FRI 10/22
"I think the art scene in South Florida is in need of a battery-acid enema," rants local artist Anthony Mangicapra. "There are so many talented artists here who are looking to show their work but no galleries willing to take a chance."
Humorous and outspoken, the 29-year-old spares no words when describing his indifference to an art scene that he sees as mostly uninspired. Now he's doing something about it. At a time of FCC crackdowns on indecency, an exhibition like Mangicapra's "The Dirty Show" gives the middle-finger salute to censorship. The name speaks for itself, and according to Mangicapra, its objectives are straightforward. "The purpose of 'The Dirty Show' is for a vast array of artists to show that the one thing we all have in common is the desire to fuck," he explains. "We're not looking to change the world or convey some deep philosophical message. It's about sex -- plain and simple."
Originated by onetime Florida boy Jerry Vile, the show's foundations lie in Detroit, where it still takes place on Valentine's Day each year. In what organizers describe as a "kinky cocktail soirée on a mega scale," the event has grown from an underground art opening into one of the biggest erotic exhibitions in the world, sponsored by the likes of Juxtapoz magazine. Now, Mangicapra's shaking up the stagnant South Florida scene by bringing the show to Miami. "Getting this show into a warmer environment wasn't a difficult decision at all," he says. "[Fellow artist] Phil Carlucci and I had been a part of the show for the past three years. It's great, and I've never seen its equal -- especially in Florida." Featuring national and local artists like Glenn Barr, Niagra, Gidget Gein, Tim McGrath, and Joe Raymond (and Mangicapra and Carlucci), as well as DJs and live music, "The Dirty Show" promises to be pure hedonistic fun. It takes place Friday and Saturday at Churchill's Hideaway (5501 NE Second Ave., Miami). It starts at 8 each night. Call 305-757-1807, or visit www.dirtydetroit.com. -- Kiran Aditham
An art show, minus the art
THU 10/21
American politicians sometimes blast art to further their political agendas. Meanwhile, Jamaican pols use art to reach the masses. In keeping with that theme, this weekend's free "Second Annual Arts Festival" at Broward Community College in Davie (3501 SW Davie Rd.,) uses art to draw crowds for a series of political lectures and a celebration honoring local Caribbean artists. The one artistic part of the art fest is scheduled for Saturday afternoon, when performances and displays include five dance troupes, half a dozen visual artists, and two spoken-word performances. The event is nominally Pan-Caribbean; the focus is on Jamaica, with tributes to late Prime Minister Michael Manley. Festival spokesperson Dr. Winston Thompson, BCC's associate dean for social sciences, wants to explore "what would allow [Manley] to draw upon the popular art forms of Jamaica in forming his own political agendas." Thursday and Friday are mostly political tributes and a symposium, all centered around Manley. Politics may be affecting who gets to perform. The theater performance had to be canceled due to what Thompson calls "immigration issues" -- several of the performers could not get permission to enter the country. Call 954-201- 6418. -- Karen Dale Wolman
Snow and Lines
Not those kind of lines, cokehead!
SAT 10/23
Yes, there is something alluring about that white flurry stuff that falls from the sky. But most of us would rather do without snow shovels, hand warmers, and clothes that make us look like the Michelin Tire Man. That's why we live in Flori-duh. However, if the 78-degree temps leave you hankerin' for a dose of pow-pow, get thee over to the Broward Center for the Performing Arts (201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale) for a visual injection. Warren Miller -- the dude who pretty much invented the action-film genre when he whipped out his cameras on the slopes 55 years ago -- brings his latest film, Impact, featuring radical skiing and snowboarding by some of the world's most "x-treme" athletes. Singer-songwriter Jesse Young starts playing in the lobby at 4:30 p.m., and the film rolls at 6. It costs $12, but door prizes will be given away for freeeee! Call 954-462-0222, or visit www.warrenmiller.com for a sneak peek. -- Deirdra Funcheon
Catch the Drift
SAT 10/23
To Anglo-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare, the English couple in Thomas Gainsborough's 1750 painting Mr. and Mrs. Andrews represents not a time of aristocratic nobility but of colonialism and the stuffiness of rich Europeans. So he took Duchamp's satirical modification technique one step further and cut off their heads. Mr. and Mrs. Andrews Without Their Heads is one of the installations in "Continental Drift," a Pangaea of contemporary international artists opening today at the Norton Museum of Art (1451 S. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach). The exhibit combines artwork from different continents, including the indistinct papier-mâché figures in Juan Muñoz's The Nature of Visual Illusion; the communal Moscow apartments in Ilya and Emilia Kabakov's Seven Characters; and Joan Jonas' Lines in the Sand, a multimedia exploration of Egyptian scenery and Greek mythology. The exhibit runs through January 2. Call 561-832-5196. -- Jason Budjinski
