Graffiti Gone Global
Thursday, Dec. 1: 6:00PM – 9:00PM, Private Preview
Friday, Dec. 2: 11:00AM – 8:00PM
Saturday, Dec. 3: 11:00AM – 8:00PM
Sunday, Dec. 4: 11:00AM – 4:00PM
The Rotunda Space
3252 NW 1St Avenue, Suite 101
Miami, FL 33137
www.gggexhibit.com

Graffiti Gone Global (GGG), powered by SUSHISAMBA, announces its fifth consecutive exhibition of urban contemporary art and design during Art Basel Miami Beach. At the center of GGG 2011 are three acclaimed artists whose respective focuses in architecture, design and street art speak to the brand’s evolving nature. The work of Marc Fornes, Volkan Alkanoglu, and Billi Kid of Public Works Department will transform the ‘Rotunda,’ a 10,000-square-foot cornerstone in Midtown Miami (3252 NW 1st Avenue, Suite 101). For more information, please visit www.gggexhibit.com.
A trailblazer in the field of sustainable architecture and design, Alkanoglu uses progressive techniques in the fabrication of his work. An accredited professional of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), he selects low-impact materials for his work, producing designs that enhance their immediate environment.

This year’s GGG, will provide a platform for Alkanoglu and Fornes to again work alongside each other, following their participation in “Sukkah City 2010” where each artist impressed GGG’s Concept Developer, Shimon Bokovza, with their winning designs – P.YGROS.C/passive hygroscopic curls by Fornes and “Star Cocoon” by Alkanoglu. Alkanoglu’s “Star Cocoon” is now part of the permanent collection at Yeshiva University Museum in New York City. Additionally, in the past year, Fornes and Alkanoglu earned first prize for a collaboration piece for a Public Arts Project in Redondo Beach, California as well as first prize for their installation in Creve Couer, Missouri.

“GGG goes beyond celebrating urban contemporary design. It promotes a cultural agenda through art,” says Alkanoglu. “As a trained architect I am part of a practice that encompasses both the build environment and methods of artistic representation.”
For this year’s exhibition, Alkanoglu designed “Public Figure” – a work that speaks to his mastery of design and interest in sustainable art. His project is a geometric bench-like structure composed of opaque, high-density polyethylene. “Public Figure” is multifunctional in use, measuring 10 feet long and reaching 18 inches from the floor. Alkanoglu describes “Public Figure” as an “urban device” that symbolizes social interaction through its two, infinite loops that are in “constant dialogue.” The design is physically accessible to viewers, encouraging them to interact both with the design and each other.

Reinforcing the brand’s steadfast dedication to street inspiration is returning artist and curator, Billi Kid, the creator behind SUSHISAMBA’s permanent collection: the “Eames Inspiration.” This year, Kid will present his most recent project, “The Art of Basketball”, by Public Works Department featuring sections of the NBA All Star Game basketball court that have been re-imagined as design pieces for interior spaces.

The innovative assemblage of home-furnishings-meets-street reveals the dynamic nature of urban design as it can take life in a myriad of mediums that extend beyond the purview of the street. The visionaries behind the basketball court designs include several GGG veterans as well as other top urban street and graffiti artists:

Billi Kid
· Ewok One 5MH
· David Cooper
· Cope2
· Shiro
· The Dude Company
· Joe Iurato
· Jack Aguirre
Since its inception in 2007, GGG has showcased an international ensemble of artists whose work transcends the boundaries of street and gallery. In accord with the mission of GGG, Fornes, Alkanoglu and Kid have challenged traditional notions of urban contemporary design. Hailing from the streets of New York, California and Connecticut respectively, their individual and collaborative works embrace the grassroot and “hands-on” mantra of street artists who choose to express art in their immediate environment.