New Exhibit: Scapes at Frost Art Museum
Lynne Golob Gelfman explores the interplay of sand, wind, and sun.
July 02, 2012
No, that’s not a typo. Scapes, the title of Miami painter Lynne Golob Gelfman’s new exhibition at Florida International University’s Frost Art Museum, is purposely truncated. “They’re not landscapes,” Gelfman explains, “but they do give you a sensual sense of place.” The specific site in question? The Brazilian dunes of Lençóis Maranhenses, a largely deserted area on that country’s northeastern coast. There’s only the “undulating motion of the sea,” says Gelfman, and the shifting, sundappled hills of sand, seemingly dancing with each other as the wind picks up. It’s a hypnotizing effect Gelfman has inventively captured in her dune series (part of the show) by many reflective layers of metallic paint and acrylic. The end result is beguiling patterns that warp and woof depending on your line of sight, as well as the angle of the sunlight streaming in through the Frost gallery’s overhead skylight. None of this marks a dramatic stylistic departure for Gelfman: She’s been creatively mining a fusion of post-painterly abstraction via Helen Frankenthaler and trippy op art via Bridget Riley for several decades now. But in dune, Gelfman has fashioned some of her strongest, most viscerally seductive brushwork yet. Scapes is on exhibit through September 2, The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, 10975 SW 17th St., Miami, 305-348-2890. Related works are at Wynwood’s Alejandra Von Hartz Gallery through July 31.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF GELFMAN
Celsius X VI II Releases Another Luxe Cell Phone
Company prepares for the debut of their second mobile device, designed to last a lifetime.
June 25, 2012
French company Celsius X VI II, which specializes in luxury mobile devices that combine 21st-century technology with centuries-old Swiss timekeeping, has recently released a limited-edition phone for $312,000.
Designed to last a lifetime, the company’s first model, LeDIX Origine, is already on the verge of selling out. Luckily, their latest creation, the LeDIX Furtif, will be available at the end of June for those looking to give their mobile device a luxury upgrade.
The first mobile phone with a carbon fiber structure, the highlight of the LeDIX Furtif is still the tourbillon timepiece. Using 330 of the phone’s 700 mechanical parts, the LeDIX Furtif features the world’s most off-centered flying tourbillon. Framed with six golden wings and protected by shock absorbers, the tourbillon engine is showcased through a sapphire crystal breastplate.
Celsius X VI II has eliminated any magnetic effects on the LeDIX Furtif for the highest possible accuracy. They have also developed the Remontage Papillon, a patented system engulfed in the hinge of the phone. The Remontage Papillon supplies the watch movement with an added three hours of power reserve each time the phone is opened.
Co-founder and co-CEO of Celsius X VI II, Edouard Maylan, cites the company’s goal as designing a technically superior phone with eternal value. Formed in 2006, the company started “with the dream of creating a completely micro-mechanical mobile phone, where every function of the mobile would operate mechanically through the sole human energy.” Maylan describes each device as “a piece of art taking six months [and] 35 craftsmen, watchmakers, and engineers to produce.”
The Furtif comes in three eight-piece limited editions, offered in a choice of pink gold, platinum, or black inserts. With the Furtif retailing for $315,000, Celsius is on their way to redefining the luxury phone market.
2013 BMW 7 Series Coming Soon to Showrooms
Newly spruced up 2013 BMW 7 Series adds more performance, luxury, efficiency, and safety.
June 15, 2012
The newly spruced up 2013 BMW 7 Series adds a touch more performance, luxury, efficiency, and safety to its already significant packaging.
Technically speaking, the V8 engine for the 2013 model has been given a boost—receiving a 45 horsepower jump and a torque increase of 30. Specifically, the 740i and 750i will feature BMW’s eight-speed Steptronic automatic transmission, xDrive all-wheel drive, Auto Start Stop, and a freshly enhanced powertrain. The ActiveHybrid has adopted the 6 cylinder to replace the previous V8.
