Interview with Rosie Gordon-Wallace on WLRN

01 JB-Diaspora Vibe Gallery, 6-22-07

Carib~bean, The Way You Like It

by Patricia Roldan

Carib~bean, The Way You Like It

August 12-September 23, 2010

Artists:
Paul Chang
Carol Jaime
Jeremy Powell
Lisa Remeny
Patricia Roldan
Norma Trimborn
Brian Wong Won


Diaspora Vibe Gallery
3938 N. Miami Avenue
Miami Design District
Miami, FL 33127
305.573.4046
305.573.7675

Jeremy Powell


by Paul Chang

Lisa Remeny

Carol Jaime

Norma Trimborn

by Jacquenette Arnette

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Ogunji's 'Incidents at the 22 Hotel' Premieres in Austin, Texas

Wura-Natasha Ogunji's performance work 'Incidents at the 22 Hotel' premieres at The Off Center in Austin, Texas this August 13 and 14.

Incidents at the 22 Hotel takes a post-apocalyptic landscape and imagines what it is to be part of that future. The main character, called ‘Unexplained Presence’ struggles to imagine her own existence. During the performance, she lives two lives, one as an African artifact, full of ancient power, yet motionless. In the other, she must choose to be human and imagine herself into the future. The Porter, a trickster-like character, wears a fantastical mask which also doubles as the hotel itself and accompanies Unexplained Presence on her journey. The Runners keep track of time as they literally run for as long as this futuristic world exists.

Dinorah de Jesus Rodriguez featured in Miami New Times

Experimental Filmmaker Takes Over Miami's Legion Park
By Amanda McCorquodale

This article was originally published on the Miami New Times blog July 14, 2010
Full article here.

We don't know what will surprise you more -- the dancing, flickering images bouncing off the oak trees at Legion Park or the fact that there are actually people in a Miami-Dade park. This Saturday from 8 to 10 p.m., experimental film lovers and curious passersby will swarm the park for Dinorah de Jesús Rodríguez's "Elusive Landscape," a site-specific film installation projected onto foliage. Sound designer Ricardo Lastre will provide a soundscape of ambient noise.

But does Miami have an appetite for abstract cinema? Rodríguez believes Miami's "audience that will purposely seek out experimental film is very limited. But the audience that can be surprised by it in the street is everywhere."

"Elusive Landscape" recently took over the Tequesta mounds and dark trails of Arch Creek Park. And after turning Legion Park into a theater of trees this Saturday, Rodríguez will take her projectors to E.G. Sewell Park, where, according to the artist, the beauty of royal palms and poinciana trees meets the grotesqueness of discarded Santería offerings.

New Times: Describe "Elusive Landscape."
Dinorah de Jesús Rodríguez: This project is a celebration of Miami's neighborhoods, greenspaces, and eco-systems, and yes, our extreme weather, complete with humidity and bugs. The project is a series of 16mm film installations at five separate outdoor locations over the course of five months.


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Is there an audience for experimental film in Miami?
I think it is a very new concept here, but fortunately we have enough transplants from other cities who know what experimental film is. I think with the upcoming expansion of the Cinematheque in Miami Beach, the opening of the new Cinematheque in the Gables, and the development of yet a third alternative film venue, O Cinema. The South Florida community is about to be bombarded by this very expansive genre in a big way. And I think our audiences are ready for this, just like they were ready for the visual art explosion that Art Basel brought our way. It may take a little time for people to realize that this type of work is already happening here, and for audiences to wholeheartedly support it, but I believe that Miami is ready for this type of art, and it will eventually take off.

Do you only work with film?
No. I work primarily in film, mainly because no other discipline allows me to play with the interface between visual art and cinema so well. I stick mainly to 16mm because, over time, I have acquired the equipment for this format (as opposed to the equipment for working in 35mm which is prohibitively expensive). I love the physicality and chemical properties of film, and I try to exploit and push these as much as possible in my work.

