Vision [8-8]

By L.A. Ivers
Art Critic 

A is for Art: The Miami Alphabet Exhibitions A-Z

 
Robert and Rosario Marquet, “M Model” 

Summer art exhibits are traditionally light fare: nothing too taxing for sun-drenched eyes, please. A is for Art: The Miami Alphabet Exhibitions A-Z is no exception to this rule. The illustration and use of letters of the alphabet does have a rich history. A look at the Book of Kells and other masterpieces of medieval manuscript illumination proves this out. This exhibit would have benefited from a little more scholarship. The brief notes accompanying the exhibit tout the variety of interpretations of letters of the Roman alphabet as a great tribute to and a reflection of Miami’s diversity. But the variety on view seems to merely reflect the fact that a different artist interpreted each letter visually. The artists represented do in fact all live in Miami, other than that, however, A is for Art is not a particularly Miami-specific show.

26 artists were invited to create the works for this exhibition, and the results are wildly uneven. David Rohn’s letter D is made with painted blocks of wood. Using shades of gray he plays with light, shadow, and optical illusions. Charo Oquet’s letter H, entitled “h_, ha, ha; hee, hee,” is a haphazard amalgam of cheesy mixed media. Margarita Cano’s letter J takes the most historical approach, referencing illuminated manuscripts and books of fairy tales in the creation of her mixed media piece. Jacqueline Lipsky’s letter J, entitled “Little j” is a pink pillow forming the letter J. Transferred onto the letter-pillow is a photographic image of a little girl. The image looks old-fashioned and innocent. Marring the quaintness and creating tension is the fact that the little girl’s head forms the dot over the j and is disconnected from her body. Rafael Salazar’s letter L is a photograph of a serene sunset with a slice cut out, forming the letter L, and placed next to the main image. Demi’s letter Q, an acrylic on canvas shows Death, depicted as the traditional menacing skeleton, coming to claim a bald person of indeterminate age and sex who appears fearful but resigned.  Mette Tommerup’s letter Q is a digital painting of a distorted face, whose eyeglasses form an abstract rendering of the letter. This piece looks as if it could be a film still from groundbreaking silent films of almost a century ago. Karen Rifas’ effort, the letter X, is a mixed media piece. Two dictionaries, spines attached form the letter. Just to hammer the point home, the dictionary is open to the letter X. In Robert Miller’s “Why Why,” an odd and rancorous mixed media representation of the letter Y, we see two images of a smiling Ronald Reagan with two Y-shaped red slashes from which dribble the words “trickle down.” Perhaps Mr. Miller is a die-hard democrat, or he’s been incommunicado since the 1980’s. His attack on an Alzheimer’s patient long out of office and a decades old economic theory is exceptionally tired.

 Through September 14 at the Miami-Dade Public Library System, Main Library, Auditorium and Lobby Exhibition Areas, 101 West Flagler St, Miami. 305-375-2665, www.mdpls.org.

You can contact L.A. Ivers with information on openings and exhibitions at laivers@hotmail.com.