The urban underground aesthetic sounds redundant for Miami, but it’s an entirely different story once inside the Wynwood Arts District’s rebel child: the Butter Gallery. Opening its doors at the end of 2009, director Francisco "Paco" De La Torre IV was loosely considered the neighborhoo... Read more
The urban underground aesthetic sounds redundant for Miami, but it’s an entirely different story once inside the Wynwood Arts District’s rebel child: the Butter Gallery. Opening its doors at the end of 2009, director Francisco “Paco” De La Torre IV was loosely considered the neighborhood renegade, coupling young graffiti artists, with academically-trained students, with self-taught fledglings. Two showings at SCOPE (Miami and New York), a private day-long visit from Miami Art Museum director Thom Collins, and hundreds of local fans later, the Butter Gallery continues on its mission to kick the conventional contemporary art crowd in the teeth (with some added charm and metropolitan sophistication). Recently, De La Torre paired with Chinese curator Inez Suen, bringing in recent graduates from the Chinese Academy of Fine Arts for ‘Zhi: Paper’ (resulting in Miami’s first proper dose of young talent from Asia).
“Butter Gallery is a personal vision but one of very wide parameters. Some people believe the gallery has a particular aesthetic, even with our diverse group of artists. To me, it is important when a gallery’s curator identifies new talent and provides artists that do not have a gallery presence with the opportunity to show their work. I like to think that Butter Gallery has enhanced the contemporary scene by showcasing local talent that, for years, was not noticed or given the opportunity by other venues.”
-Francisco ‘Paco’ De La Torre IV, Director
Artists:
Ahol Sniffs Glue
Rick Falcon
Francesco Lo Castro
Joe ‘Jel’ Martinez
Tawnie Silva
Yuri Tuma
Jahmal Williams