The subtly revised exterior boasts new technologies, including LED headlights (LED fog lights are included on models without the M Sport Package) and a sleeker 9-slat kidney grille—opposed to the BMW classic 12-slat. But the internal changes are more of note, with the upgraded interface and redesigned iDrive (dubbed “iDrive 4.X”), which promises a crisper display, faster start-up, and a more functional navigation with the ability to learn your driving route. And for a little something extra, the Bang & Olufsen high-end Surround Sound system is also an available option.
Expect the new BMW 7 series: 740i, 740Li, 740Li xDrive, 750i, 750i xDrive, 750Li, 750Li xDrive, and the 760Li in showrooms late this summer with pricing starting at $74,195.
Bentley Reveals Luxe SUV: EXP 9 F
The luxury brand's first SUV boasts all the usual Bentley trappings, but raises some debate.
May 04, 2012
Bentley made a statement the night before the Geneva International Motor Show during VW’s Group Night, where each of the parent company’s brands showcased their latest and most spectacular vehicles. The British luxury maker wowed the crowd with its first SUV concept, EXP 9 F.
Massive 23-inch alloy wheels; the signature bold Bentley grille; a powerful 6-liter W12 engine that can make up to 600 horsepower; an 8-speed transmission; a fold-down champagne cooler; and luxury tailgating fit for the Kentucky Derby, seem to overly exceed expectations of consumers looking to purchase an ultra-elite SUV. Bentley’s sports utility vehicle is in competition with other luxe cars like the Range Rover and Porsche’s Cayenne Turbo. While the design and composition keep all the usual Bentley trappings, it is unknown if this foray into SUVs will be met with negative or positive feedback.
Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II: Technology & Tradition
Rolls-Royce’s new Phantom model embodies the brand’s dedication to quality and customer connection.
April 23, 2012
From connecting with their clients via private tours of their plants to throwing exclusive events for owners, Rolls-Royce is a brand that treats its customers like a close-knit family. These individual discussions with owners on what R-R stands for, what customers expect from the company and the product, and what it needs to be in order to move forward are exactly what inspired the brand’s new Phantom Series II model.
“When considering changes to our iconic Phantom, we first carefully listened to customers,” said Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös. “Around the world they explicitly told us, ‘Do not change Phantom too much but introduce new technology where appropriate.’ And this is precisely what we have done.”
The end result is a blend of traditional and classic with modern technology that allows the Phantom to keep up with customer expectations. “It combined the spirit of its famous pedigree with superbly elegant design work, ground-breaking technology, and visionary engineering techniques,” said Müller-Ötvös.
Of note technologically are the full LED headlamps, and the completely revamped satellite navigation system with 3D landscape topography, guided view tours, and more, all on a much larger monitor. Best of all, its famous V12 direct injection engine has been updated with a new eight-speed automatic gearbox and rear differential, which results in 10-percent improved fuel consumption and reduced CO2 emissions.
The car’s appearance has also gotten a few updates. In addition to the aforementioned LED headlamps are a virtual constellation of stars in the interior, and a slightly tweaked bumper. Just as with its unparalleled customer service, the brand will go above and beyond to create a custom luxury vehicle to your specifications—from humidors to drink cabinets to constellations in the shape of your zodiac sign, virtually anything is possible.
“Since its first appearance in 2003, Phantom has reclaimed the pinnacle of automotive luxury and refinement,” said Müller-Ötvös. “It is a completely unique and unequaled achievement that goes beyond its primary role as a car and becomes to many a work of art, a fine piece of jewelry, or a rare and collectible object of desire.”
Prada Plays Golf
Prada’s embellished bags stand out on Miami greens.
April 16, 2012
Tessuto Borchie golf bag, Prada ($2,950).
Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Ave.,
305-864-9111
For her Spring 2012 men’s show, Miuccia Prada chose to immerse the audience in all things golf. From the Astroturf runway to the pastel cleat-like oxfords and caricature-printed cotton field jackets, the collection seemed to be simultaneously winking at and updating the classic golfer’s uniform. Knockout pieces include decorated and studs-embellished golf bags. These dazzling accoutrements, in shades of blue and red, as well as an illustrated surfer print, are sure to cause a stir on any Miami course—and perhaps, as an added bonus, distract your opponents.
