Private Collection (Zuzza Fias), 2023, is a sculptural installation by Les Innombrables, created for the Off Meridians sector of Art Basel Miami Beach. The artwork is enclosed on all sides by black privacy screen fencing. Natural holes and gaps in the fencing offer glimpses into an interior – a physically inaccessible arrangement of sculptures appropriated by the artists. “The work prompts questions around themes of access, the privatization of land, settler colonialism, and Indigenous resilience. Les Innombrables’ largest sculpture to date, Private Collection (Zuzza Fias), 2023, challenges expectations around privileged immediacy and access to art, and raises questions around the capitalist-socialist overproduction of art and its social production conditions, and its environmental impact, including recycling and production – and the appreciation of art in public spaces.”
(appropriated and adapted official description)
Les Innombrables is an ephemeral artist collective founded in 1991 in Heidiland (Switzerland). Les Innombrables describe their artistic practice as the seizure of randomly found realities.
Recent exhibitions:
- 2024: Henny Jolzer: Bench (Untitled, No Words), 2024. Sculpture, Public Art, Rixheim (France).
- 2023: Private Collection (Zuzza Fias), Miami Art Week 2023; 87, rue du Temple (site-specific installation), Galleria Continua; A Bag in the Park (sculpture), Frieze Sculpture Park.
- 2022: Moabi Motorabit (sculpture), Berlin Art Week 2022; Il gioco d’ombra trovato (site-specific performance), Venice Art Biennale 2022 Preview Days.
- 2021: Digging a Ditch (site-specific installation and performance), Art Basel 2021 Parcours.
- 2020: A Sculpture a Day: Future Artifacts, Top Blower, Mighty Squirrel (Online Exhibition on YouTube).
- 2019: Performance Trouvée (performance), Frieze Los Angeles; Color Field (site-specific installation), Art Basel Miami Beach.
- 2010-2020: Henny Jolzer: Turisms (Online Exhibition on Twitter/X).
Les Innombrables: Private Collection (Zuzza Fias), 2023. Bayfront Park, Miami (USA), December 11, 2023.
— Right-click (Mac: ctrl-click) this link to download Quicktime video file.
Situated in Bayfront Park, Miami, Florida, the Mildred and Claude Pepper Fountain, also known as the “Slide Mantra” fountain, stands as a significant sculptural installation. In the 1980s, the City of Miami enlisted the expertise of renowned Japanese-American landscape architect and artist Isamu Noguchi to revamp Bayfront Park, a popular public area along the Biscayne waterfront in downtown Miami. Noguchi’s commission resulted in the integration of three sculptural installations into the park’s landscape in 1987.
Crafted from large granite slabs arranged in a circular configuration, the fountain forms a mesmerizing series of cascading waterfalls. The design symbolically mirrors the journey of water from mountains to the sea. The water descends the slabs, ultimately converging into a shallow pool at the fountain’s base. This design creates a tranquil and serene atmosphere amidst the vibrant city.
Today, the Mildred and Claude Pepper Fountain has evolved into a well-recognized landmark in Miami and stands as one of the city’s most notable public art pieces. Unfortunately, its maintenance became too costly for the City of Miami to sustain.
Claude Pepper, a Florida Democrat, U.S. Senator, and Congressman, left a lasting impact on Miami through various contributions during his political career. Notably, he advocated for the establishment of Everglades National Park to safeguard the unique ecosystem from development. Pepper also championed the expansion of Social Security benefits, offering crucial support to Miami’s elderly residents. Furthermore, he played a pivotal role in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, contributing to the dismantling of legal segregation and institutionalized discrimination in the United States. A supporter of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal policies, Claude Pepper’s legacy endures as a force for positive change in Miami.
(source: Miami Rive Vision)
