Miami Nights

Tonight is the second Saturday of the month which means, of course, Wynwood Art Walk. If you're like me, you gave your British chauffeur the day off to celebrate soccer hooliganism in all its forms, so you have no one to drive you around from gallery to gallery in the Rolls Royce -- everyone knows it's low class to drive yourself around in a Phantom -- and thus you'll be sweating like a porkchop in this ridiculous heat.

Check out the 20(12) Group Exhibition at Miami Art Space, 244 NW 35th St, featuring the work of Johnny Robles, Reinier Gamboa; Kiki Valdes, David Tamargo, George Sanchez-Calderon, Johnny Robles & David Marsh, Brian Gefen, John Sevigny, Raul Perdomo, Alvaro Ilizabe, Eric Torriente, and Oliver Sanchez.

If you haven't suffered heat stroke yet, or any other kind of stroke (paid or gratis), consider checking out Poplife's 11 year anniversary at Grand Central, 697 North Miami Ave, featuring The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Surfer Blood and Hooray for Earth. I don't know who those bands are but I'm going to pretend, if asked, that I really enjoyed them during my heroin years. I suggest you do the same.

Don't forget you can enter to win free tickets to the Miami Nights 3 Year Anniversary Party. We are giving away free tickets to our Three Year Anniversary Brawl, featuring the sweet sex of Diplo, Kid Sister and Chromeo, plus about ten thousand other artists.

Interested? Click here to enter! We'll be picking the winners on Tuesday, March 24. If your looking to purchase tickets and don't like youre odds of winning a random contest then you can purchase tickets here.

Ah yes, "conveniently" Miami Nights anniversary party falls on the same week as WMC and as such we find someone crazy enough to throw a party with us to celebrate. This year the good people of Contagious Musiq have agreed to look past Lackner's penchant for underage young women to work with us on throwing what will be one of WMC's most promising party's. If you have never been to a MN anniversary then you have no clue what you are missing.

The past few years were a hot mess filled with stickers on body parts, fellow MN cohorts stumbling uncontrollably and throwing champagne glasses, great DJs and incredible atmosphere. If you don't believe then refer to MN Anniversary gallery here, here and here. If those galleries aren't enough to convince you how lascivious our anniversary is then I don't know what will. This year Miami Nights will celebrate it's 3 year anniversary at SoHo Studios with musical libations of:

Room 1
Chromeo dj set
Kid Sister (WMC exclusive)
Diplo
Amanda Blank (WMC exclusive)
Ludachrist (wmc exclusive)
Stretch Armstrong
Junior Sanchez
Afrobeta
Hydroz
Pusher FM + Sean Weeks

Room 2
Wale
Kidz in the Hall
Pac Div
J*Davey
Killa Kela
Hollywood Holt
Million $ Mano
Mickey Factz
U-N-I
Roxy Cottontail
Eli Escobar
Mayday
Hey Champ
Artofficial
Lex One


What makes a great party is not only the top acts (Diplo, Chromeo and Kid Sister) but also the fact that this line up includes some home grown talent. Mayday, Artofficial and Afrobeta are all well known local acts that promise to put on a great spin to this already great line up. It wouldn't be a proper anniversary either if we weren't giving away free tickets to the event. In the coming days you will be able to sign up to win free tickets to the event. If you don't win you can still buy ticket here. Stay tuned to Miami Nights for more details. SoHo Studios is located at 2136 NW 1st Ave in Wynwood.

Tonight at the Charcoal Studios the Miami New Times is bringing back another edition of their popular event Artopia. The event is a fusion of music, local Djs, designers and artists along with every art "lovers" first stop upon entering the gallery, the free drinks and hors d' oeuvres table. This year the Miami Film Festival presents Miami artists Lebo + Future Banana, DJs Carmel Ophir (The vagabond) + Ryan Evans, fashion show by Art of Shade and of course film by the Miami International Film Festival. It seems online ticketing has ended but you can purchase your entry at the door for $20. A donation will be made to benefit the United Way. Charcoal Studios is located at 2135 NW 1st Ave. I recommend you go, even if your not sophisticated enough for art there are plenty of good looking, fun people in attendance which always makes for a great time.

