Prizm Art Fair Closes With Strongest Sales To Date

Prizm Art Fair 4th edition occurred November 29- December 11, with over 2,000 people in attendance to see artwork by over 40 artists from 8 countries, including France, Haiti, Jamaica, Nigeria, St. Martin, and Trinidad and Tobago. Split between two sections, the fair was curated by Director and Founder Mikhaile Solomon and interdisciplinary artist William Cordova. Strong sales were reported, along with two sold out VIP dinners and a packed panel discussion, making the 2016 edition the most successful yet.

PRIZM opened its doors on November 29 with PRIZM Preview at its new location in Little Haiti / Little River with a three-course dinner by Jamila Ross and Akino West of Cooper Door, who created a culinary pop-up experience to introduce some of the signature dishes. Cooper Door plans on serving at their "coming-soon" BNB project and In The Land of Milk of Honey, a video installation by Allison Janae Hamilton.

"I was very excited about this year, because I enjoyed working with William Cordova and all of the artists who created a space that discussed and brought together voices from different parts of the world, including the Caribbean and the US in a way that showed how important each region is to each other. I'm also ecstatic to work with many of the artists who I've worked with this past year in 2017 and beyond." Mikhaile Solomon, PRIZM Founder and Director.

In addition to strong sales and well attended events, the 4th edition introduced two interactive performances with artists Nyguen Smith and Ayana Evans as part of PRIZM Perform. Nyugen Smith presented A Letter Home: Hoping to reach you soon, Part 2, a thirty-minute performance aimed to bring together three generations of Haitians to tell a story of belonging, longing, achievement, and their contributions to global culture. Smith dressed as a military general, leading an ensemble of musicians through a series of formations and dialogue that bounces between English, French and Haitian Creole, punctuated by musical scores. Ayana Evans' Gurl I'd Drink Your Bath Water was a layered performance- part social commentary, part autobiography-which references the religious use of water to cleanse the soul, the need for women to be "clean" in our society, and beauty ideals in the US. In the performance Evans' washes herself with Palmolive soap, the same soap her mother and grandmother used.

PRIZM celebrates international emerging artists, African artists, and artists from the Global African Diaspora, who are traditionally under-represented by galleries in the mainstream art world. The 5th edition will take place on December 5 - 14th, 2017. The location to be announced later in 2017.

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS:

Curated by Mikhaile Solomon

Alexandra Smith, Alexis Peskine, Allison Janae Hamilton, Alonzo Davis, Amber Robles-Gordon, Ariston Jacks, Asser Saint Val, Cleveland Dean, Cosmo Whyte, Deborah Jack, Duhirwe, Ezra Wube, Felandus Thames, Francks Deceus, Ify Chiejina, Jamal Ince, Jamea Richmond-Edwards, James A Rush, Jayson Keeling, LaToya Hobbs, MahlOt Sansosa, Morel Doucet, Marvin Toure, Maya Amina, Musa Hixson, Nadia Huggins, Nyugen Smith, Olalekan Jeyifous, Sharon Norwood, Shaunte Gates, Shawn Theodore, Sheena Rose, T. Eliott Mansa, Terry Boddie, Vickie Pierre, Wesley Clark, Wole Lagunju

Curated by William Cordova

Indivisible: Spirits in the Material World

Adriana Farmiga, Andrea Chung, Asuka Goto, Candida Alvarez, Carl Pope, Derrick Adams, Firelei Baez, Horton Humble, Juana Valdes, Leslie Hewitt, Nyame Brown, Onajide Shabaka, Onyedika Chuke, Rashawn Griffin, Robert McKnight, Robert Pruitt, Wayne Hodge, Yanira Collado

About Prizm

PRIZM is an annual art fair presentation that takes place over the course of two weeks coinciding with Miami Art Week and producing cultural events that run throughout the year. Founded by Mikhaile Solomon in 2013, Prizm's mission is to expand the spectrum of exhibiting International Artists from Africa and the African Diaspora, as well as emerging markets that connect to the African Diaspora and reflect global trends in contemporary art.

Each year the fair rotates location and works with different curators to present salient works in solo presentations that highlight the diversity in contemporary visual art practices today.

In addition to engaging nationally and internationally, Prizm has a strong commitment to the local Miami cultural community. This dedication is evident in this year's location in Little Haiti / Little River, bringing a wider audience to new and existing local art spaces. Through the fair and ongoing programming throughout the year, Prizm provides a space for cross-cultural exchange, offering education and exhibition opportunities that highlight the work of African artists and artists of the African Diaspora who are often unrepresented by traditional galleries.

About Mikhaile Solomon

Mikhaile Solomon was born and raised in Miami, Florida and is of Caribbean heritage. Her parents are from the island of St. Kitts - Nevis. She is a graduate of Florida International University's Graduate program in Architecture and completed her undergraduate degree in Theatre Arts at the University of South Florida. She is a Miami New Leaders Council Fellow alumna, served as the 2016 New Leader's Council Co-Chair and is currently a Connect Florida Fellow.

In 2013, Mikhaile founded and currently serves as Director of Prizm Art Fair, a cutting-edge art fair that expands the spectrum of exhibiting International Artists from the global African Diaspora and Emerging Markets during Art Basel Miami Beach. Prizm's mission is to exhibit a diverse roster of artists whose works reflect global trends in contemporary art, through a series of cultural events which culminates in our annual curated fair. Prizm's roster includes artists from the Caribbean, United States, and Africa.

About William Cordova

William Cordova is an interdisciplinary cultural practitioner born in Lima, Peru. He lives and works between Lima, Miami, and New York City. His work addresses the metaphysics of space and time and how objects and perception changes when we move around in space. He received a BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 1996 and a MFA from Yale University, 2004.

Cordova's residencies include the Studio Museum in Harlem, Museum of Fine Arts in Houston's CORE/MFAH program, and the American Academy in Berlin. Awards include Guna S.Mudheim Visual Arts Fellowship (2013), Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant (2011), Art Matters Grant (2009), Rema Hort Mann Foundation (2005), and South Florida Cultural Consortium (2001).

Exhibitions include the Venice Biennial (2003), the Whitney Biennial (2008), Greater New York (2010), the Havana Biennial (2015), Site Santa Biennial (2016), among numerous international exhibitions.

To post a comment, you must register and login.