Introduction

Welcome to THE one and only "Ri(Z)ky Art Gallery"

Located in the beautiful city of South Beach, Miami, Florida

Owned and operated by Mohamed Rizk

Specializing in Sculptures

Exhibition Theme

"Risk"

Artists being shown: 

• Marisol Escobar
• Neil Dawson
• Dennis Oppenheim
• Chen Wenling
• J. Seward Johnson
• Paige Bradley
• Sayaka Ganz
• Louise Bourgeois
• Arran Gregory 
• Jean Shin 

This show is all about showcasing these amazing artists' works. Each of these artists share a connection of making sculptures that hold a deeper meaning than what is really shown. These connections are shown through both the art and how each artist presents them. These artists are essential to this Exhibition because they perfectly fit the theme. These artists all show great knowledge of knowing their work and do a fantastic job in showing it. 

"What You See Might Not Be Real"

Artist: Chen Wenling
Title: "What You See Might Not Be Real"
Media: Painted Bronze
Dimensions: 95 x 114 x 58 cm (37.4 x 44.9 x 22.9 in.)
Date- 2009

Artist Bio- Chen Wenling, born in 1969, is an artist of Chinese heritage. He is a sculptor who was born in Anxi, a small village in the Fujian Province of China.His family was poor and could not afford to buy him new toys, so he used clay that was really avaliable in his surroundings to make sculptures to play with. From these humble sculpting beginnings came the desire to study art as a profession. He decided to attend the Xiamen Academy of Art and Design, and he graduated in 1991. Not content yet with his education, he studied sculpture at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, graduating in 1994.

Art Description- Strong and farting bull represents Wall Street (In Chinese slang, to fart means to bluff or lie) And the man being shoved into the wall is Bernard Madoff, biggest con man of all time. Huge cloud coming out bulls rear not only refers to end of a greedy era but symbolizes danger of virtual bubbles in international financial markets.

http://thedesigninspiration.com/articles/amazing-bull-fart-sculpture-by-chen-wenling/

Connection- Relates to this theme because it has a deeper meaning than what it is shown and represents something bigger than what is initially shown.

"Emergence"

Artist- Sayaka Ganz
Title- "Emergence"
Media- Recycled Plastic Parts (Utensils, toys & metals)
Dimensions- Night(Black) 72" x 50" x 17" Wind(White) 63" x 78" x 26"
Date- 2008

Artist Bio- Sayaka Ganz was born in Yokohama, Japan and grew up living in Japan, Brazil, and Hong Kong. She has been living and working in Indiana for 15 years. Received Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Indiana University Bloomington and continued to create welded sculptures of animal forms independently. In 2008 she received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Bowling Green State University.

Art Description- Using consumer plastic objects as materials, Sayaka's recent sculptures depict animals in motion with rich colors and energy. "By building these sculptures I try to understand the human relationship that surround me. Its a way for me to contemplate and remind myself that even if there is conflict right now there is a way for all the pieces to fit together."

http://strokesofnature-artgallery.blogspot.com/2012/05/emergence-sayaka-ganz.html

Connection- This piece of art was chosen and related to the theme of this exhibit because it continues the pattern of pieces that a deeper meaning to what they show.

"Sound Wave"

Artist- Jean Shin
Title- "Sound Wave"
Media- Melted 78 rpm records on wooden armature
Dimensions- 5.2ft H x 7.7ft W x 8.8ft D
Date- 2007

Artist Bio- Jean Shin is recognized for her monumental installations that transform everyday objects into elegant expressions of identity and community. Her work has been widely exhibited in major and national museums including the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Smithsonian, and the Museum of Modern Art. Born in Seoul, South Korea and raised in the US, Shin attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 1999 and received a BFA and MS from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.

Art Description- Records were melted and sculpted to form a cascading wave, dotted with bursts of colorful labels. The resulting structure speaks to the inevitable waves of technology that render each successive generation of recordable media obsolete. The piece also aiums to physically manisfest the ephemerality of music as well as one man's musical tastes, as represented by his personal record collection.

http://jeanshin.com/soundwave.htm

Connection- This piece relates in the sense that it may seem as just a interesting sculpture to look at it has a meaning behind it that makes the viewer have to think about it, chosen because it continues the theme of the exhibit.

