The exhibition, The Altered Image, cogently curated by Dina Mitrani and currently on view in the Miami Design District, reflects the longtime gallerist’s distinctive point of view. Like many of the practices represented on her gallery roster, the works in the exhibition are technically sound and embrace a visual poetry that relate experiences of daily life while also expressing an ethereal sensibility that toggles between the past and present. While female forms populate the exhibition, there is room for varied constructions of abstraction and landscape. Complex notions of memory—whether personal or historical—also abound in the exhibition.
(Left) Maria Martinez Cañas hand-sanded vintage gelatin silver print (right) Priya Kambli 'Mami and Her Sisters', 2016 From the Kitchen Gods series
The Altered Image includes works by renowned photographers, Tatiana Parcero and María Martínez Cañas while also making space for artists for whom greater attention is warranted like Priya Kambli and Diane Meyer. The Miami-based artist Silvia Lizama deserves special mention. Her hand colored photographs make the mundane magical. Lizama, a professor at Barry University, uses toothpicks and Q-tips to alter the gelatin silver prints. The photographs depict local South Florida homes and encourage delight in the fleeting presence of a sun tinged sky and or the decadent personality of garden fountains.
Marina Font at Dina Mitrani Gallery in the Miami Design District
Lizama’s Fountain 2645, Hollywood, FL does not hide the imperfections of the space, the wires that dot the skyline and the degradation of the pipes and roof structure comingle with the pretty pink exterior and the whimsically flexible bromeliad tucked in a corner. During this time of isolation, the outdoor spaces in one’s own neighborhood provide new points of engagement and reflection. As we fill with anxiety, vent frustration, and mourn the losses of this year, the joyful experience of an evening walk becomes a powerful act of comfort and self-care. Observing elements in our neighborhoods that seem to never change or conversely shift suddenly overnight feels visceral and awakens our senses. Born in Cuba, Lizama has made significant work in Miami for decades. As 2020 begins to close, her works on view in The Altered Image, reverberate in our collective consciousness more powerfully than ever.
Heidi Kirkpatrick 'Gratitude,' 2014 Film positive, paint, glue, graphite, paper on a vintage metal tray
