How to Sustain Local Street Art in Miami
As we come into a new dawn of experiences post-pandemic a few brands are standing up for local sustainability and supporting arts and culture like never before. Integrating community-based creatives into immersive events is the vehicle of how one Miami Beach hotel is driving huge awareness by underwriting cultural advocacy and participation in the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals during the Decade of Action.
The Confidante Miami Beach is launching the Museum of Graffiti Beachside, a nine-month rotating art residency featuring local graffiti artists with exhibits curated by the Wynwood-based museum. The public exhibition is on view now through February 15th, 2022, and located throughout the first floor of the hotel. Guests and locals alike will have the opportunity to view three exclusive exhibits by world-renowned artists including Jel Martinez, Ahol Sniffs Glue, and the all-female Few & Far Graffiti Crew. Complimentary weekly art tours led by Museum of Graffiti curators include a glass of rosé and are available on Friday evenings for guests staying at the hotel.
“The Confidante Miami Beach is not only a vibrant oceanfront destination for locals and visitors, but a long-standing supporter of local businesses and artists,” said Becca Tash, Director of Marketing at The Confidante Miami Beach. “We’re proud to partner with Museum of Graffiti to continue celebrating Miami’s dynamic cultural scene with our guests and community.”
The first exhibition showcases the works of Jel Martinez, open to the public now through August 15, 2021. Jel Martinez unveiled his new show entitled “Unintentional Collaboration” with 18 small to large-scale pieces featuring his unique layering painting process. Jel is a Cuban American artist whose paintings are inspired by the methodology of vandalism removal. His background in graffiti, as an original member of the Ink Heads Crew, is seen in each of his studio pieces which depict how metropolitan clean-up crews destroy one art form while creating another. Martinez’s paintings are a recreation of multilayered walls that are seen in urban landscapes. His painterly gestures incorporate concrete elements, acrylic, enamel, oil, compound, and ink, creating overlapping styles of free-floating patches of color.
Ahol Sniffs Glue, aka David Anasagasti, one of Miami’s most recognizable public artists, will unveil his work as part of the second exhibit of the residency. Ahol will be on-site in The 1930s House, the hotel’s iconic poolside historic house, creating exclusive work for his exhibit leading up to the show. He will then unveil his work that will be on display from August 15th through November 15th, 2021. His art is satirical and colorful, and highly visible for over a decade on the streets. He captures the essence of Miami in his drawings of its inhabitants: the tweakers, the homeless, the working class, and even the animals. It is within these illustrations that we get to understand Ahol Sniffs Glue. Through his work, and especially through his signature eye, we get a close-up into his life and his ability to see other beings in society in a way no one else can.
The final iteration of the Museum of Graffiti Beachside is the Few and Far All-Female Graffiti-Street Art Crew’s exhibit, open November 15th, 2021 through February 14, 2021, anchored by Miami artists Delvs and Nico, and the crew’s Founder Meme. Few and Far is an assemblage of talented female artists from around the world with a commitment to beautifying the streets with large-scale artworks. Alongside the large public murals, Few and Far organizes and participates in numerous all-female skateboarding events nationwide further committing to the empowerment of women and girls. Few and Far seeks to validate these emerging styles for the next generation. They have produced murals at Art Basel Miami for five consecutive years and have brought art to communities in Bali, Thailand, India, the Bahamas, Spain, France, Germany, Sweden, UK, Canada, Mexico, Nepal, Brazil, Panama, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador and Costa Rica.
Pieces will be displayed throughout the first floor of the hotel including the lobby entrance and hallways. Each artist brings a unique and vibrant spin to the long-standing rotating local art program at the hotel. Guests can scan a QR code at each piece of artwork or email hey@museumofgraffiti.com to purchase the artwork on display, with proceeds benefiting the selling artist.
“We are so excited to have a Miami Beach outpost where world travellers can admire the incredible artistic talent that comes from the Magic City! It is important for all of us to support local artists by creating opportunities for exhibitions of new works and a platform to drive sales,” said Allison Freidin, co-Founder of the Museum of Graffiti.
Access to the residency is complimentary for hotel guests, visitors, and locals. Locals and guests alike can enjoy dinner and drinks at the newly debuted restaurant Ambersweet and The Lounge and browse the exhibit at their leisure.
Throughout the residency registered hotel guests can attend a free guided tour of the exhibit by a Museum of Graffiti curator each Friday at 5 p.m. All attendees receive a complimentary glass of rosé courtesy of Studio by Miraval as part of the tour of the exhibit. Hotel guests must reserve their space upon arrival or by contacting concierge@theconfidantehotel.com, as space is limited. Registered hotel guests are also eligible for 10% savings on admission to the Museum of Graffiti in Wynwood.