"Maman"

Artist- Louise Bourgeois
Title- "Maman"
Media- Marble, Stainless Steel, Bronze
Dimensions- 927 x 891 x 1024 cm
Date- 1999

Artist Bio- Louise Bourgeois was born in Paris in 1911. She studied art at various schools there including Ecole du Louvre, Academie des Beaux-Arts, Academie Julian and Atelier Fernand Leger. Immigrated to the US in 1938 and continued her art studies at the Art Students League in New York.

Art Description- This sculpture, which depicts a giant spider, is among the worlds largest. The title is the familiar French word for Mother. Created in 1999 by Bourgeois as part of her inaugural commission of the Unilever Series at London's Tate Modern. It is supposed to allude to the strengths of Bourgeois' mother, with metaphors of spinning, weaving, nurture and protection.

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/bourgeois-maman-t12625

Connection- This piece was chosen due to the connection it has with the theme as well as the deeper meaning behind it, which is the reason behind most of this art being chosen.

"WOLF"

Artist- Arran Gregory
Title- "Mirror Wolf"
Media- Fiberglass, Mirror
Dimensions- 1850 x 1000 x 850mm
Date- 2012

Artist Bio- Born in 1987, Arran Gregory is widely acclaimed for his geometric sculptures of the natural world. His experiments are a visual insight into man's relationship to nature and the emotions it provokes within us as humans. Arran studied Art Foundation at Chelsea College of Art & Design in London where he went on to achieve a first class BA honors degree in Graphic design for communication.

Art Description- This work represents a formalized approach to naturalistic form that uses material and color to interpret and abstract that naturalistic form towards artistic ends. Being the third installation from the mirrored animal series, Mirror Wolf experiments again with a reduced, geometric structure as developed previously.

http://www.evolo.us/architecture/wolf-arran-gregorys-faceted-mirrored-sculptures/
http://www.arrangregory.com/work/mirror-wolf/

Connection- Getting away from the deep meaning sculptures, this piece was just appreciated due to the structure and stature of the piece. Chosen due to this and the theme of the exhibit.

"Expansion"

Artist- Paige Bradley
Title- "Expansion"
Media- Bronze with Electricity
Dimensions- 76 x 35 x 17" (193 x 89 x 43cm)
Date- 2007

Artist Bio- Paige Bradley was born in Carmel, California and knew she wanted to be an artist by the age of 9. Bradleys fascination with the human figure began early, and believed that through the figure an artist could speak a universal language. Attended Pepperdine University and spent a year in Florence, Italy with the Universities study program.

Art Description- As told by Bradley "From the moment we are born, the world tends to have a container already built for us to fit inside. A social security number, a gender, a race, a profession or an I.Q. I ponder if we are more defined by the container we are in, rather than what we are inside. Would we recognize ourselves if we could expand beyond our bodies? Would we still be able to exist if we were authentically 'un-contained'?" This sculptor is showing someone releasing their inner "light" instead of following what society intends us to.

http://paigebradley.com/sculpture/goddess/expansion/

Connection- Being my favorite piece of the exhibit, this sculpture shows a lot of deeper meaning than what is shown and connects well with the overall theme of the exhibit.

"Horizons"

Artist- Neil Dawson
Title- "Horizons"
Media- Welded and painted steel
Dimensions- 15 x 10 x 36m
Date- 1994

Artist Bio- Neil Dawson is a renowned sculptor from New Zealand. He is best known for his large scale civic pieces crafted from aluminum and stainless steel, often which are made using natural forms which then form a geometric whole. Dawson was born in Christchurch in 1948 and attended the University of Canterbury and also has a Graduate Diploma in Sculpture from the Victorian College of the Arts Melbourne.

