Miami Contrasts and Harmonies: The Art of William Oberheiser

Vibrant color, joyfulness, and the sensuality of nature burst with energy in Miami Contrasts and Harmonies, the paintings and prints of the Cuban-born William J. Oberheiser. In a return to Neo Tropicalismo, his works, in watercolor and gouache, explore the visual imagery of Miami and the Caribbean, their narrative, nature and cultural diversity. At the same time, the narrative often suggests a deeper meaning, raising questions through unlikely juxtapositions, unexpected pictorial style, or even a strategically placed single image. His artwork has been featured at the Portland Art Museum, The Alternative Museum in New York City, the Instituto de Cultura in San Juan, Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach, Vero Beach Museum of Art, and numerous art galleries as well as private collections.

Miami Contrasts and Harmonies: The Art of William Oberheiser will be on display through January 29, 2023.

 

 

 

April 13 – June 19

Tree Huggers and Nests: The Art of Evelyn Politzer

More than a cultural event, this exhibition is a call to action showing the need to defend and create measures to protect the planet’s natural reserves, particularly the Everglades in Florida. Evelyn Politzer’s work pays an homage to the Everglades. The use of organic materials produces changes or mutations, that gradually blend within nature, making the viewer aware of the beauty of our environment.

Both exhibitions take place outdoors in the Garden. In assembling the tree branches for the nests and drawing together lines of threads and wool, Evelyn, like a storyteller, creates a narrative of disappearance and survival. Each Nest tells the story of an endangered bird, and each Tree Hugger is a call for unity, action and transformation.

The use of colors, form, space, as well as the use of various materials in the work of Evelyn Politzer, shows how fully aware the artist is of art’s social responsibility. Preservation is the only way to recover what is still left, therefore the artist offers us an ethical reflection and a utopian model about the possibilities of dialogue between humans and nature.

April 19 – September 5

Native Orchids of South Florida: The Photography of Drew Mullin

Florida is home to 106 native species of orchids, of which 77 are considered either endangered or threatened by the State of Florida due to habitat destruction and poaching.This exhibition by the Garden’s Orchid Specialist and Photographer Drew Mullin is a collection of photos taken in various parts of the everglades over the last 15 years, and brings awareness to these threatened orchids by showcasing their beauty in their natural habitat.

In celebration of Earth Month, the Garden is delighted to host such a meaningful and optimistic survey through photographs that are works of art on their own.

 

March 2 – April 3, 2022

Five Contemporary Quilt Artists

 

Join us as we explore quilting, a centuries-old form of expression typically practiced by women, presented with a fresh, contemporary sensibility.

 

This exhibition features the quilts of five artists: Kristin Beck, Susan DiBartolo, Isabella Elias, Deborah Krajkowski and Charlotte Noll, and represents their individual artistic styles.

 

While previous generations of women made quilts as functional products (often blankets utilizing leftover scraps of fabric), quilting has over time evolved into a highly regarded art form. Quilting illustrates that art needs no “pedigree” as it is innately embedded in our souls awaiting the inspiration for it to take form.

February 10, 2022 – February 22, 2022

I Was Born in the Spring: The Paintings of Jenny Perez

 

Jenny Perez is a Caribbean-American painter and visual artist based in Miami, Florida. With over a decade of experience, Perez’s work spans a wide variety of projects. She began her career as an apprentice under internationally-recognized painters and then became inspired to explore her own voice as an artist. Early in her development she quickly became one of the pioneering artists fueling the rise of Miami’s street art movement. As a self-taught painter Jenny immersed herself in a disciplined studio practice exploring abstract expressionism with notes of pop art, eventually translating her paintings onto walls and most recently into monumental three-dimensional public sculptures. Throughout her career, Perez has been invited to be a part of various group and solo exhibitions around the world, has worked with several nonprofit organizations in support of efforts she is most passionate about, and has been featured in global campaign collaborations for notable brands. 

 

 

December 9, 2021 – January 30, 2022

 

 

Aurelio Márquez: Hortus Conclusus

 

Aurelio Márquez (born in Camagüey, Cuba) is a painter who lives and works in Miami Beach, Florida. A life-long artist, Márquez began studying drawing in his early teens. In the 1980’s he moved from Cuba to Canada to study graphic design. He earned a Bachelor of Art from the Graphic Design Program at George Brown College in Toronto in 1990, receiving the Dean’s Award. As a designer, he received First Prize and Honorable Mention at the Cuban National Exhibition of Graphic Advertising, in Santiago de Cuba and First Prize at the First Graphic Design Triennial, in Havana, Cuba. All the while, he never abandoned his love of fine art. In 2006 he relocated to Miami Beach where he now focuses on painting. However, his design background is evident in the purpose and precision of his balanced compositions.

 

As an artist, Márquez works in charcoal and acrylics on loose canvas. His paintings are often large-format diptychs and triptychs informed by his process. Working on natural canvas results in a soft, flowing effect, while the ease of acrylic allows him to achieve a tactile appeal. His paintings have a note of Romanticism and are inspired by his emotions, memories, and the poems he reads daily. His solo exhibition positions his paintings as a garden inside the garden and points to art-making in a time of isolation.

 

 

 

October 8 – November 21