Magazine

Inliquid logo
Interview
December 4, 2013

Featured Select Fair Miami Artist: John Y. Wind

About the Author
Erica Minutella

See the exhibition here

INLIQUID MEMBER

You might know him as the creator behind Maximal Art. But John Y. Wind will be riding the skies in a new direction this December 4 – 8 with a show of his fine art at Select Fair Miami.
How did you get involved in Select Fair Miami?
A serendipitous Philadelphia connection — the NY-based organizers were in town to meet with another artist, saw my work at the Members Show, and invited me to participate in their show.
What inspired your selection when choosing pieces to bring to the Miami show?
I just had a large show at James Oliver Gallery here in Philadelphia. I wanted to pull elements from that show, but create a new installation that responded to the space and environment of the Miami venue.
Can you tell me about the theme for the overall exhibit?
Yes–The show is called The John Y. Wind Portrait Gallery. When I first saw images of the hotel room I’d be showing in, I loved the sheer white curtain covering the window wall. It reminded me of a gallery in a small-town European museum, with natural light and maybe even an open window. I decided to turn the room into a portrait gallery, with a cluster of my classical busts in front of that curtain, and a salon-style hanging of 2-D works on the side walls.
Thematically, while there are many portraits in the show, collectively it becomes one big self-portrait.
How did you plan differently when staging a show for a Miami audience versus a Philly audience?
The primary difference was dealing with a 165 square foot space in Miami vs. 2500 square feet at JOG in Philly! The nature of the show isn’t specifically Miami-oriented, though I did make sure to include a wall of my Peacock-inspired pieces (and the taxidermy Peacock himself). That felt very Miami!
Do you feel like your work has evolved at all since your first solo show at JOG?
Yes — The JOG show gave me tools and a vocabulary to expand on and explore further. It gave me the confidence to keep pushing the envelope thematically and materially.
What are you hoping that people will take away from your work at the Select Fair?
I hope people take away an appreciation for my particular voice and approach to art-making. Plus, I’m simply looking to get the word out. I’ve had a studio practice for many years, but have only recently started showing it.
What else do you have planned in the near future?
Continuing to evolve the work. I have a number of series in the works — busts, calendars, newspapers, teacups, bulletin boards… I feel like there’s more to say with each.
Finally, if you had to choose one favorite piece, what would it be and why?
After the JOG Show, I discovered my grandmother’s collection of 300+ teacups and saucers in my parents’ basement. Those delicate, feminine teacups tantalized and inspired me to create “Curio Cabinet,” the newest piece in the show.
It’s an assemblage of a few dozen teacups in a cozy wood cupboard, and above them a tableaux of two busts draped in jewelry which partially obscures a TV set playing gay porn.
The mash up of materials and sensibilities is kind of delirious, and at the same time very personal and a little embarrassing. It’s not an easy piece, but it is my favorite
Photos by Brian Hunt
No items found.
This is some text inside of a div block.
Previous
This is the start of the list
Next
This is the end of the list

Related News