What filmmakers inspire you?
I became an experimental filmmaker upon seeing the works of Maya Deren, so it probably all begins there. Stan Brakhage, of course, is a major influence, as is Len Lye, though it's possible that many people in Miami have no idea who they are. Nam June Paik - what can I say? I think he may well have been my favorite artist of all time. Paul Sharits with his multiple projections, and artists like Bruce Conner and Chick Strand, who worked a lot with found footage and really blurred the line between documentary and abstraction. Among more contemporary artists, I am blown away by Pipilotti Rist and really love the work of Lorna Simpson.

You worked with Trinh T. Minh-ha. What was that experience like?
Minh-ha has been a very important mentor in my career, as I admire her tremendously both as a theorist and as a filmmaker. The most powerful influences Minh-ha has had on my work have been the understanding of time as a visual element - to really be able to feel the way pacing manipulates an audience and drives the soul of the film - and the concept of deconstruction of entrenched cinematic formulas by way of such simple gestures as separating image from sound, or by joining sound and images that "don't belong together."

"Elusive Landscape" By Dinorah de Jesus Rodriguez

Dinorah de Jesus Rodriguez, recipient of the 2009 Funding Arts Network Knight New Works Award, presents Elusive Landscape

Elusive Landscape will be presented at five public parks in Miami from June to October 2010. This work consists of multiple hand-crafted 16mm films depicting the forms and colors of natural landscapes projected directly into the landscapes themselves. These events will be free and open to the public. All events take place from 8-10 PM

Saturday, June 12: Arch Creek Park
1855 NE 135th Street, North Miami

Saturday, July 17: Legion Park
6630 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami

Saturday, August 14: Sewell Park
1801 NW South River Drive, Miami

Saturday, September 11: Miami Beach Botanical Garden
2000 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach

Thursday, October 7: Vizcaya Gardens
3251 South Miami Ave., Miami

November 18-25: Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator, Culminating
Exhibition - 3938 N. Miami Ave, Miami 33127

Opening Reception
Thursday, November 18, 7:00- 10:00pm

A project website is set up to facilitate the on-going project and final exhibition: www.elusivelandscape.blogspot.com

Remembering 'Mama G'

Eglantine Melita Gordon, nee Buchanan
November 26, 1916 – June 10, 2010

Born in Riverside, Hanover, Jamaica and known affectionately as ‘Mama G’, Eglantine Melita Buchanan Gordon spent the last twenty-nine years of her life living in Miami, Florida.

A member of Bay Shore Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Women Missionary League (LWML), she was recognized in her community as a matriarch. On June 10th at 8:05pm, she passed peacefully at her home in Morningside at 93 years of age, surrounded by several family members and friends.

She spent most of her youthful life as an elementary school educator and Sunday school teacher in Jamaica, West Indies, after graduating from Bethlehem Teacher’s College. Eglantine enjoyed teaching in the classroom almost as much as she loved mentoring young people within and outside of her family.

She is remembered as a virtuous woman—dutiful, loyal, generous, faithful and strong.

She traveled faithfully each year to participate in Easter celebrations at Meadowbrook United Church, her former church in Kingston, Jamaica.

Widowed from Rupert Wesley Gordon, she is survived by her three daughters—Yvonne Elaine Hill, Patricia Evadne Ferdinand, and Rosemarie Gordon-Wallace. Sons-in-law: Tyrone Hill, Donald Ferdinand, Frederick Myers and Roy Anthony Wallace. Grand children: Marc Hill, Michael Hill, Marlon Hill and Misha Hill, Michelle Ferdinand-Liu, Andree Ferdinand and Gordon Myers. Great grandchildren: Brianna Hill, Brandon Hill, Braxton Hill, Tereese Hill, Ezra Liu and Esther Grace Liu. Sisters Thelma Buchanan Campbell, Daphne Buchanan Henry, Essie Johnson, Emel Johnson, Ethlyn Johnson and Lynda Shaw. And many nieces, nephews; grand and great grand, cousins in Jamaica, Canada, United Kingdom, the Lutheran Church and Meadowbrook United Church (Jamaica), family, neighbors and friends.

