Giant inflatable sculptures to rise in Miami Beach
By DAVID SMILEY
Starting Sunday, if you glance through the foliage of the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, you just might see the toes of a gigantic, upside-down appendage stretching three or four stories high into the palm fronds of the park's many trees.
Wander inside, and you'll find two dozen 30- to 45-foot-tall inflatable sculptures that make up Giants in the City, a free, whimsical art exhibit that concludes Aug. 6.
Alejandro Mendoza, the Miami artist behind the traveling project, said the show began as a personal mission to turn convert his art into large sculptures.
He said he turned to inflatable product partly to save money, and soon the idea became a communal, art in public places venture in which he encouraged others to turn their art into massive, air-filled productions that can be deflated and transported easily.
``Miami is a city where you don't see monumental sculptures, maybe because it is so expensive and requires infrastructure,'' he said.
Mendoza's Milk, a cross-shaped, milk-spewing udder, is one of the nylon sculptures to be shown in the exhibit. Others include Mariano Costa Peuser's Anti Art Man -- the upper body of a three-dimensional, white figurine -- and Miguel Rodez's Lucky Link -- two massive, broken chain links meant to represent freedom.
Noor Blazekovic, a participating artist and publisher of Irreversible magazine, the sponsor of the show, said the sculptures are inflated using the same type of gadget that blows up bounce houses.
This is the second South Florida showing of Giants in the City. The exhibit took place on a smaller scale in Bayfront Park during Art Basel 2008.
The Botanical Garden, 2000 Convention Center Dr., is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
A family day on Tuesday runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and includes activities for children and interactive performances with the sculptures.
On the final night, the exhibit will remain open until about 11 p.m.
Miami Beach
Articulo tomado del The Miami Herald