I don't really care much for the new name, but I always liked the venue. The venue formerly known as Circa28 returns as the Electric Pickle with a pretty interesting all day event brought to you by the fun loving people of SAFE. The daytime to evening party will have the likes of LEE CURTISS, RYAN CROSSON, SHAUN REEVES, MARCASHKEN,DROOG,MATT TOLFREY,WOLF + LAMB spinning. The event takes place from 10am - Midnight. That's right you cracked out fiends. You can party from the time you wake up till you run outta drugs. Limited early bird tickets available here. Click thumbnail for larger image.

p.s. WHAT THE FUK IS WIT THAT NAME?!?!?!?!

pps: Lil Lackner brings up a good point in the comments. This is during WMC. Specifically March 25th. Happy??!!!

The Candyland Music Festival is back for its 13th installment in the series. 13 years is a pretty long time to be running a music festival if you ask me. Tenure in the festival biz speaks volumes. This years event will take place at the beautiful and newly renovated Soho Studios in the Wynwood Arts District.

The festival will feature 5 areas: The Future Sounds of Break Arena, Heater/MiamiNights Arena, Basshead Music Arena,EMA Arena and OZ Entertainment Arena. Some of the notable DJs that will be in attendance are Otto Von Schirach, Kill The Noise, Treasure Fingers, DJ Q-Bert and a shit load more. Click the flyer for all the list of artists that will be dropping the beats.

SoHo Sutdios is located in the gorgeous deliciously dilapidated Wynwood at 2136 NW 1st Ave. All ages are welcome with full liquor bar available to those 21+. Doors open from 4pm-9am making this a right proper party. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased here

With Halloween party's in other hob nob locations charging at the door, Miami Nights and friends decided it was time to give a right proper free Halloween bash. If South Beach or Coconut Grove is not exactly your thing then why not take our advice. We don't necessarily dole out the best advice here on Miami Nights but we like to think we do so take our word for it. Kinda like when we advised McCain to select Tom Ridge as his VP. McCain read our site and thought we were outta our fucking minds and selected Palin. Who's laughing now gramps! To further entice there will be free Goose till 11pm, DHM will be spinning in the vampire's loft and Jay Meletiche in the lost souls' lounge. Free entry all night, 21+, doors open at 9pm. Not Suitable for Mainstreamers Or The Faint of Heart. Come As You Are. Circa28 is locate on 2826 N. Miami Avenue.

It really sucks that out of towner's get mugged in Miami. But what really sucks are those visitors that have the balls to cross the causeway and get mugged while enjoying Wynwood's Second Saturday Gallery Walk. Case in point Jenny Ulloa from Brooklyn, N.Y.

I'm from New York and have frequented art-gallery hops all around the city most of my life.

Vacationing in Miami, I recently went with my mom, a Miami resident, and some friends to the Wynwood Art Gallery Hop. I saw some great art work, and it was a great experience until I got robbed at gunpoint. The thieves took my bag and my friend's bag. Luckily, my mom already had headed to the car, so she was not robbed.

The gallery-hop organizers did a poor job with security for the night. It was a horrible experience. But at least I have my life.

People can get seriously hurt if there isn't enough lighting and security. I realize now, after the fact, that the galleries are adjacent to a bad neighborhood. The police officers patroled the galleries but not the neighboring areas where one could get sidetracked or lost.

I wish the city and state could do more for the people struggling in this poor area. But I also wish I had been protected by police officers.

And where did those kids get that gun?

JENNY ULLOA, Brooklyn, N.Y.

As residents we know very well that Wynwood borders some shitty neighborhoods. And as residents we know the risks of hanging out in Wynwood. Visitors/Tourists don't have the luxury of knowing what we do. Perhaps the Art District should educate people attending Second Saturdays with pamphlets in addition to providing a centralized parking area that is well lit with adequate security and transportation for all patrons. This type of negative experience will have the effect of shunning visitors away from what can otherwise be a great Saturday experience. Anyone else have similar stories to tell, or perhaps suggestions on how the city can make Second Saturday events safer?

