Ideated by Philip Lique and co-curated alongside Laura Novoa, LAMP SHOW features the work of seven Miami-based artists – Justyna Kisielewicz, Philip Lique, Claudio Marcotulli, Diana Paz, Lee Pivnick, Lauren Shapiro, and Andrea Spiridonakos – that explore the technical and visual elements of lamps and lighting.
The intention behind Lamp Show was to give artists a platform to present their own interpretations of this traditional appliance. Playing with form and material, whether it’s the sleek smoothness of coral-inspired glazed porcelain table lamps (Shapiro) or the textured roughness of raw wool floor lamp in the shape of a cactus (Spiridonakos), they challenge the ways we might define a functional object. Creating lamps becomes a way to push the boundaries of their artistic practice; not only must the artists consider the technical aspects that come into play (i.e. electrical wiring), but how this object might relate to their larger body of work. For some, light is a primarily conceptual element (Marcotulli). For others, lamps are tactile manifestations of a generative process (Lique) or a personal statement about thoughts on social-political issues, like climate change and the environment (Pivnik).
The works in Lamp Show are weird, silly, goofy, funky, and unapologetically unique in a way that surpasses and in some ways undermines the stricter parameters that might define “good design.” Practicality becomes secondary to applicability. The relevance of the object, how it operates in a space, rather than how “well” it does its job is the primary concern.
As indispensable and integral parts of any architectural space, lamps are usually defined by their specific function. But, as the lines between art and design blur further, these artists are able to look beyond formal and functional limitations. Obviously, in order for anything to be considered a lamp as such, it must give light. But this light source – whether a softly diffused LED framing boldly painted figures (Kisielewicz) or a bright singular bulb held within a minimalist design (Paz) – and how it is presented becomes an opportunity for experimentation and play.
Justyna Kisielewicz is a contemporary artist based in Miami, FL. Her paintings are aesthetically camp, cheeky, and lively with unexpected color combinations. She was dubbed the “pop culture obsessed, rebellious artist from Poland” and the “princess of pop culture” by Elle, an international fashion and lifestyle magazine. Originally from Poland, Justyna’s formative memories are shrouded in a monochrome haze similar to the brutalist architecture associated with communist rule. As a personal escape from the visual monotony of her surroundings, the artist enjoyed creating extravagant imagery with pigments and paper. She embellished what she saw; color served as a protective barrier from the gloom of everyday life.
Philip Lique is a multidisciplinary artist working across print, sculpture, design, and installation practices. Hailing from New Haven Connecticut, He holds a BFA in graphic design from Paier College of Art and an MFA in painting from Western Connecticut State University. Lique has worked as a professor and technician at the University of New Haven, Yale School of Art, Southern Connecticut State University, The University of Miami, Nova Southeastern University, and the New World School of the Arts. Since 2018 Lique has been managing EXILE books where he organizes programming, and publishing fairs, and designs printed material for galleries, non-profits, and fellow artists. Lique has participated in residencies at Vermont Studio Center, Zona Imagianaria ( Buenos Aries), The University of Connecticut, and is currently a permanent artist in residency at the Bakehouse Artist Complex.
Claudio Marcotulli received his B.F.A from Emerson College in Boston and M.F.A from the Miami International University of Art and Design in 2005. Since then his work has been exhibited internationally and has received support from South Florida PBS, The Knight Foundation and MDC Live Arts, among others. Marcotulli is a Miami-based artist, working predominantly in media, sculpture and performance to create works that investigate his interest in technology and nature by illuminating existential questions around these subjects. Marcotulli also explores principles of aerodynamics that reveal the science and poetry behind the mechanics of flight. He has been an artist in residence at Live Arts Miami’s Lab Alliance (2018), Mana Contemporary Miami (2019-2020) and Laundromat Arts Space since 2021.
Diana Paz (Venezuela, 1989) is a multidisciplinary artist based between Bogotá, Colombia and Miami, Florida. She has been fully dedicated to her art since 2012 after graduating from the School of Graphic Design at URBE in Maracaibo, Venezuela. Navigating between artistic expressions found in past eras, she explores shapes, spaces, textures and colors; reinterpreting elements from her native Caribbean region as well as others taken from everyday life. The result is a pleasing union of elements; coming together in the cleanest and simplest way. Her experiments with a great variety of techniques and formats result in a new, balanced and contrasted, geometric abstraction. Diana has exhibited work at Bandy Bandy Gallery, La Feria del Millón and Distrito Graffiti Festival in Bogotá and is now working on a few exciting new projects in the United States. She currently delivers commissioned pieces for private and commercial spaces, and collaborates with international brands such as Dr. Martens and Bold&Heavy.
Lee Pivnik is an artist living in Miami, Florida. Working across disciplines, he takes inspiration from living systems and other species to imagine a future based on mutualistic relationships instead of extractive economies. Permeating his practice is the idea of entanglement – the touching, changing, mutating relationships between species and landscapes. Through these intimacies, worlds arise —worlds of decay and degradation or verdant flourishing. His drawings, sculptures, and installations share this relational quality, referencing fungal networks, epiphytic plants, and emergent animal architectures that inhabit South Florida. He co-directs the Institute of Queer Ecology (IQECO), an ever-evolving collaborative organism that brings peripheral solutions to environmental degradation to the forefront of public consciousness. IQECO projects are interdisciplinary but grounded in the theoretical framework of queer ecology, a tool for understanding ourselves, our environments, our biologies, and our collaborations through queer lenses.
Lauren Shapiro currently lives and works in Miami, Florida. Shapiro received an MFA from the University of Miami in 2016. She integrates ceramics and technology to uncover and communicate insights from the natural world, often collaborating with scientists to influence projects by the diverse ecosystems of South Florida and beyond. Selected solo exhibitions include “Future Pacific” (2020) at Bakehouse Art Complex, Miami, Florida; “Garden Portals” (2021) at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami, Florida; and “Fragile Terrains” (2018) at Bianca Boekel Galeria, São Paulo, Brazil. Selected group exhibitions include “Intricate Oceans, Coral in Contemporary Art” (2023) with Coastal Discovery Museum, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; “Design Miami” (2021) with Todd Merrill Studio, Miami, Florida; and “Projektraum M54” (2017) in Basel, Switzerland. Shapiro received awards and commissions from the New York Foundation for the Arts (2023), Knight Foundation(2021), Andy Warhol Foundation (2019), Miami Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs (2020-2023), and Art in Public Places (2021,2022). Her artwork is part of the Soho House Art Collection and Jorge M. Perez Collection.
Andrea Spiridonakos (b. Winsted, CT) has a practice driven by process, experimentation and detail, through various mediums such as fiber art, decorative art and installation. She received a degree in Fashion Design (2015) from Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. She has exhibited at Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Paris) in collaboration with the Métiers d’Arts, Chanel, the Bergdorf Goodman windows (NYC), FAU Ritter Gallery (Boca Raton), Big Art Now Gallery (West Palm Beach) and solo exhibitions at the Coral Gables Museum and the Miami Design District. Her artwork is acquired into permanent collection at the DeYoung Museum (San Francisco). She was selected as part of the “Excellence In Fibers IX” juried exhibit for Fiber Art Now journal (cover, Winter 2024) & featured in and on the back cover of Assouline’s book “Miami Beach” (2020). Andrea is a Knight Foundation NEW WORK grantee, a Miami Artist Support grantee, an FSF scholar and a Critic’s Choice Award through FIT. She’s created hand-painted textiles for Isabel † & Ruben Toledo as well as designed both a 2023 & 2024 world premiere commission for Miami City Ballet.
Baker—Hall is a proud member of NADA.
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