salad days
september 9 - september 23 2022
7411 biscayne blvd. miami, fl
“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” –Albert Camus, The Rebel, 1951
"Salad Days” is a Shakespearean idiomatic expression that refers to a period of carefree innocence, idealism and pleasure associated with youth. It's the period in life where we truly believed that we could change the world. When we saw our whole lives ahead of us and were itching to get started… always knowing that some challenges lay ahead, but not caring…. In a way we somehow saw ourselves as carefree catalysts for change… and discomfort was no issue.
Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) once said, “comfortable people do not become revolutionaries.”
Being inundated with news of the constant and endless stream of tragic events in the media, we are tired of hearing that we are living in “unprecedented times," with all the negative connotations that go along with that phrase… This show aims takes us back to a jovial period in our lives… back to those Salad Days filled with idealism in the hope of re-contextualizing current times.
Opening on September 9th 2022, 4 Miami-based artists, occupying a post-apocalyptic living room of hope, showcased work that closely tied the whole theme together…
From Thomas Bils paintings that investigate the mutability within truth and narrative. Reflecting from the absurdities accustomed to growing up in the suburban south during the beginning of the opioid crisis, to Beth Rhodes work centered around exploring the connections, or lack there of, that we have with each other and the world around us, to Dylan Matamoros use of cartoons to challenge social constructs, and finally to Falopapas’ nostalgia packed works which mix a pop aesthetic with a street-art feel. His murals and paintings show artistic leanings towards concepts found in TV, comics and disruptive photography of the 1960s, and are in line with the iconography of Latin American popular culture, understood as a hybrid social practice..
Melvin Zantua (@mondo.bizarro) designed the logo and unique merch for the show.
As usual, our gallery’s shop had visual arts books from around world, along with prints, ceramics, unique candles and many other great items from local and international artisans.
-curated by homework
artists
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Thomas Bils
Born in 1993, Thomas currently lives in Miami, Florida. He received his BFA from New World School of The Arts. Bils has had recent group exhibitions at the Coral Gables Museum – Coral Gables, FL; Mindy Solomon Gallery – Miami, FL; and Top Painters Top Painting – Online; as well as a solo exhibition at the NSU Art Museum – Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Bils’s work has been reviewed online and in print, including in New American Paintings and the International Painting Annual 10 (Manifest Press), among others. He is a 2018 to current resident of Bakehouse Art Complex – Miami, FL; as well as having attended residencies at Anderson Ranch – Snowmass, CO; and Void Projects – Miami, FL.
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Beth Rhodes
Beth Rhodes spent her life in the coastal town of Biloxi, Mississippi until she moved to Starkville to earn her BFA at Mississippi State.
In 2012, she set off on a journey to explore how painting and design fit into modern life. After starting with an internship at a nonprofit in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, then meandering through Alabama, she has ended up soaking up the sun in Miami, Florida.
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Dylan Matamoros
Dylan Matamoros was born and raised in Miami, Florida. He is currently pursuing a BFA in Graphic Design at New World School of the Arts. His fascination with animation from his childhood has led him to creating drawings and paintings that are rooted in that cartoon language. He sees cartoons as a powerful tool that can be used to discuss topics that are not typically approachable. For Matamoros, it is crucial to have a light-hearted, humorous approach to his work in order to allow for personal, reflective commentary.
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Falopapas
Néstor Augusto Turallas, aka Falopapas, is an Argentine visual artist born in La Plata in 1979, and currently based in Miami, FL. He has a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of La Plata, where he also been teaching “Visual Language II” section since 2006.
He has dedicated himself to painting and public art since 2005. He has had five solo shows: Víctimas del baile (2013), Stalk (2015), Sexting (2016), Wanted (2018), plus a show with live interventions ar the Cariló Arte Contemporáneo gallery (2019). He participated in the following art festivals: Ciudad Alterna (La Plata, 2014), Kings de Arte (Buenos Aires, 2015), Provincia Emergente (La Plata, 2017, 2018 and 2019), Emergente CABA (Buenos Aires, 2019), and Rock en Baradero (2019), among others.
activations
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Opening
September 9th. 6-9pm
Salad Days- featuring works by Thomas Bils, Beth Rhodes, Dylan Matamoros and Falopapas
‘project room: homework x la obra de arte soy yo’ featuring work by Paula Sarmiento at skep360 across the hall from Salad Days
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Recess
September 10th, 4-7pm
Saturday’s at Salad Days
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Panel- Painting the Picture: Practical Advice for Career Artists
September 14th, 6-9pm
Michelle Solomon (Editor Artburst and Miami ArtZine)
Allyn Gin Ayers (LegalARTLink Director)
Aurelio Aguilo (Co-Founder homework)
Florencia Franceschetti (Founder Raygun Agency)
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homework x Noir Age present Salad Night
September 16th, 6-10pm
Live Performances-
Butters (Side Project of Jenna Balfe from Donzii)
Za Za (Side Project of doris dana & Night Foundation)
DJ Set- Das saD
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Recess
September 17th, 6-9pm
A Radio Karibe Listening Session w Rum & Coke Miami
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Closing
September 23rd, 6-9pm
Musical Curation by Ekstra Bonus
About The Knoxon
On a strip of Biscayne Boulevard in Miami’s historic MiMo District, a few mid-century roadside motels from the 1950’s and 60’s still stand. These motels serve as reminders of a time long gone, and of an architectural design approach that grew out of Art Deco style that defined the Miami of the 1930s and 40’s.
Built post-WWII due to the increase in automobile travel and the prosperity followed the war, some of these roadside dwellings are finding new life today.
The Knoxon, one of these motels built in 1951, will serve as homework’s home once again during the Salad Days run.
photo by Jesus Rodriguez of Rum & Coke Miami