Tonight, Friday June 6, 2008, 1st and 21st studios (or gallery?) is opening the first of it's two-part one-week-only exhibit, Anologue Digital. The show boasts a full slew of young and young looking artists doing what i can only assume will be a full on warehouse orgy of mixed media installations and hell, maybe even a painting or two.Performances by everyone and music by Social Klash and Levrier. Close sources inform me there will be a werewolf serving Wynwood's best (grolsch)

the artists involved are:

Raymond Adrian
Bopsy
Christine Brache
Christina Felisgrau
Gary Fonseca
Juan Griego
Sinisa Kukec
Marlene Lopez
Ralph Manresa
Nicole Martinez
Jillian Mayer
Brandon Opalka
Gustavo Oviedo
Ricky Rayns
Ronnie Rivera
Johnny Robles
Adam Rush
Agustin Salas
Stephan Tugrul
Neranjan Venom

1st and 21st is located on 21st and Nw 1st ave, as the venues name suggests. You'll find it dead center in the rapidly expanding southern part of Wynwood right around the corner of 2020 space. The space itself is a beautiful one, with seemingly boundless walls and a lofted second story including  dozens of private studios over looking the massive center gallery space where the artists showcase eachother.Apparently over 20 artists currently reside there. It breathes with a Warholesque artist collective ambient and definitely a damn good place to throw a party (I mean art exhibit). 

2045 NW 1st ave

7 - 11 pm 

FLYER IN EXTENDED

Click here to read full article..

Last night was pretty fucking insane. The parties were great even if the turnouts weren't stellar. Poplife at White Room was packed! I mean it was impossible to move and the line for the girls' bathroom was about a 30-minute wait. Bronques of lastnightsparty.com did make an appearance, and I took my opportunity to chat with him. He's a super nice guy and seemed pretty happy to be documenting Miami's Downtown scene, probably because his last few Miami galleries have all been in and around South Beach. I told him I was glad he was back to doing what he did best: taking pictures of camera-obsessed hipsters. He did take quite a few pictures of me, some of which in ordered me to look angry, which isn't hard for me to do, people are always pissing me off. Another where me and my friend Berna posed, er, well, I guess you could call it seductively.

Oh and word to the wise, a cardigan paired up with Miami humid does not equal fun times not matter how good you look. I learned that last night.

God, if you miss the Wynwood Art Walk this Saturday, you should seriously just shoot yourself because you are such a fucking loser. This Saturday is shaping up to be one of the craziest Second Saturdays since, well, Basel. Add to the list of must-do the Museum Quality exhibition at Bas Fisher Invitational. It's an exhibition of the works of Alvaro Ilizarbe, who is best known as the guy behind Freegums, which if you've ever been to any of Miami's "hipster" parties, you always see a sea of Freegums T-shirts everywhere you turn (you know you are!). I ain't hatin' though, the designs are sweet.

Anyway, this is gonna be one heck of an art/dance party because Chicago Ghettotech DJ Funk will be on hand to provide the sounds while Bronques of LastNightsParty.com will be on hand to snap pictures of all you fuckin' whores out there. Which, let me interject here: I know there are a number of you who go anywhere Bronques goes 'cause you think you aren't shit unless he takes a picture of you. Get over it, you're yesterday's news five hours after he posted up his gallery. Really people!

Back to talking about the event. It should be a blast and the after party it at ze Poplife (I like saying that in a French accent for some odd reason). And yes, camera whores, Bronques will be there as well. I leave you with a viral commercial (?) for Ilizarbe's Freegum brand done by and starring Bronques, of course.

I haven't been this fucking excited for a Wynwood Art Walk since probably Basel. Saturday, Miami Art Space will be hosting Hexagon (a hex is gone), a collective exhibition featuring Friends With You, Bhakti Baster, Jose Mertz, Kiki Valdes, Purvis Young, Phillip Toledano and 1st Ave Machine. Friends With You and Baxter will be doing an interactive dreamworld playground, which if you've NEVER had the chance to play in our of FWY's playground, it's probably the funnest time you'll ever have during an art exhibition.

