Art & culture
Miami art basel
Words by Hannah Prendergast
L’Objet Haas Brothers shown at The Bass Museum of Art
Twins Simon and Nikolai Haas of the Haas Brothers united their cast of shaggy, playful creatures with the master craftsmanship of luxury lifestyle brand L’OBJET to produce a 65-piece collection spanning tableware, home décor, textiles, and fragrance. L’Objet Haas Brothers launched alongside the Brothers’ first solo museum exhibition, Ferngully, was an 800 square foot pop up shop transcendent of the Joshua Tree landscape-inspired collaboration. Boasting functional objects that double as otherworldly pieces of art made from porcelain and 24k gold, these charming, hairy monsters are ones you can entrust with the banality of daily life to make new and exciting permanent fixtures in your home.
Tschabalala Self presented by Thierry Goldberg Gallery
Tschabalala Self is the artist behind the booth, Bodega Run, that achieved corner store vibes through paintings of customers, drawings of overstocked shelves, and milk crate sculptures, but there is a dual meaning for the artist. Concerned with the fetishization of Black women, Self forges an alternative narrative to explain voyeurism of the gendered and racialized body, imagining their existence outside of the cultural vacuum. The difference between bodies commemorated for their own pleasure and self-realization versus public consumption is likened by Self to the socio-political exchange of an NYC style bodega.
Derek Fordjour presented by Josh Lilley Gallery
Artist Derek Fordjour muses on the meaning of life using game theory, often turning to parlour games and sportive elements in his work to describe how team dynamics in conflict with the individual lead to breaking the rules. For his Miami Art Basel debut, Fordjour’s booth was transformed into a backyard lot complete with a gravel floor and reused metal walls. Continuing to explore the thrill of transgression, Backroom delivered highly textured colourful paintings at the “Pageant” and on the “Podium.”
Kai Art presented by Markowicz Fine Art
Presenting his latest collection at CONTEXT Art Miami, street artist Kai showed floral sculptures made from skateboard, wood, and cement as well as the mixed media on concrete series “Love vs Money,” which appears to be a play on Banksy’s iconic “Girl with Balloon.” Spreading his message of social awareness since he came on the scene in 2009 with his anti-smoking “Morons” mural, Kai targets consumerist and hedonistic behaviour in a way that the D.A.R.E. campaigns never could. His conduit: a stick like graffiti character named IF — who is without a color, sex, or race — is exactly the kind of hero we need in 2019.