Visitation, Friday, June 18, 2010, 6:30pm to 8:30pm, Gregg L. Mason Funeral Home, 10936 N.E. 6th Avenue, Miami Shores, FL 33131. (305-757-9000)

Funeral Services, Saturday, June 19, 2010, 10am. Bay Shore Lutheran Church, 5051 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, FL 33131 (305-758-1344)

Internment, Cabellero Rivero Woodlawn, 1655 SW 117th Avenue, Miami, FL 33186, (305-238-3672)

In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to The Eglantine Melita Gordon Memorial Fund, c/o, Dade Community Foundation, 200 S. Biscayne Blvd. Suite 505, Miami, FL 33131.

Diaspora Vibe Gallery Presents Exodus

Exodus
June 10 - July 22, 2010
Opening Reception: Thursday June 10, 2010, 7-10 pm
Artist Talk: Saturday, June 12, 2-4 pm

Artist: Chantal James (video still)

Artist: Rosamary Berrios-Hernandez (video still)

Diaspora Vibe Gallery is pleased to present Exodus, a new group exhibition of time-based artists living in Miami, throughout the U.S., England, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and Peru. Featured artists include: Rosamary Berrios-Hernandez, Chantal James, Ines Amado, Fulana, Monique Diaz, Maria Lino, Aurora Molina, Tulu Bayar, Aleli Egues, Maryann De Leo, Jorge Rojas, Beatrice Glow, Cristina Molina, and Jose Balado Diaz.


Exodus examines video as a canvas for dialogue, its influence on world events and popular culture, and the migration that artists embody. Each video is exposed continuously and concurrently on separate monitors and walls, engaging viewers through time and space to interact and absorb, as they experience the dialogue of visual effects and aesthetics. This platform allows each work to be experienced as its own conversation.

Artist: Monique Diaz (video still)

Exodus provides a time-based portal for artists to impart perceptions or observations, taking precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns. This freedom allows documentation to take place outside the gallery, thus challenging traditional representations of art.

Artist: Maria Lino (video still)

Diaspora Vibe Gallery is located at 3938 N. Miami Avenue in the Design District. Gallery hours are 11am – 6pm, Tuesday through Friday with appointments on Saturdays. For further information please call Diaspora Vibe at (305) 573-4046 or visit www.diasporavibe.net, www.diaweb.diasporavibe.net, www.flickr.com/photos/diasporavibe. Diaspora Vibe Gallery is a multi-disciplinary art space serving as a laboratory for emerging artists of the Caribbean Diaspora and other artists of color, providing them with a contemporary sensibility to explore and experiment with new forms and cultural themes.

Wura-Natasha Ogunji Awarded Dozier Travel Grant

Artist Wura-Natasha Ogunji awarded Dozier Travel Grant from the Dallas Museum of Art. With this award, Ogunji will travel to Nigeria to do research for her video project 'epic crossings of an Ife head'.

Low Lives 2 /National Live & Internet Exhibit: Friday, April 30th, 2010

Low Lives 2 /National Live & Internet Exhibit

Friday, April 30th, 2010

7:00pm - 10:00pm (CST)

Curated by Jorge Rojas, "Low Lives 2" is a one-night exhibition of live performance-based works transmitted via the internet and projected in real time at numerous venues throughout the U.S. Alexis Caputo will perform live at Diaspora Vibe Gallery. Join us for her perfomance and a large screen screening of the performances from across the country.

