Art Basel Miami Beach 2014

There was a gluttonous amount of art on view in beautiful down town Miami Beach Fla. at the end of last week for a solid four days. Along with the art on exhibit there were close to a million viewers; beautiful people of all ages contributing to the look of sophistication and style of this remarkable event; Art Basel Miami.

Between Art Basel, Art Miami, Pulse Miami and the many other satellite fairs it was a weekend nothing less than utterly amazing. The scene was extravagant and excessive but worth every effort in this; the “World Cup/ Main Event” of the art world. It was very much a carnival happening and in that way remarkably refreshing in all it’s luxuriant extremes.

I was able to meet and talk with gallerists, gallery girls and artists among the art market’s high end sellers and shoppers.   There were great conversations with people from around the world and US cities. The nations included Brazil, Bogota, China, South Africa and the UK. The US cities included (of course) New York, Chicago, LA, San Antonio and DC. The grand host city; Miami, is breathtakingly beautiful and the population is incredibly welcoming. The blue water and skies, cruise ships and yachts mesmerize; while the modern and art deco architecture complement each other in spectacular form.    

Great and important works of painting, photography and sculpture including Helmut Newton’s Sie Kommen, Jim Dine hearts, Jeff Koon’s banalities, Chris Ofili’s dung art and Picasso’s cubism available and on view in various galleries. All these works and thousands of others not only on view; but, most importantly for sell. 

There was also live performance art, video, mixed-medium, design and decorative art, supplemented by the many stunningly elegant and high fashion patrons. Yes; there were the "odd ball" one of a kind character dressers too, which in honesty made for a thing remarkable. Refreshment comes in the form of push cart girls selling the original champagne; Ruinart.  It is actually the Ruinart that makes me return to Basel. It is definitely one of the many unique extras that adds to the experience.  Attending Art Basel Miami Beach, Design Miami, Pulse Miami Beach and a few other fairs combined for a complete adventure in art fashion design and culture. It is as exhausting as it is exhilarating and by the way; I’m ready for next year. 

Alien

 When director Ridley Scott sought to create something magnificently horrific and challenging for film viewers at the dawning of the “Star Wars” era of film he looked to artists including; Chris Foss, Moebius  and  most strikingly Swiss Surrealist H.R. Giger. The works of Giger were unequaled in terms of their scope; sense of dread, ability to repulse as they equally intrigued and encaptured his viewers. They are with every possibility the purest examples of nightmares ever put to canvas or screen. Giger’s monochromatic creations were very much driven by his own sleep disorder (night terrors) as by his rich imagination. Giger is a technically skilled artist and draftsman with a style almost completely unto himself. There is only one H.R. Giger.

The creations and designs of Giger possess a quality of things emanating from the mind and heart of a madman. His works can be difficult for most viewers. He has referred to the hopelessly insane as being a large portion of his audience. His pieces are as many times representational of eroticism as they are a combination of a repressed violence. They are often composition of the demonic; distantly removed from anything remotely of the saints. What artist could be better suited to contribute to the horror genre films of the late 20^th Century?  

“Bio-Mechanical” is a term Giger often used to describe his own creations. In that too he was singular as I know of no other artist fitting into Giger’s self-titled genre. He was able within his career to expand on many forms of creativity and cross markets. He was first of all a painter (nothing short of a master) and after that he included set design, sculpture and film director. He was very much ingrained in the music field; often as a commissioned artist. Emerson Lake and Palmer, Debbie Harry and many other musicians used Giger’s works for memorable album covers. He inspired video games and calendars while fans are noted for adorning their various body parts with Giger tattoos. His architecturally informed creations decorate interiors for night clubs and restaurants. Giger is many times over a force in the art worlds variously articulated commodities and structures.  

Earlier this week on May 12^th Hans Rudolph Giger passed away from the earth. Giger was 74 years old and still engaged with his art.  His alien is one of the most terrifying creatures ever preserved on film. He will best be remembered for his alien and the sets he designed for the original Ridley Sott film. 

Humanity has looked to the darkness for generations; most often in fear. It is the keeper of mystery and visions of irrational dread. Giger shared with us his own nightmare scenarios and images in the form of stories. In that he is linked to the ages.  By taking us eerily and endearingly into his nightmares he entertained us and helped us understand and live within our own.