“ArtPalmBeach” celebrated its 16th anniversary at the Palm Beach Convention Center in Florida last weekend. Comprised of over 70 international galleries presenting works of all forms of contemporary art, I favored the photography, as usual. Although the exhibits are down now, I’ve included the names of artists and their galleries, if you’d like to see for yourself. Here is the state of the art as I see it.
The state of the art is large. Jean-Francois Rauzier presents his enormous and intricate “hyperprints” while each piece in Brendan Dawes’ ambitious “Cinema Redux” series creates a visual fingerprint of an entire movie.
The state of the art is new conceptual combos. Take Alex G. Cao’s remaking of an iconic image into a gigantic piece, composed solely of a single repeated “opposing” tiny image. Or HaviShanz’s architectural floor plans overlaid with his oil paintings of a celebrity’s image.
The state of the art is non-traditional materials. Printed on aluminum, Nicky Taylor’s high-definition panoramic landscapes shine. Maeder’s photographs on plexiglass accentuate the glow of his hyper-impressionistic images.
Performance is the state of the art. Trained as an art director, Mastromatteo uses models with rearranged anatomy to create surreal photographs. The Jadikan Lightning Project uses lasers and lengthy exposures to unite street art, calligraphy and performance in his photographs.
ArtPalmBeach is designed to appeal to consumers and, as such, features a sense of playfulness and light introspection. The state of the art still celebrates famous personalities. Sometimes, it strains to be clever; sometimes, it actually is. However, war and revolution are neither in the air nor on the walls. We shall not lose sleep. The state of the art is plucky and peaceful. And large.