Mosaics floors and stained glass decorated stairways make this gallery especially fun to wander

Miami’s South Beach may be famous for its retro art deco architecture, but where art and culture are concerned, contemporary takes center stage. Planted firmly in the center of this movement is the ArtCenter/South Florida, which works to advance contemporary visual arts and culture in South Florida through education, exhibition and public outreach programming and provides affordable work-space for outstanding artists.

Wandering through on a recent trip to South Beach, I was impressed by the sheer variety of creative work in the gallery. In one studio the artist had stuffed hand-blown glass balls into multi-colored sheer pantyhose and suspended them from the ceiling by their reinforced toes.

Further along, I discovered the paintings of Willard Andre Allen, which are painted on the ‘opposite’ side of clear glass, resulting in a melange of color that incorporates and reflects light when turned over to its rightful side.

Another resident, Adriana Carvalho, began sculpting with the only materials available in her native town of Taquaritinga, Brazil: tin, wire, wood, mango seeds, sugar cane sticks and corn. Her organic sculptures now incorporate recycled materials and merge the spirituality of her native country with the two U.S. cities where she has lived, Chicago and Miami Beach.Past the wild, mosaic tiled floor and up the rear stairs, I discovered the work of Argentinian Nina Surel, a mixed media artist, textile and costume designer. A series of giant canvases crafted from buttons, paper, acrylic, antique jewelry, fabric and resin featured girls and women in pink princess gowns. Her art, which speaks about women’s search for identity, have been shown in galleries and art fairs in Miami, Atlanta, Buenos Aires, and New York.

The upper level provides a unique perspective into open galleries below

Toward the end of my tour, I looked down from my spot on the second floor balcony into the abyss, where Karim Ghidinelli sat hunched over a cell phone in his studio, dwarfed by giant acrylic on aluminum canvases. The centerpiece of each work was a giant fingerprint formed by words etched into the metal. Ghidinelli’s work is astounding and was easily my favorite of the day.

Karim Ghidinelli is dwarfed by his giant lacquered aluminum canvases

ArtCenter/South Florida operates at three separate addresses: 800, 810, and 924 Lincoln Road in the heart of Miami Beach, however the two in the 800 block are adjoining buildings that can be seen in a single visit. Hours of operation are Monday through Thursday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Admission is free.

Photo credits: Barbara Weibel

Article by Barbara Weibel at Hole In The Donut Travels