The exhibition is brough to you by arc. and sponsored by Hennessy, Media Stage, Bawls Energy Drink, Open Zine and Leemer. And in case you don't know where the space is located, it's at 244 NW 35th St., Miami. Also the afterparty is at Poplife at White Room. Can't wait for Saturday!

Miami Fashion Week begins with the designer + guest reception/official kick off party at Gary Nader Fine Art in Wynwood. By invite only, I definitely can't get in, but wish I could (secret tips anybody??) All the fashion exhibits will be held this year at Soho Studios on 21st Street & 1st Avenue in Wynwood (The space where PULSE was held Across from Charcoal Studios) starting tomorrow (Wednesday, April 9) with the press conference and lingerie showcase.

Surrounding the event are slews of chic afterparties/ridiculous soirée's and pop up events which I hope (srsly) our blogger crew gets their hands on. Hopefully I get at least a taste of how the fashion scene throws it down. I find fashion often to overtake the execution of idealizing beauty much more so than much of the fine art today, that is supposedly meant to do so. Damn artists.

As it would seem, there is a growing amount of distaste for Valentine's Day or really any prepackaged American hallmark holiday. At least for me personally, I am constantly reminded of our calendar status by whatever seasonal crap they are selling in the third row at Walgreens. Every year I try to remain just a tad closer to oblivion of USA pop culture and its soul sucking-ness. For real, you don't get this crap most elsewhere on earth. I think its for the better.

My generation (at least the smarter ones) have become starved of a pre-established rich cultural environment, we are driven to find philosophical diversity and spiritual enlightenment everywhere we can (read: Internets), because we sure as all fock don't get it from that gift card that perfectly expresses they way I feel about a girl or how much I care about your birthday. Jesus, how will she know I want her to get better soon? We -- or at least me an my contemporaries -- have been left no choice but to identify microscopic cultural niches that actually benefit the growth of the individual. If I didn't have my artwalks, potlucks, drum-n-bass scene, emerging bike culture and design software, I might just have to explode myself. The only alternative is to join the mindless drones following whatever Viacom Top 100 songs/products/fashions you just can't live without. Keep your chocolate hearts, just show me some humanity please.

But hey, maybe I'm just sweating cynical bullets because I am sans-date this evening. In which case, I offer those in like the following:

Click here to read full article..

As always a nice post of pics and commentary on the monthly art walks courtesy of Critical Miami:

Blackbooks' spectacular show at Spinello - no stencils, all wood cuts. With the help of a computer and laser, images are precision-cut out of the top layer of a piece of painted wood. The results tend to speak for themselves, and note that this technique gets extended into sculpture and other media with, presumably, the use of a jigsaw.

I know, we went through this dance already in this post and got plenty of comments defending gentrification and disputing it. But it's always interesting to revisit the situation and see what developments have occurred since that last post. On Saturday a group of concerned Wynwood citizens gathered to discuss the lack of affordable housing and made a call for unity to do what no one in this city has yet to do, actually get affordable housing.

I think what's interesting about this meeting is that the organizers aren't necessarily against the improvement of their city.

Miami En Accion member Norma Magarin said she and fellow activists are not opposed to Wynwood's growing.

"We're not opposed to pretty streets, to galleries, to malls and to lots of condos," she said. "But what about us?"

And I think that's what a lot of people who previously posted comments on my last post agreed. Gentrification can't be stopped. I think we can all agree on that, however when you ignore the needs of the people who already live in the city that's where I think things need to be done. The city should look to improving and beatifying the area and balance that with accommodating the people who have lived in the city for generations. We are in the midsts of spending millions on a port tunnel, a baseball stadium (don't get me started on that shit), and a tram system on Biscayne. Yet the city has overlooked the needs to provide affordable housing to the cultural backbone of Wynwood, it's residents. Why is it so difficult for the commissioners to get past providing lucrative contracts for their buddies and to start caring for their constituents? I'd love to hear other thoughts.

