Evolution: Photographs and works on paper by Hunter & Gatti, Casey Waterman and Estrada Duran at The Soho Beach House Miami

April 1st - May 31st, 2016
The Art:Design Project @ Soho Beach House
Exhibitions for members only

The Art:Design Project in collaboration with the Soho Beach House is pleased to announce its exhibition EVOLUTION in Miami, photographs and works on paper by artists: Casey Waterman, the photographer duo Hunter & Gatti, and Estrada-Duran

Casey Waterman was born and raised in a small rural town in New Hampshire. With over a decade of culminated work, his process and curiosity are mostly self-taught and induced. His work can include a wide range of materials and mediums but is based primarily on the creation of a cut image from a photograph, drawing, or other form of creation of a cut image from a photograph, drawing, or other form of visual media. In the removal of parts of the image he is interested in the tension between what is there and what is left out, why those choices are made and not what they say, but where they lead.

The cut outs are then reintroduced as prints, paintings, sculptures and the cut outs are then reintroduced as prints, paintings, sculptures and large scale murals. His curiosity and inspiration come primarily from written works and everyday experience, rather than from other visual artists. After establishing an idea he collects images, some not being cut until years later, which are then used to help investigate choices and insight new questions. For Casey the process and the work are not separate entities but an amalgamation where each facet is of importance and worth heeding. As an ongoing process of personal exploration he continues to investigate and create at his studio in Little River, Miami.
Casey attended Keene State College receiving a bachelor’s degree in architecture. He has worked as a preparator in museums and galleries both in New England and Miami. He most recently spent two years as assistant to the formerly local Miami artist Enrique Martinez Celaya, gaining valuable insight and education. Of which, what it means to call ones self an artist as well as the importance of being honest about your intentions and keeping your actions faithful. Casey’s work can be found in private collections along the eastern seaboard.

Artistic duo Hunter & Gatti, will present their latest series of works, titled “I will make you a star”. The exhibition brings to the public a selection of their Basquiat-inspired, overpainted celebrity portraits.

“I will make you a star” reflects Hunter & Gatti’s desire to bring together photography and painting in one format. The artists were inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat’s neo-expressionist paintings, and more particularly by a specific incident in his career: the moment that art dealer Rene Ricard spotted Basquiat’s work at a party and promised him that he would make him a star. When Basquiat’s work started to become famous, the art world was living a very special moment. New York’s art scene was overflowing with charismatic people, and having a strong public persona was a major influence in the way one’s work was being perceived. Despite the fact that Basquiat’s art was undoubtedly unique, his image, his aesthetic and his personality contributed the most to his success. Hunter & Gatti wanted to pay tribute to Basquiat’s legacy by merging the celebrity portraits they had made in the past for fashion editorials and campaigns, featuring the most iconoclastic members of today’s fashion scene, with Basquiat’s paintings that transcend the limits of the art world and form part of our collective unconsciousness – just like the famous faces of their photos. Their idea was to create a series of original hybrids that explore the limits of popular culture, reflecting, at the same time, fashion’s on-going interest in the art world.

Hunter & Gatti were fascinated by the idea of using something as strong and successful as Basquiat’s iconography to "turn their own images into stars". Their Basquiat-inspired painting interventions take their photographic works out of the fashion context, where perfection reigns, and places them to the art field, the street and its graffiti (another nod to Basquit), and the art frenzy of the modern metropolis of the world. Out of the destruction of perfection, a new world arises, defying the commercial character of the fashion industry. After all, we shouldn’t forget that some critics had originally looked down on Basquiat’s works for being a mere product of consumerism, same as it happens nowadays with the genre of fashion photography.

The artists wanted to make their particular comment on this situation and explore the blurred lines between fashion and art, using two “formulas of success”: the glossy images of models and actors that have acquired celebrity status and the highly-valued paintings of a renowned artist that has become the symbol of a whole era. We may unconsciously recognize the identity of the celebrities that are hidden behind the layers of painting, but at the same time we are left perplexed by the new faces that have emerged –and it’s this very contradiction that makes their artworks unique.
Cristian Hunter and Martin Gatti, They have known each other for more than a decade working together as art directors for some of the most prestigious advertising agencies creating successful interactive online campaigns for fashion brands.

Estrada-Duran combines realism and surrealism in his work. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Juan Carlos moved to Miami in 2012 and has been studying art since. With no background in the art industry, Juan Carlos is what you would call a self-taught artist. Juan Carlos trained himself to draw by using comic books and the environment as a point of reference and inspiration. He prefers to use pencil and paper as his medium and loves to sketch black and white drawings some of them with gold accents.. At the moment, Juan Carlos is working at the soho beach house and on obtaining his Associates Degree in Arts and majoring in Drawing.

The Art:Design Project is a series of traveling pop up art installations with a firm purpose of promoting the cultural scene in different cities around the globe. Our purpose is to collaborate with art galleries, artist studios, exclusive clubs, luxury brands, developers and public spaces, to raise awareness of the artists. The Art Design Project aims to bring a new breed of potential clients offering a one-of-a-kind scenario to showcase to an exclusive audience. It is a unique experience where our guests will have the opportunity to view and acquire pieces directly from the artists, private collectors, galleries, and auction houses. www.theartdesignproject.com