Beyond the rainbows of Miami’s candy-coated landscape lies a magical universe called Gesamtkunstwerk in Allapattah. A quasi-fortress replete with project rooms, exhibition areas and secret doorways, this curious space is home to Butter Gallery, Spinello Projects, Wynwood Radio and Product 81 Creative Lab.
Francisco De La Torre, who once held court in Wynwood with Butter Gallery, is at the helm of Gesamtkunstwerk. Loosely translated as “all-embracing art form,” it’s been designed as a multi-disciplinary development that gives select groups—including his very own Butter concept—renewed stability to grow. This initiative signifies more than a change of venue for De La Torre: it’s his platform for a tighter curatorial voice. Now focused on the careers of fewer artists, programming and more discerning events, the gallerist is committed to breakout talent that better reflect his aesthetic and long-term vision.
Jeffrey Noble is one such artist from New World School of the Arts (class of 2013). In the solo exhibit “Welcome to MarZ,” he transports viewers to an intergalactic space that possesses oddly familiar remnants of the 80s and 90s. Black and white checkered ceilings, solar systems, shooting stars and fire-skies offer luminous backdrops for his protagonists.
Using materials such as sand, oil and spray paint, Noble seamlessly interlaces biblical narrative, science fiction, Miami graffiti and art history. The titles of his paintings alone - The known, the unknown and the unknown unknown, or The Temptation of the Forbidden Beat makes Sanity a full-time job in the Flat Earth Society – capture his larger-than-life storytelling.
Described as a body of work that takes flight from Florida’s suburban space coast, “Welcome to MarZ” is a cautiously nostalgic perspective of a digital future. The exhibition is on view through August 30 at Butter Gallery, located at 2930 NW 7 Avenue in the Gesamtkunstwerk building. Visit www.buttergallery.com for more information.
