PLAYGROUND DETROIT is proud to announce our inaugural participation at international art fair SCOPE Miami Beach (Booth H021). Through the following emerging artists’ array of mediums and heritages, this debut presentation will comprise a brief view of Detroit’s diversity as a noteworthy creative hub:

Bakpak Durden (painting/ mural), Zoe Beaudry (painting), Marlo Broughton (painting), Gerald Collins ft. Kareem Ali (NFT), Patrick Ethen (light sculpture), Caroline Del Giudice (metal sculpture), Kaylie Kaitschuck (embroidery), James Oscar Lee (painting), Frank Lepkowski (digital painting/ embroidery), Victoria Shaheen (ceramic/ neon sculpture), Michael Polakowski (illustration), Rachel Pontious (painting), Toomas Toomepuu (mixed/ found-media functional sculpture).

Collectively, these artists share a vision of process and inspiration as a result of living and working in the urban landscape. The Artsy Collector Preview is now live online, view featured artwork here.

A Constellation in Winter, 2020, Print on vinyl, 120 × 120 inches. Artwork by Bakpak Durden.

As a booth feature wall, the replication of Bakpak Durden’s mural A Constellation in Winter exemplifies diversity and inclusivity. Constellations tell universal, epic, and mythological tales of struggle and triumph, ultimately immortalized in the stars. The mural, originally painted for the entry of LGBT Detroit’s headquarters, is shown on a white brick wall. The brick embodies strength and longevity, as well as the adaptation of form and function into a canvas for the beautification of marginalized neighborhoods as an effort to inspire residents. Bakpak (they/them) is focused on their work within their communities, highlighting Black, trans and queer visibility in addition to mental health, neurodiversity and disability advocacy.

Medusa Weave, 2017, Acrylic, white LEDs, maple wood with steel frame, custom electronics, 48 1/2 × 48 1/2 × 2 1/2 inches.

Adjacent, light sculpture by Patrick Ethen (he/ him) explores emergent and ephemeral behavior, using meticulously wired electronics, enveloping the viewer in a meditative, immersive aura, which feels simultaneously human and artificial. Describing his practice as a sort of “pseudo-spiritual techno-futurism,” Ethen’s work is a commentary on the role of technology and its influence on society. Simple rules combined reveal a complexity reminiscent of real world phenomena, like shimmering evening shadows, or the churning tide of the sea. With lights pulsing and patterns rippling across vibrant, glowing planes, these time-based pieces are meant to envelop, seduce, and enthrall. Ethen calls us out for being the technology junkies we are, asking us to draw the line between sedation and transcendence

SCOPE Miami Beach

801 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, FL

November 30 – Platinum First View 12 to 4P + VIP | Press Preview 4 to 8P

December 1 through 5 – General Admission 11A – 8P

RSVP

ABOUT PLAYGROUND DETROIT

PLAYGROUND DETROIT is a contemporary art gallery and creative talent agency located in the McDougall-Hunt neighborhood of Detroit. Established in 2012, our mission is to create opportunities that support and expand the city’s creative community and economy. In 2017, we opened our commercial gallery along one of Detroit’s main thoroughfares, Gratiot Avenue, and in 2020, opened a second retail location at the base of the renowned Shinola Hotel complex in the downtown business district. In addition, we have consistently continued our off-site productions- reflective of our initial years of pop-up events in New York City- throughout unique vacant spaces and in partnerships with local businesses. Our mission is to create opportunities that support and expand the Detroit creative economy and community.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary edition, SCOPE Miami Beach returns to its bespoke pavilion on the sands of Ocean Drive and 8th Street. Honoring its perpetual mission to provide a platform for discovery, SCOPE will welcome over 127 diverse contemporary exhibitors featuring The New Contemporary, a genre that stands as a critical contribution to both global politics and local community engagement.

Looking back on nearly 20 years of SCOPE, Alexis Hubshman reflects, “Over the last twenty years, I’ve had a front-row seat as the art world has transformed under the rise of the art fair. From scrappy upstart to creative R&D, SCOPE has played many defining roles in this reconfiguration of the gatekeeper. Much has come full circle in the past two decades since we started the original satellite art fair, and I am proud that SCOPE remains an incubator for new voices and a place that gives artists the opportunity to take risks.”

SCOPE is excited to welcome back hallmark exhibitors, Mirus Gallery, Rizomi, NG Art Gallery, and Chic Evolution in Art as well as SCOPE Miami Beach newcomers Fabien Castanier Gallery, Tokyo International, 193 Gallery, and Peninsula Art Space.

 SCOPE returns to the sandy beaches of Miami Beach for it’s 20th edition November 30-December 5, 2021. Tue, Nov 30, 12 PM – Sun, Dec 5, 8 PM

SCOPE Art Show
801 Ocean Dr, Miami Beach, FL Booth: H021

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