Shanghai Expo, some pavilions have found their second lives serving the arts, local authorities announced Tuesday.

The crimson-colored China Pavilion had been transformed into a Chinese modern art museum named "China Art Museum, Shanghai," while the factory-shaped Pavilion of the Future on the other side of the Huangpu River was renovated as the "Power Station of Art," said Hu Jinjun, director of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture, Radio, Film and TV, at a press conference on Tuesday.

The two repurposed landmarks will both open on October 1, hosting a series of art exhibitions of top artists, Hu said.

The China Art Museum has a floor space of 160,000 square meters and an exhibition space of 70,000 square meters, or 10 times that of the existing Shanghai Art Museum, and it will be the permanent location of the Shanghai Art Museum, he said.

The museum's scale and facilities, including 27 exhibition halls, can be listed among the top museums in Asia, and its dimensions are very close to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Musee d'Orsay in Paris, he said.

The museum will house the works of famous Chinese artists, including Lin Fengmian, Wu Guanzhong, Guan Liang and Cheng Shifa. It will also host collections from world-recognized museums.

As the first public museum of contemporary arts in the Chinese mainland, the Power Station of Art, covering more than 40,000 square meters with 12 halls, will mainly exhibit modern Chinese art made since 1980 and will be the main exhibition space for the Shanghai Biennial.

The two museums will be on trial operations during the week-long National Day holiday and only online reservations and group reservations will be accepted. The number of tourists will be limited to 10,000 and 6,000 daily for the China Art Museum and the Power Station of Art, respectively.

Line 8 of the Shanghai Metro will run through to the China Art Museum on September 28.

The Shanghai World Expo was the first event of its kind to be held in a developing country. It attracted more than 200 participating countries, regions and international organizations, as well as 73 million visitors.

One year after the Expo concluded on October 31, 2010, there was much speculation about the post-Expo development of the 5.28-square kilometer Shanghai Expo Park and complaints that it was not being used efficiently.

Shanghai authorities said the park will continue to be used for cultural purposes.

Arts festival focuses on women in the Mideast

Rutgers and Princeton showcase works from Arabs, Israelis, Iranians 

The Source, made using acrylic and glitter, by Iranian-American artist Negar Ahkami highlights Persian culture often subverted by the current repressive regime.

In an area too often known for its endless conflicts, Middle Eastern female artists and performers have found a means to express their feelings about their culture, violence, and gender roles.

More than 100 works by these women will be on display at venues in Princeton and New Brunswick through Jan. 13 as part of a half-year-long program sponsored jointly by Rutgers and Princeton universities.
“The Fertile Crescent: Gender, Art and Society” will include lectures, film screenings, and special events held in conjunction with the exhibits.

At its inaugural symposium, held Sept. 9 at Rutgers and attended by a number of the 24 participating artists, hundreds of visitors walked through the Mason Gross Galleries in downtown New Brunswick viewing videos and DVD presentations. A symposium, featuring several of the artists, followed at Scott Lecture Hall on the Rutgers campus.

Many of the 22 works at Mason Gross showed women straining to break out of the religious, societal, and sexual restraints of their cultures. Others highlighted the harsh realities of the region — brutal dictatorships and regional and ethnic conflicts.

“The Fertile Crescent” is being curated and organized by Judith K. Brodsky and Ferris Olin, codirectors of the Rutgers Institute for Women and the Arts, who have spent several years bringing the major undertaking to fruition.

Brodsky told the gathering the exhibit was about “unavailable intersections” of nationality, gender, religion, history, and “the idea [that] we live in a state of flux.”

Rutgers’ new president, Robert Barchi, said the exhibit “challenges us to think of a part of the world that since 9/11 has suffered from prejudice.”

The works of the women from North Africa, Iran, Arab countries, and Israel reflect “uncertainty and precariousness,” said panelist Kelly Baum, the Haskell Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Princeton University Museum.

Baum said she hoped the “cross reciprocity” would bridge the “cultural gap.”

The artists themselves demonstrated the complexities of the region and the world opened to them through modern technology. They included Fatima Al Qadiri, a Kuwaiti artist residing in New York, whose work depicted four transvestite men in women’s clothes — one in full burka — chatting over tea; Syrian artist Diana El Jeiroudi, whose film Dolls focuses on a popular Barbie-like doll with a Muslim head covering; and Ariane Littman, a Swiss-born Israeli whose video “Sea of Death” features a woman floating in the Dead Sea, wrapped in bandages.

Israeli artist Ayana Friedman spoke of her “Red Freedom” video, in which a woman wears an impractically flowing red dress signifying the social constraints complicating women’s lives.

“She is gathering the Hebrew letters spelling the word for human,” Friedman explained. “It shows women not only create life. This also creates a spiritual meaning. See, she raises herself like a Phoenix.”

Panelist Zeina Barakeh provided a poignant backdrop to the complexities of the region.

Her father fled his native Jaffa in 1948 after the creation of Israel for Beirut, where the family was swept up in the brutal civil war between Christians and Muslims that raged from 1975 to 1990.

Barakeh, now living in San Francisco, showed a series of videos called “Scenarios of Return,” including one in which her image is seen among the trees in Jaffa’s traditional orange groves to signify her return to “a place where I can never go.”

Beyond the main five sites at the two universities, the exhibit will also have related programming through the arts councils of Princeton and West Windsor; East Brunswick, New Brunswick, and Princeton public libraries; the College of New Jersey in Ewing; Rutgers in Newark and Camden; and the New York City Public Library.

For a full listing of exhibitions and events, go to fertile-crescent.org.