[Herald Article here]

The art walk is tonight. If you haven't been yet: a) you're probably quasi-retarded; and b) you should be put out of your misery. The walk starts at 7 p.m. and official end at 10 p.m., but I've seen events last until midnight. I leave you with a video done by Plum Miami Beach about the gallery walk:

The Herald has one of their typical anti-development, one-sided articles about the troubles facing poor Wynwood residents who are faced with rising rents as a result of gentrification. Property values have skyrocketed in the past four years as art galleries have streamed in to fill the numerous raw industrial spaces found in this cool neighb. Midtown Miami's development hasn't helped either.

Read on for more savage, uncaring, free-market ranting.

Update: See how they do it in Brooklyn, where condo buyers have banded together to exert pressure on real estate developers.

Click here to read full article..

Okay, well I put that rather crudely, but that's the gist of the New York Times article published Sunday that basically tells me what I already know: Miami's art scene is alive and well whether Basel is in town or not. The author has a rather odd fascination with prostitutes and crackheads, referring to them liberally every time she mentions Wynwood. We get it. Wynwood is Miami's crack den filled with art galleries. However, the author does hit in on the nail when recommending travelers to come after Basel when there is still plenty of great works of art to be seen and at the same time avoiding those Basel headaches like the velvet ropes and hordes of people.

Several of my favorite area businesses also get shout-outs like Domo Japones, Circa 28, White Room and Lost & Found Saloon. She says about Circa 28:

Even on nights when there are no receptions, the art party rages. At midnight on a recent Friday, a crowd had gathered at Circa 28, a chill bar that opened in Wynwood in December. It happened to be during the Art Basel fair, but there was not a dolled-up socialite or dark-suited corporate sponsor in sight. Abstract paintings hung crookedly on the walls, and young artists sat languidly under a bookshelf — in marked contrast to the hedonistic, bottle-service hangouts of South Beach. Outside on the deserted sidewalk, a truck pulled up and opened its flatbed to reveal a portable art exhibit and D.J. booth that began to play lounge music.

Soon people trickled out of the bar, beers and all, creating an ad hoc tailgate party. A police car was parked a block away but seemed uninterested. A good clean party is tolerated here, almost protected, in a neighborhood with a history of more serious crime.

Young artists? At Circa 28? Oh, I think she means the American Apparel employees in tight jeans and outdated sunglasses. Same difference, right? And oddly enough, Overtown/Wynwood mega-complex Karu & Y doesn't get mentioned. Are we over Karu & Y already?

[via Critical Miami/Nefarious Girl]

So I attended the Stoli Hotel event on Wednesday night and I drank all the vodka I could take without turning into a sloppy mess. The event felt a little bit anti-climactic since I think all of two people caught of glimpse of host Brody Jenner (not that I think anyone actually cared to see him). The Miami opening seemed to lack the star wattage that graced the Los Angeles premiere last year, but I guess that's due to the fact that Los Angeles has a lot more celebrities than Miami does. Another problem is that the space is really big, so despite a large turnout the place still looked a bit empty, but it's nothing a little restructuring couldn't help. The number of in attendance was perfect though, any more and I don't think the bars could have handle it.

Still, there are plenty of good events scheduled to take place at the faux hotel at Ice Palace Film Studios. Check out what Stoli has in store for you:

• January 18th – NEW, NOW, NEXT with DJ Tracy Young - 10 p.m. - 1 a.m.
• January 19th – Dwayne Wade’s Birthday Party - 11 p.m. - 3 a.m.
• January 22nd – Modern Luxury with DJ Cassidy - 10 p.m. - 1 a.m.
• January 23rd – Kim Kardashian with DJ Jordan Laws - 10 p.m. - 1 a.m.
• January 25th – 944 Magazine Event - 10 p.m. - 1 a.m.
• January 26th – House of Diehl Event - 10 p.m. - 1 a.m.
• January 30th – DJ Steve Aoki - 10 p.m. - 1 a.m.
• January 31st – Spam Allstars - 10 p.m. - 1 a.m.
• February 1st – Elle Magazine Event - 10 p.m. - 1 a.m.