For Art Basel week in Miami, LVMH Culture House showcased 5 unique artists during their open gallery. I was amazed by the works they displayed and how they used different mediums to get their perspectives across. Many of the artists come from diverse backgrounds and incorporate their experiences into their pieces. As a lover of art, I can appreciate how much talent, creativity, and thought goes into crafting their paintings and portraits.
Diversity in Art
Miami Art Basel Week allowed me to learn about new artists and immerse myself in a world like no other. Crystal Paris was the first artist I learned about at the LVMH Culture House exhibition. She is a black mixed-media painter and designer who works in creating fashionable, wearable, art. She has collaborated with houses like Dior and received awards from retailers like Neiman Marcus for her designed pieces. For Art Basel, she showcased her interactive Basquiat hair series featuring the faces of other iconic painters.
Crystal Paris
In her paintings displayed, you can see the faces of famous Mexican Painter Frida Kahlo, and Brooklyn-born artist Jean Basquiat. I loved how she pushed the boundaries of her art using mixed elements. For the background, you get this spray-painted look of Basquiat’s hair. But in the foreground, you get this hyperrealism art look of Kahlo and Basquiat. The black-and-white depiction of their faces makes it feel like you’re looking right at them.
On top of that, she used a double cutout of Basquiat’s hands smoking a cigarette, against this printed blue suit. I enjoyed how she used the element of surprise in her artwork. The plastic glasses that sat on the faces of these artists actually moved. I thought it was genius, and saw how she used these thin clear wires to hang the plastic glasses along the art pieces. Behind the paintings, she had a mechanism that could swing the glasses back and forth which was amazing to see in person. Crystal Paris understands what it means to capture the attention of an audience and bring us into her world where many juxtapositions co-exist.
During her panel discussion with LVMH, she spoke about how putting his hair on many of these prolific artists shows how interconnected they are. She also spoke about her artwork going to the moon with a partnership she has with Space Blue. I’m excited to see what she will bring next to the art space and how her pieces will continue to evolve.
Harold Claudio
The next artist that LVMH featured takes using unconventional material and art to a new level. Harold Claudio, a Haitian-American artist hailing from my home state of Florida created a collection of iconic black figures made from Skittles. I never thought that a candy we eat could be turned into art that makes such a powerful statement. He created portraits of rappers like Nas, Tupac, and Tyler Creator using several colors of Skittles. I was truly blown away seeing his artwork and some of his pieces are my favorite from the exhibition.
Multi-Colored Skittles Portraits
His work also takes on this Hyperrealism look and makes you feel connected to the figures displayed. He’s also very good at capturing the emotions, mannerisms, and facial expressions of these musical artists. Creating artwork like this takes hundreds of hours because of several factors like mapping out the rough sketch, sorting through all the bags of Skittles, applying glue to the canvas, and individually applying each color to a certain section of the portrait. Not to mention the coat of resin applied to protect the art piece.
Named the “Colored Collection” he uses Skittles to represent us and our culture through this medium. Harold has had the opportunity to make portraits of Beyonce and Trayvon Martin for Ms. Tina Knowles, and portraits for Swiss Beats and Quavo. Plus, creating a Seattle skyline made entirely from coffee beans that American Express commissioned and displayed in their Centurion lounge. He’s super versatile when it comes to making murals from paint or using unconventional materials to make portraits. He is truly carving out a lane of his own with his artwork and the mediums he uses.
I’m so inspired by his pieces and will commission him to make a portrait for me one day to be displayed in my home. His art will one day be featured in museums because of how well he captures the moment. Harold Claudio continues to challenge himself and expand his creativity by making such memorable work.
Glenneisha Darkins
The third artist Glenneisha Darkins, is a woman who embodies resilience. After a life-changing car accident, Glenneisha began to find purpose in creating art. She started creating portraits using her mouth during the pandemic and found healing through music and art. She’s incredibly talented and presented portraits of Prince, Muhammad Ali, Juice Wrld, Takeoff, and many more for LVMH Culture House. For each portrait, she uses oil paints to do multiple layers and build out her work.
When I first saw her pieces it reminded me so much of gouache, watercolour painting. Many of the colors from similar color families blend so well together. Her art is also great at mimicking real life. For example, the Muhammad Ali painting brings you into his world of boxing by showing you his expressions when fighting.
My favorite was the Prince piece because it embodied who he was as a musician. The purple halo, with the black jheri curl hair, and the famous purple suit he wore for his “Purple Rain” cover. All these elements showcased who Prince was at his core.
I’m amazed at how she has overcome many obstacles from being disabled. She uses her talents to change the culture and shed light on other artists with disabilities. When she’s not at an exhibition she is spending her time showing us the behind-the-scenes process of her paintings. She posts Instagram videos of her with an iPad of her muse, oil paints on her plate, and a blank canvas ready to go paint another masterpiece.
This is also her second time being featured during Miami Art Basel week by LVMH. She’s making splashes in the art world and breaking the mold of what a traditional artist looks like.
Cruise Bogle
The fourth artist, Cruise Bogle has been showcased twice by LVMH Culture House. This year, he leaned into more unconventional themes for his artwork. For Art Basel, he showcased this mixture of animals and people using many artistic tropes in his paintings. I feel like his artwork would go well in movies, in something like Netflix’s Wednesday where it’s humourous and dark. After a surfboard accident, he re-claimed a portion of his life back through art. He paints many of his portraits using his mouth and posts the behind-the-scenes process on Instagram. He also exemplifies resilience because he chooses to follow his dreams as an artist and not let his disability hold him back.
Amelia Briggs
The final artist Amelia Briggs is based in New York City and creates these interesting pieces of artwork that make you think. She’s a multi-disciplinary artist who works with fibers, paints, and fabric. When I saw her work at the exhibition it immediately reminded me of the inside of the intestines or cells of a body. She takes more of a 3-D approach to her work.
I like how she used this mixed-media approach with silk fabrics. Plus, the painting over these inflatable pieces makes you stop and wonder. Amelia has been featured in several publications for her inflatable wall mirrors. For LVMH’s art exhibition, she brought some of her best work.
Overall, LVMH Culture House did an amazing job showcasing diverse talent during Miami Art Basel Week. They also held an informative panel on Entrepreneurship that I had the opportunity to attend and write about.
LVMH Culture House had many events led by DEI VP, Corey Smith with the curation done by Jacques Evan. I left feeling so inspired and uplifted and can’t wait for the next Art Basel edition.