Artists include: Amelia Winger-Bearskin, Lawrence Graham-Brown, Hector Canonge, Alexis Caputo, Vienne Chan, Osvaldo Cibils, Gabrielle Civil, Marcus Civin, Chris Coy, The Bridge Club, Francesca Fini, Linda Ford, Lynne Heller, Anni Holm, Gigi Otalvaro-Hormillosa AKA Devil Bunny, Las Hermanas Iglesias, Michelle Isava, Tina La Porta, Elizabeth Leister, Luke Munn, Olek, Wanda Ortiz, Jacklyn Soo, Michael Smith, Sam Trubridge with Rob Appierdo & Stuart Foster, Migdalia Luz Barens-Vera, Marcus Vinicius, Martin Zet, Agni Zotis

On-view nationally at:

El Museo del Barrio: 1230 5th Avenue, NYC 8:00pm - 11:00pm

Galería de la Raza: 2857 24th Street, SF 5:00pm - 8:00pm

Diaspora Vibe Gallery: 3938 North Miami Avenue, 8:00pm - 11:00pm

The Temporary Space: 1320 Nance St., Houston 7:00pm - 10:00pm

Obsidian Arts: 3501 Chicago Avenue South, Minneapolis 7:00pm - 10:00pm

Terminal: Trahern Building, APSU, Clarksville, TN 7:00pm - 10:00pm

Co-Lab: 613 Allen St., Austin 7:00pm - 10:00pm

Studio 304: 304 Boerum St., Brooklyn 8:00pm - 11:00pm

Online: www.ustream.tv/channel/low-lives-2

Presented by: El Museo del Barrio in collaboration with Aljira, Fusebox Festival in collaboration with Co-Lab, Galería de la Raza in collaboration with ATA, Diaspora Vibe Gallery, The Temporary Space, Terminal, Obsidian Arts and Studio 304.

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South Florida Times: Artists create “Objects of Desire”

This article was originally published in the South Florida Times.

Artists create “Objects of Desire”

by Kimberly Grant

At first glance, Rodney Jackson and Caiphus Moore (known in the art world as R. Jackson and Caiphus), look like your average 26-year olds.

In T-shirts and jeans, the duo comes off as unassuming and down to earth. On closer inspection, you come to realize that Jackson, 38, and Moore, 36, have worked in art for many years, and take it quite seriously.

“You don’t become an artist in a day. You become an artist in a lifetime,” said Rosie Gordon-Wallace, curator and owner of Diaspora Vibe Gallery in Miami’s design district, where Jackson and Moore currently have artwork on display.

“In any point of their maturation, there’s a different work of art.”

In “Objects of Desire/Doñupop,” on display at the gallery until May 20, Jackson explores desire in terms of a donut, and Moore visualizes a village.

Jackson’s donut display is an array of themes ranging from society’s desire for war, flesh, green living and materialistic ideals.

His displays, seemingly a mash-up of record shapes, have deeper meanings and ties to Jackson’s quest for the hidden meaning of desire and his hip-hop roots.

Jackson’s display is also a tribute to late hip-hop producer J. Dilla’s album, Donuts.

In Jackson’s own words, the album is “small capsules of music,” which served as a basis for his display.

In Moore’s work, he has strung up 33 tiny houses that hang from a ceiling using wire. Each house represents an aspect of pop culture.

Moore chose to use 33 because of his membership as a Free Mason. The number 33 is considered to be of the highest consciousness, because there are 33 vertebrae in a spine, which lead to the highest place, the temple.

Also, in numerology, 33 is considered the master builder number.

Each house, or shrine, as Moore calls them, is a particular theme with its own name. In “All God is one God,” Moore has put together a church pane of a woman who represents the one God, and various religious symbols to show that each religion believes in one God.

In “Beautiful Surrender,” a huge faux diamond sits atop a tiny couple in wedding garb, symbolizing the foundation needed to make a lasting relationship, rather than simply placing a ring on one’s finger.

Jackson, who was born in Coventry, England and raised by his Kingston, Jamaican-native parents in Miami, said he delved into the meaning of desire for his artwork.

“When I dug deeper, I found the spiritual aspects of longing and desire, which its root is of the heavens,” he said.

Moore, who was born in Bronx, NY and raised in Miami, and Jackson have been friends since their days in middle school. They attended New World School of the Arts in Miami, and roomed together at Maryland Institute of Art College in Baltimore, MD.

It’s almost as if this duo was destined to display their artwork together.