M E R Z B A U – N O W Opening Reception
Friday June 10, 2011 7:30 – 10 pm
Fredric Snitzer Gallery
2247 NW 1st Place
Miami, FL 33127

June 10 – July 11, 2011
Kurt Schwitters’ profound impact on art history is rarely given just recognition. A pioneering artist in the spheres of collage, sculpture, architecture and installation, Schwitters was an innovator; he set the tone for the avant-garde. At a young age in war torn Germany, Schwitters stylistically evolved through genres such as Expressionism, Dada, Constructivism, and European Avant-garde to ultimately generate his signature modus operandi, Merz. Designed as a distinctly Schwitters architectural assemblage, his transformative installation known as Merzbau is recognized today as one of the most riveting artworks of the early 20th century. Unfortunately, the Merzbau was bombed and destroyed in 1943 during WWII. Kurt Schwitters’ vast artistic impact nevertheless continues to have an influence on artists and developing movements as his multifaceted legacy lives on.

This June at Fredric Snitzer Gallery, we modestly aim to pay homage to Kurt Schwitters in our group exhibition MERZBAU – NOW. In this group exhibition we will present works by artists Maria Martinez-Canas, John Bock, Michael Vasquez, Christian Holstad, Ida Ekblad, Bert Rodriguez, Mauricio Gonzalez, Yasue Maetake and Jose Bedia. Kurt Schwitters’ comprehensive influence on art history resonates with each of these artists uniquely. While each of the participating artists has a distinctive style of their own that has surely evolved since the early 20th century, cohesively their collages, sculptures, photographs, and installations are intertwined with the multidimensional artistic relationships that Kurt Schwitters himself explored.

John Bock, Die Schritte in.Zwolf Uhr Mittags’, 2009