Art Description- "Horizons" sits on one of the highest points in the property it is on making it one of the few works that can be seen from roads. It is an optical illusion, making it seem as if we're living in a cartoon world. It is suggestive of a giant piece of corrugated iron that might have blown in from a collapsed water tank on some distant farm, only to rest until it is lifted in the air again.

http://twistedsifter.com/2012/07/the-sculptures-of-gibbs-farm-new-zealand/

Connection- This piece was chosen because it seemed a little different from the others but also had a cool meaning and let the viewer think of what this could be, if it is even there in the first place.. The optical illusion within a sculpture was a cool twist for the theme.

"Device to Root Out Evil"

Artist- Dennis Oppenheim
Title- "Device to Root Out Evil"
Media- Galvanized structural steel, perforated aluminum, transparent red Venetian glass, concrete foundation.
Dimensions- 25' H x 15' W x 12' D
Date- 1997

Artist Bio- Dennis Oppenheim was an American conceptual artist, performance artist, as well as a very talented sculptor. Oppenheim was born September 6, 1938 and passed away on January 21, 2011 at the age of 72. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, CA and an MFA from Stanford. He moved to New York in 1966 to teach art and began his career.

Art Description- Dennis Oppenheim created this upside down church made of steel, glass and concrete. Balancing on its steeple, the church is meant to look like it has been lifted by a terrific force and brought to the site as a method of rooting out evil forces. Many people have found this sculpture disturbing.

http://artforum.com/words/id=24053

Connection- This art piece was chosen to connect with the ongoing theme of pieces with a deeper hidden meaning and one that will fascinate people while also making them think.

"American Merchant..."

Artist- Marisol Escobar
Title- " American Merchant Mariners' Memorial"
Media- Bronze/Fiber reinforced concrete
Dimensions- Group: 10'6" x l 24' x w 8" Pedestal: h 6' x l 30' x w 12'
Date- 1976

Artist Bio- Marisol Escobar otherwise known as just Marisol, is a sculptor born in Paris of Venezuelan heritage, living in Europe, the US, and Caracas. She had early art interests in her teenage years and were related to pop culture. At the age of 21 Marisol took an interest in sculpting and had her first piece in a gallery at the age of 28.

Art Description- This art piece is a memorial commissioned by the American Merchants Mariners' Memorial Inc. The bronze figural group and boat are based on an actual historical event; during World War II, a Nazi U-boat attacked a merchant marine vessel and while the mariners clung to their sinking vessel, the Germans photographed their victims. This piece shows merchants trying to save one that has fallen on while calling for help.

http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/batterypark/monuments/1939

Connection- This piece connects due to the strong meaning behind it as well as the theme of sculptures.

"The Awakening"

Artist- John Seward Johnson II
Title- "The Awakening"
Media- Aluminum
Dimensions- 17'1" x 69' (5.2m x 21m)
Date- 1980

Artist Bio- John Seward Johnson II is an American Artist known for his bronze statues. After spending most of his life as a painter he is now best known for his life sized bronze sculptures, which are actually castings of living people of all ages depicting them engaged in day to day activities.

Art Description- "The Awakening" a 70 foot giant, is one of Johnson's most dramatic works. The statue is shown struggling to free himself and trying to pull himself to the surface. Johnson explains in an interview that this was meant to be seen as somebody freeing themselves and escaping in a way.

http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/j-seward-johnson-the-awakening

Connection- This piece was chosen for both its meaning and its intriguing stature, which relates to the theme that is chosen.

Conclusion

By having this exhibit, it has allowed me to really expand my view on art and the various different types of it. This allowed me to not see art as I have previously viewed it, but to open my mind and experience different types and how unique each is. By organizing this exhibition, I have learned that no two artists are really ever the same. Although some may have similarities in their works, they each have their own unique way of expressing themselves through their works. Being someone who has never really took the time to research many different types of art, the part of this that came naturally to me is seeing what these artists were trying to convey through their art, but at the same time the challenging part was trying to put all those thoughts into words. I feel that the job of being a curator is something that is very important yet interesting at the same time. To be able to be the one that views and selects what different things will be in an exhibition seems like a hard but fun task. Most of the art that I have chosen for my exhibition were chosen due to me having some type of relation with their meaning. Although it may not be a direct relation to what Is going on in my life, each piece of work had its own unique way of intriguing me based on the theme that was chosen.