(ABOVE) “DIETY,” BY CHARLES PFAHL. (BELOW) “THE SECRET,” BY DAVID BOWER

All Together Now
101/exhibit’s New Group Show Makes a Collective Statement

By Angie Hargot

When 101/exhibit formed in an increasingly polished area of Miami’s Design District in late 2008 it was just in time for that year’s pre-economic downward spiral edition of Art Basel Miami Beach.

Poised to survive the threat of the area’s collapse, the space quickly made waves. Showcasing an array of often alternatively esthetic, yet hauntingly beautiful works, the gallery became an instant example of perhaps not what the once gritty South Florida arts district had become, but what it should. The thing that makes the work at 101/exhibit different is that the skill matches the inspiration — for even the casual visitor, it’s just too hard not to feel.

The space was founded by well-known Miami-based arts patron and collector Jerome Shaw; his son Sloan, an artist who also holds a Master of Architecture Degree from the University Of Michigan; and Director Adam Wolfson, a skilled musician who secured his M.B.A. from George Washington University with an emphasis in small business and finance. Shaw says the founders’ eclectic disciplines create a well-rounded skill set.

Maybe they just have good taste.

But we’ve always felt you’re better off letting the art, the artists, and the people who bring it to us speak for themselves. (We think we have that in common.)

Tell us about the Group Show.
Adam Wolfson: The idea is to proudly display where we’ve been and where we are going at the same time. It is, essentially, a snapshot of the gallery at a particular point in time rather than a direct thematic or cultural statement. In general, though all of our exhibitions are carefully curated, our shows are more about our artists than about a particular idea. While that’s not to say we wouldn’t go in that direction at some point, it is to say that we are far more interested in curating artists than selecting certain works of many different artists to make a point. An artist generally makes a point, one way or the other, and if we find ourselves moved by that artist, it is our job to create a space for that artist’s ideas to thrive and be exposed. So this group show, like our others, show where we’ve been, where we’re going, and they also do that at the microcosmic level with individual artists that we represent (i.e., what is Jason Shawn Alexander up to right now).  So the atmosphere is one that is distinctly ‘101/exhibit.’

One of the goals of 101 has been to bring the market ‘art that many might not have the opportunity to see.’ How has the journey been?
101/exhibit has aimed from the beginning to push the envelope. We have tried to take the position that as long as the work is skillfully executed at the highest level, we would not stand in the way of what the artist was trying to say. In fact, we’d gladly get out of the way. Why show work that is technically brilliant but says little? Instead, what we’ve decided to do is to show work that, while technically very skilled, moves the viewer. Whether the emotion is extreme disgust and fear or pure joy, the emotional response must be there. And this translates into showing work that other galleries probably don’t rush to show in that the work can be looked at as a ‘hard-sell.’ And even though this is, at the end of the day, a commercial enterprise, we’ve tried to take the path less traveled to prove that if you stick to your guns and show real thought-provoking work, eventually you will create a market for that work, or perhaps that market will come to you. Either way, this gallery is about art more than anything else and that takes a while to establish. And though it took some time to get the word out that we are occupying this kind of exhibition/museum/commercial space, it is now out there and resonating.

How’s the climate in the Design District? How has it changed since 101/Exhibit opened in late 2008?
Miami has, for a long time, been a mecca for creative types. The Design District even more so. Miami has a geographic advantage for this, and with the influx of fairs in the recent years it really has become a world capital for the arts. And though the DD has had it’s ups and downs, the feeling now is one of critical mass. Sloan and I talk about this a lot. The DD, from an urban planning perspective, has the investment of a community dedicated to it. The land-owners have really made the investment to make it a beautiful, safe, and relevant location for Miami denizens and those visiting. But recently, the fact that you have a slow exodus (or consolidation) of ‘trade-only’ design stores and a quick influx of truly amazing restaurants, high-end retail, and more galleries, you now have a situation where there is actually something to do and to see for people beyond the community of designers that originally were the only people to have access to things here. We have world-class food, shopping, and art. And though we can, as a district community, do more (and we’re working on things like activating public spaces, bringing in key components, etc) it has come a long way and it is already a viable neighborhood.

What do you foresee for the art market in the coming months, or even years?… And in this rapidly changing economy?
Economically speaking we fit in well with where we see the market going. For a great many years during economic expansion there was money to create a market for nearly everything, in the arts and beyond. When the market froze, there was obviously not much of anything selling. But what you have now is a slow thaw. And in this period you have a more measured approach to buying. It started with sure-fire blue-chip work that was a sure bet. It is now reaching out to the contemporary markets as well. But here, rather than saying everything is equal, there is much more of a cautious and studied buyer. That buyer wants to know more about the artists and wants to see skill rather than hype. That buyer wants to know that the art is going to be appreciated for years to come.  In essence, and though I hate to use cliché, in periods like this, the cream rises. And by showing work that is, in our opinion, at that level, we not only make a statement that we’re serious, but we also protect ourselves economically speaking in the long run. I think you’ll see some galleries continue to close. But when that happens, the other galleries get stronger because there are more artists out there for the remaining galleries to choose from. And though it certainly takes down the quantity of work being shown, is it really a bad thing if the quality improves? We’d say no.

101/exhibit’s Group Show will be open through July at 101 N.E. 40th St., Miami. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and noon to 7 p.m., on Saturdays. The gallery will be open during the Wynwood and Design District Art Walks, 7 p.m., July 10.

Selected work by:
Isabelle du Toit, Larassa Kabel, Ernest Trova, Pat Rocha, Ignatius Widiapradja, Roger Arvid Anderson, Michael Lucero, Curtis Lafollette, Cindy Wynn, Lepo, Troop, Albert Paley, Aaron M. Brown, Michael Costello, Marcus Antonius Jansen, David Bowers, Charles Pfahl, Jason Shawn Alexander, Omar Ali, and John Montiero.

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