Francesco Simeti Contemporary Arts Porject Vizcaya

Francesco Simeti’s A seahorse, a caravel and large quantities of concrete, stone, fill, topsoil, tiles, piping, trees, and other plants is the winter/spring exhibition of Vizcaya Museum and Gardens’ Contemporary Arts Project (CAP), a commission program that invites artists to develop site-specific projects inspired by Miami’s most popular National Historic Landmark. The exhibition will be on view from February 24 through May 21, 2012.
New York-based artist Francesco Simeti transforms one of Vizcaya’s outdoor fountains into a surreal theatrical set, providing a playful and melancholic commentary on the fragility of human endeavors. Inspired by the mechanical apparatuses that simulated natural phenomena in Baroque gardens, Simeti’s animated assemblage is composed of floating sculptures representing elements of the estate. The project continues in the Main House exhibition room with an installation of historic artifacts pulled from storage and on display for the first time ever.

Simeti is best known for his wallpapers—collages that introduce politically and socially charged images from the mass-media into the private sphere of the home. At the core of Simeti’s work is the investigation of nature and artifice, from Renaissance and Baroque garden architecture to the manufactured lures used to hunt living animals. Simeti is currently working on several permanent projects for New York City’s public schools and subway system, and has created site specific installations for the MACRO (Rome), Rhode Island School of Design Museum (Providence), Art & Idea Gallery (Mexico City) and Columbia University (New York City).