Historic Downtown Miami Security BuildingMade Exhibition Space

By Mariana Ochoa

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The heart of the 1926 Security Building has been dramatically transformed into our new favorite exhibition space. Seemingly, Downtown Miami is where it’s at (Shh, don’t tell Wynwood). 

KIWI Arts Group and CU-1 Gallery inaugurated their new exhibition spaces this past June with the opening of Look At Me, a group show featuring European photographers Paul Solomons with Simon Emmett, Billy and Hells, Tina Luther, Christopher Thomas and Roger Weber.

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Look At Me: Group Photo Exhibit

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Downtown Miami continues to occupy a distinct position in the art world and on June 27th, I was lucky enough to witness a new addition to this city’s artistic community with the inaugural exhibition at CU-1 Gallery. This new art space is located in the heart of Downtown Miami and it will be used to showcase works of contemporary photography. The exhibition was entitled, Look at Me, and it was a group show featuring European photographers.

Photographs of costumed characters and portraits of multicultural women with naked expressions inhabit the intersection of fine art and fashion, setting a standard in the photographic art. Serving as a looking glass into pop culture, both past and present, CU-1 Gallery and KIWI Arts Group are thrilled to be opening a venue dedicated to photography in Miami.

Many of the photos were reminiscent to acrylic paintings with vivid and blunt colors via what may have been a purposely over the top quality to contrast the raw expressions on the women’s faces. These photos provide a fresh perspective on high fashion photography.

The Warhol Museum x Perrier

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KIWI Arts Group expanded from Wynwood to Downtown Miami and also unveiled their storefront Project Space at The Security Building, the public premiere of William John Kennedy: The Warhol Museum Edition.  These five photographs reveal a young Warhol on the cusp of fame.

“With this rare body of work, Kennedy has given us some of the most joyous and insightful images of Andy Warhol ever created.” E. Shiner

The opening also unveiled Perrier’s Limited Edition Warhol Bottles with screen prints created from Warhol’s influences. Not nearly as iconic as the infamous Campbells Soup Cans but whatevs, fun nonetheless.