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Underwater art during Art Basel Miami Beach: Without diving suit into the deep sea
The art scene is discovering the underwater world and the metaverse: the Underwater Museum of Art (UMA) in Florida, the Museo Subacuático de Arte (MUSA) in Mexico, the Museo Atlántico in Lanzarote, all submarine sculpture museums with which art can be discovered in a diving suit. Probably the most famous underwater artist is Jason deCaires Taylor.
The underwater world has also inspired the Swiss artist duo Sarah Montani and her cousin Joey Montani: During Art Basel Miami Beach, they will present an underwater sculpture from the deep sea, which can be visualized in augmented reality. The digital work can only be experienced digitally - but all visitors can take the artwork with them. The vernissage is on December 3 in the Art District Wynwood, the exhibition lasts until December 10, 2022. All artworks of the artist duo can also be seen in the Agora Gallery until February 1, 2023.
Damien Hirst had also been inspired by the underwater world for his "Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable" at the Venice Biennale. His sculptures stood on the ocean floor to get a marine patina. So it didn't have to get into the water itself. Even more convenient - but no less impressive for that - is to experience the novel art of Sarah & Joey Montani: it can simply be visualized on the smartphone and taken along.
It is the last exhibition this year of a series of "spherical" artworks: These artworks by the artist duo Montani floated above the water ("Metasferes") at the 16th Skulptura - one of the largest sculpture exhibitions in the European region - and above the clouds ("Stratosferes") at the Swiss Art Expo 2022.
It was now obvious for the artist duo to also create artworks for the underwater world, the "Abyss Spheres". They drew inspiration for the sculpture from the deep-sea anglerfish, which glows in the dark (bioluminescence). "The sculpture looks organic, a mix of plant and animal, it's not quite clear what it is, but it's alive," says 3D Creator Joey Montani. The vein structure surrounding the sculpture is reminiscent of veins and arteries of the bloodstream; though here the branching reaches into the void and is not self-contained. "The sculpture shows our interconnectedness with Mother Earth and our connectedness with the oceans. Without water, there is no life. We are using it to draw attention to the critical situation of the world's oceans," says Sarah Montani.
"Not only from an artistic-aesthetic point of view does this 'spherical' artwork offer exceptional artistic enjoyment, but the well-thought-out, well-founded concept with highly topical subject matter and statement is not only entirely new, but a glimpse into the future of digital-virtual art forms," says Martha Götz M.A., art historian from Stuttgart.
Augmented reality brings new perspectives: The artworks are available to everyone, don't require an exhibition venue, and don't need to be insured or shipped. And they are not subject to gravity: they can be placed anywhere in a "zero gravity experience" - without submerging.
Sarah Montani lic.iur., digital pioneer from Switzerland with a long-standing international exhibition profile and an exceptionally exploratory, forward-thinking approach, collaborated with her cousin, Joey Montani, 3D Creator, for these series. The installations and photographs are by Ashley Hernández, Miami Beach.
DATES
Opening Dec. 3, 2022, 5 p.m., exhibit through Dec. 10, 2022
Artbox Expo Miami, 219 NW 23rd St, Miami, FL 33127
Agora Gallery, exhibition from December 1, 2022 to February 1, 2023
