Institute of Contemporary Art

This December, the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), Miami launched its new location just ten minutes from One River Point, bringing this premier venue for contemporary art and culture closer to our residents. This proximity is intellectual, as well as geographic: both One River Point’s Arts Program and ICA share a fundamental mission to display contemporary art of the highest caliber and provide educational experiences surrounding these works. One River Point is uniquely dedicated to arts and culture, leading the movement in residential real estate to provide residents with art exhibitions and programming on-site. With exacting attention to providing holistic art experiences, from outfitting galleries with cutting-edge lighting for displays to assisting residents with the curation of their personal art collections, One River Point boasts the pinnacle of residential arts programs in Miami. We congratulate ICA on their banner opening, and are excited to explore future partnerships and collaborations with ICA to further develop our cultural offerings and participate in Miami’s rich art scene.

The ICA Miami, opened on December 1, 2017

ICA opened its new 37,500-square-foot home with a blockbuster exhibition: “The Everywhere Studio.” The expansive show focuses on artists’ introspective look into their studio practices, especially flourishing during the 1960s when institutional critique, performance art, Land Art, and the legacy of street art upended the logics of the traditional artist studio. Culling approximately 100 exceptional works of painting, sculpture, video, and installation art, “The Everywhere Studio” is an in-depth exploration into the significance of the artist’s studio from the post-war period to the present. Open through February 28, 2018, the exhibition is a must-see stop for art enthusiasts.

Highlights of the exhibition include a fantastic body print by Yves Klein. In the renowned electric blue dubbed “International Klein Blue (IKB),” the body print functions as a time capsule of a performance that took place in Klein’s studio, in which the artist covered the bodies of nude models in this blue paint and instructed them to contort their bodies on a piece of canvas laid on the floor. While the canvas produces an interesting visual composition, it is ultimately a reference to the studio performance. Through this work, ICA comments on the performative, interactive element of the studio that is often overlooked.

Other works further elucidate the interaction between artist and model, such as Roy Lichtenstein’s painting Artist’s Studio with Model, 1974. Here, the subject of the work is a transitory moment in the studio in which the model prunes her hair as the artist draws her from life.

Roy Lichtenstein, Artist’s Studio with Model, 1974. Oil and Magna on canvas. Collection of Irma & Norman Braman.

The analysis of the conditions of the artist’s studio can be charted for centuries, thinking especially to the iconic contributions of artists such as Diego Velázquez and Édouard Manet. And yet, ICA succeeds in illuminating the very contemporary relevancies of the studio, calling attention to the pressing economic and social implications of changing practices. Through the commission of contemporary art specifically for the exhibition, ICA demonstrates the implications of the physical space of the studio in the technological era.

In addition to “The Everywhere Studio,” ICA is also showcasing a seldom-exhibited body of work by Senga Nengudi, a contemporary artist best known for her work with sand-filled nylon stockings that is evocative of the human body. The series on display, “Wet Night — Early Dawn — Scat Chat — Pilgrim’s Song” (1996/2017), exemplifies the artist’s transformations of commonplace, everyday materials, such as plastic and dry cleaning bags. Mounted for the first time in two decades, specifically for the ICA, Nengudi has added site-specific elements for the installation that allude to garments or anthropomorphic forms. Originally conceived of after her time in Japan studying with the Gutai, the abstracted forms connote spiritual altarpieces and the Eastern practice of ritual burnings. Ultimately, the piece is a testament to the artist’s interest in spirituality, and its qualities that transcend sect or creed.

Installation view of “Senga Nengudi: Wet Night—Early Dawn—Scat Chat—Pilgrim’s Song,” 1996/2017 (Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, Dec 1, 2017 – April 10, 2018). Photo: Frederik Nilsen Studio.

With an exciting season underway at ICA, the museum’s reopening adds to the arts and cultural fabric already available to One River Point residents. Part of Miami’s contemporary art scene, One River Point looks forward to forthcoming collaborations with ICA in this new chapter of their institutional history.