Dancing in the Street, Miami Style
Dara Friedman's film, Dancer, at the Miami Art Museum, engages our town as a stage—and a dance partner.
April 09, 2012
Stills from Dara Friedman’s Dancer video, 2011
“Art doesn’t just belong within these walls,” filmmaker Dara Friedman explains at the Miami Art Museum’s opening for her latest work, Dancer. “Art is everywhere!” Indeed, the Miami-based Friedman has demonstrated that belief again and again, capturing otherworldly—and often quite intimate—moments that occur in public throughout her growing body of work, which favors 16mm film over video for a visually richer effect. Dancer continues that approach, featuring a host of local performers busting out their impressive moves on the streets of downtown Miami, reveling in the sense of their own motion on an impromptu, outdoor stage. “I was less interested in how you move than in what moves you,” Friedman says of her directions to her cast. The end result is as much an ode to the free-flowing body as to the Magic City itself. If it’s a Miami that seems equal parts urban playground and fairy-tale setting, that’s precisely the point. “When you catch things out of the corner of your eye, you think, Did I really just see that? That happens to me in Miami a lot!” Dancer is on view through May 6 at the Miami Art Museum, 101 W. Flagler St., Miami, 305-375-3000
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF DARA FRIEDMAN AND GAVIN BROWN'S ENTERPRISE, NEW YORK
Watercolor Conversation
Kyle Trowbridge’s artwork, on view this month at the Dorsch Gallery, reveals a wounded heart with a wonderfully twisted sensibility.
March 12, 2012
Kyle Trowbridge’s Untitled (Il Duce), 2006; Untitled (Naïve Terrorism), 2006 (left)
Dark, dark, dark. Whatever his chosen medium, Miami artist Kyle Trowbridge employs a very black sense of comedy. Yet the laughs are never cheap, and although the self-described “social critic” injects a provocative subtext into his work, the takeaway is anything but dogmatic. There’s empathy beneath his anger—as seen in his all-too-rarely exhibited drawings, a series of which recently hung at the University of Miami’s Wynwood Project Space for that school’s art department faculty show. A masterful draftsman, Trowbridge depicts a young boy caught somewhere between the cheery security of childhood and the cruel realities of onsetting adolescence. With artfully dripped tea stains and watercolors adding to the dissipating dream state, Trowbridge’s stand-in hoists a paper airplane skyward and invokes the piece’s punch line: CRITICS DISMISS MY WORK AS NAÏVE TERRORISM. In another drawing from this set, an innocent smile beams out from beneath a paper admiral’s crown: IT WAS DURING RECESS ONE DAY THAT MY NICKNAME “IL DUCE” FIRST STUCK. Barbed self-portraits? Perhaps they’re simply reminders that even the most heinous crimes of the past century were enacted by men who—in their earliest days—once roamed playgrounds. As Trowbridge explained to the Cultist blog, “It’s easy to render something extreme or shocking, but the truly scary stuff occurs when I just set a suggestive stage obscured in humor and allow the viewers to fill in the blanks.”
The Politics of Time, featuring artwork by Kyle Trowbridge, is at the Dorsch Gallery through March 31, 151 NW 24th St., Miami, 305-576-1278.
John Sanchez's Beautiful Artwork
John Sanchez channels the quiet power of Miami's urban landscape in Rooftop, on view at Wynwood's Dorsch Gallery.
