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Arlo Hotels, an independent, experience-driven lifestyle hotel brand with properties in New York and Miami, has announced an art collaboration with ArtRepublic, a global curation agency specializing in contemporary digital and immersive public art.
The partnership will highlight both brands’ missions of bringing museum-quality works to an accessible space where people of all ages and cultures can engage with powerful artistic experiences beyond simply viewing paintings on a wall.
The first of several planned quarterly exhibitions, “Style and Grace,” is on view at Arlo Hotels’ newest property, Arlo Wynwood, through May 13. The group show will bring together seven dynamic BIPOC artists on the leading edge of contemporary culture who explore the resilience, strength and persistence endured in the pursuit of self-actualization and celebrating cultural milestones such as Black History Month, Women’s History Month and Earth Day.
Curated by ArtRepublic founder Jessica Santiago and Octavia Yearwood, “Style and Grace” tells a story that represents the world from a global perspective. It reminds us of our ability to make something out of nothing and how from our pain and trials we create beauty; we create community, art, literature, jazz, gospel, hip hop, style and grace.
“We are at a precipice where diversity of beauty and rich culture are being affirmed, and we are seeing humanity as it truly is,” said Santiago, who has made it her life’s work to empower artists and provide a path to mass adoption of the digital art space. “The works in this exhibition portray the stories of those who allow themselves to sit inside freedom, inside the spirit of love. They serve at a level that makes those who encounter them have to reach for their authentic power.”
The works will be shown as digital projections on all four walls of Arlo Wynwood’s third-floor gallery space. The projections will be accompanied by artist voice-overs, music, dialog or soundscapes to bring viewers into their process or scenes to add depth to the immersive experience. QR codes within the space will indicate physical works and NFTs available for purchase.
Participating artists include:
Octavia Yearwood, an author, motivational speaker and arts educator who creates and hosts programs for arts institutions, organizations and companies nationally. In 2016, she was named an “Emerging Arts Leader” by Americans for the Arts and one of the “Top 40 Black Leaders” by Legacy Magazine. She continues to focus on diversifying creative spaces and sits on the board of the Baller Alert Foundation and the advisory board of Power U.
Amani Lewis, a Baltimore-based artist whose mixed-media paintings foreground the subject’s vitality and spirit. Their process-oriented approach joins photography, digital collage, screen-printing and other surface textures in turning large-scale portraits into concentrated sites of vibrancy, heat, healing and safety.
“With each piece, I counter the invisibilizing of Black people and make visible their utter humanity: that which is rarely recognized,” Lewis said.
Morel Doucet, a Haitian-born, Miami-based multidisciplinary artist and arts educator whose work utilizes illustrations, ceramics and prints to discuss the impact of climate gentrification, migration and displacement affecting Black diasporic communities. Through a contemporary reconfiguration of the Black experience, his work catalogs a powerful record of environmental decay at the intersection of economic inequity, the commodification of industry, personal labor and race.
Jade Lilly, an artist who considers herself a “rainbow in human form” that aims to spread light in what can be a dark world and bring beauty through colors. As a Black woman, she creates a safe atmosphere for people to feel comfortable and vulnerable through her art. She is passionate about capturing and creating images that evoke emotions that can result in conversations.
Indigo Suave (Michael Osei-Wusu), an award-winning film director known for his short film Syzygy. He founded A Suave Production in 2018 as a sophomore at Princeton University, where he recognized the power of visual storytelling and formed a collective of artists that focuses on creating and inspiring others through wholesome projects.
Alexis Chivirter, a visual artist from Benue State, Nigeria, specializing in digital collages. She finds inspiration by observing and is always looking for patterns in things, people and emotions or wandering off to strange places on her own.
Paperwater, a Miami-based avant-garde pop duo composed of Daygee Kwia and Eddy Samy that operates out of their multimedia compound Half/Full Creative. The pair gradually developed a unique sound of electronic and hip-hop with hints of indie and are currently finalizing their debut album and second EP. Both projects will be released under their label Wet Paper Records.
“Embracing each other’s differences, and celebrating what makes us unique through art — in all its forms — is at the core of what the Arlo Hotels brand stands for,” said Jimmy Suh, chief commercial officer at Arlo Hotels. “Through this purpose-driven collaboration with ArtRepublic, we aim to create positive dialogue about the most important topics of our time through the universal language of art.”
“Style and Grace” was unveiled at Arlo Wynwood during a special opening event on Saturday, Feb. 18, featuring an artist discussion lead by Octavia Yearwood as part of her Libations performance art series and a cocktail reception featuring music by Paperwater.
A second opening event will take place on Saturday, Mar. 18, highlighting Women’s Heritage Month and debuting the short film Power in Partnership, featuring clips from women around the world sharing insights and hopes for the future. It will also include a panel discussion featuring notable women entrepreneurs and a cocktail reception with music from Emma del Rey.
Finally, a third opening highlighting sustainability and Earth Day will take place on Saturday, Apr. 22, featuring an artist talk with Morel Doucet, a panel discussion with climate activists and auction to support The Reef Line.
Subsequent ArtRepublic-curated exhibitions are in the works for other properties in the Arlo Hotels portfolio.
For more information, visit: https://arlohotels.com/happening/artrepublic-x-arlo-wynwood-gallery-exhibition-opening/.
For news, updates and a little wanderlust inspiration, follow @ArloHotels on Instagram or visit www.arlohotels.com.
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