Exhibitions

The inaugural exhibition MEMPHIS, MILANO, MIAMI at Box Spring Gallery demonstrates one way where art and design meet. The selected works, when shown together, bring to mind the Memphis Milano design movement and Miami deco-influenced postmodernism, whether intentional or not.

Established in December 1980 by Ettore Sottsass, Italian design firm Memphis Milano, and a multitude of imitators of the “Memphis Style,” defined the 1980s. Whether in bright primary colors or whimsical pastels, the shapes were geometric, blocky, intrusive, and set to challenge modern design. It was a nod to both Art Deco and Brutalism but with contemporary flair; experimental, controversial and playful at the same time.

Similarly, Miami Beach is famous for its Art Deco buildings, built for resort clientele after the Great Depression and into the early 1940s. After falling out of fashion decades later, the 1980s brought a new international appeal to the city, and its Art Deco architecture became desirable once again. Developers re-embraced the city’s “Tropical” and “Med-deco” styles and applied them to postmodern projects. The 1988 film Pastel Paradise, documents South Beach’s revival, both historical and contemporary, in beachy hues.

Postmodern design clearly pays tribute to Art Deco, Pop, but most of all FUN. These styles influenced architecture, fashion and graphic design of the time, as well as its contemporary re-emergence — think rounded corners, step downs, confetti patterns, Miami Vice.  

Participating artists: Terri Fridkin (prints, wood constructions), Jeff Harris (pastel drawings), and Robert Reinhardt (prints, collages).

View info about the artists and the artworks available here.