February 06, 2012
Rooftop, John Sanchez, 2011
Beyond the postcard-friendly, pink-hued Deco buildings and sky-piercing condos of South Beach, there’s a visual palette to mainland Miami that’s full of gritty tropical beauty. Think rain-slicked highways, downtown traffic lights winking yellow as they sway in the wind, and warehouse districts full of all manner of strange possibilities. No one in South Florida paints this flamingo-free landscape better than John Sanchez, and the recent Rooftop is a gorgeous example of his atmospheric brushwork. If you’ve ever gazed at Edward Hopper’s classic Nighthawks and marveled at the hidden world lurking within its seemingly placid diner setting, expect the same invocations of mystery from Sanchez. Indeed, devotees of Wynwood’s Art Walks may recognize the puddle-strewn rooftop in question as belonging to the Dorsch Gallery (which reps Sanchez): The surrounding terrain may seem barren, but a hopeful spirit prevails—from the dynamic sky dreamily reflected in the roof’s pools of standing water, to the ad hoc spotlights jury-rigged with plywood beams and weighted buckets, attesting to culture amid the concrete. “We’re so used to seeing Wynwood from the ground up,” Sanchez explains. He was after a different perspective, one he marveled at after clambering up onto the gallery’s roof between passing cloudbursts. “There’s a feeling of awe I was going for,” he adds. “I wish I could do a painting you could actually walk into.” Dorsch Gallery, 151 NW 124th St., Miami, 305-576-1278
Wellness Guide: Where to Detoxify and Decompress
The must-do detox treatments and cleansing therapies in Miami.
January 09, 2012
Agua Spa at the Mondrian South Beach
Agua Spa at the Mondrian South Beach
Seaweed Mask
The ocean is known for its healing properties, so it’s no surprise that seaweed helps detoxify. The Mondrian takes full advantage by combining seaweed and French green clay into a concoction that infuses the epidermis with amino acids, vitamin E, and green tea extract for luxuriously supple, smooth skin. $150 for 60 minutes; 1100 West Ave., Miami Beach, 305-514-1950
Dr. Etti
Juice Cleanse
Detox doc extraordinaire Dr. Etti offers a seven-day program cheekily called Sexi Juicing. Each group-guided juicecleansing program costs $625 and features organic juices, smoothies, and a final day of kosher meals and festivities including organic vegetarian plates and a closing breakfast ceremony at Dr. Etti’s home. For clients desiring more privacy, she offers one-on-one programs starting at $975. 5700 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, 305-861-9383
Elle Spa
Red Flower Detoxifying Hammam Ritual
Hit the women’s magazine’s first-ever spa for a six-step healing massage that uses aromatic mint tea, coffee, lemon, quince, orange, and tangerine essences, as well as cleanses, scrubs, soaks, and wraps that are meant to recharge and hydrate. $300 for 100 minutes; Eden Roc, 4525 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, 305-531-0000
Lapis Spa at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach
Bleau Detox
Reverse your nocturnal overindulging with the Bleau Detox, a three-step treatment consisting of a hydrobath, red seaweed wrap, and energy-boosting drainage massage. The end result is so stabilizing and refreshing, you’ll be ready for round two in no time. $220 for 80 minutes; 4441 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, 305-674-4772; fontainebleau.com
The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Miami
Detoxifying Program
We’ve got three words for you: almost four hours. The Mandarin’s Detoxifying Program uses all that time to rid the body of toxins with a trifecta of algae wrap, aromatherapy massage, and facial assessment that will leave you feeling Zen-sational. Starts at $525; 500 Brickell Key Dr., Miami, 305-913-8383
The Sports Club/LA
Body Detoxification
The gym handles muscle fitness, but for something more holistic, try this treatment commencing with a foot rub that segues into a deep-cleansing, full-body exfoliation. Seaweed/algae are applied to remove all the toxins and boost energy. A forehead and scalp massage serves as the blissful finale. $269 for 110 minutes; The Four Seasons, 1441 Brickell Ave., Miami, 305-533-1199; thesportsclubla.com
The Standard Spa, Miami Beach
Detox Cleanse
If you’re fatigued from a tough week or sore from a strenuous workout, this therapeutic massage is designed to increase circulation, expel toxins, restore balance, and reduce muscle aches and pains. The added bonus? Each rubdown is performed with aromatherapy oils, body brushing, and a belly massage, and the sisal body brush is yours for the taking. Starts at $145 for 60 minutes; 40 Island Ave., Miami Beach, 305-673-1717; standardhotels.com
