Must-See Miami Art Exhibits in February: Tomás Esson, Dirk Salz, and More

Is it finally cool to be from Miami? Or was it always, and it just took us this long to realize? The last few months have felt like a clarifying moment for the city's art scene, where locals and outsiders alike are lining up to acknowledge Miami as a serious destination for art and culture.

I get that feeling, too, but for me, rather than splashy art fairs and wealthy collectors, it's the community that's building around the arts that makes me think we've got something going here. It's a community that came out in full force last Thursday to celebrate the reopening of Dalé Zine in the Design District. The art bookstore has moved all over town, fleeing Miami's ongoing gentrification, but it always ends up in bigger and better premises. It will soon be joined by streetwear brand Andrew, which is moving next door to give the swanky shopping district and island of local irreverence.

It's critical that they stick around this time — places like Dále are vital in a city with few accessible third spaces. Hopefully, they'll have a lot of support. Hundreds of people showed up for the opening party, anchored by an exhibition of paintings by Gabriel Alcala, and the optimistic energy was infectious.

Now that I've established the positive vibrations floating around Miami's art scene, it's time to see where it'll flow in the next four weeks. February brings new shows from established artists and group shows from up-and-comers. Veteran locals get their shine in a museum show in Fort Lauderdale, while a major figure in the city's club scene joins up with a working-class artist in Miami Beach. Find our February art selections below.

All listed events are free to attend unless otherwise noted.

"Seth Cameron: The Tourist" at Nina Johnson

Joining last month's presentation of domestically inclined paintings and drawings by Madeline Donahue at Nina Johnson, Seth Cameron offers a darker perspective with a collection of sumi ink paintings. The South Carolina artist draws on writers such as Camus and artists like Manet and reflects on recent global conflicts to create works imbued with grief. On view Thursday, February 1, through Saturday, March 30, at Nina Johnson, 6315 NW Second Ave., Miami; 305-571-2288; ninajohnson.com.

"Sa'dia Rehman: the river runs slow and deep and all the bones of my ancestors / have risen to the surface to knock and click like the sounds of trees in the air" at Frost Art Museum

Although its title may seem a bit of a mouthful, it's a testament to the personal nature of Sa'dia Rehman's show at the Frost Art Museum. The show is drawn from the Pakistani-American artist's revisiting of their ancestral home on the Indus River, which was destroyed amid the building of the Tarbela Dam. Rehman assesses what remains with photographs, skeletal metal sculptures shaped like the frames of houses, and other multimedia works. The show travels from its original staging ground, the Wexner Center from the Arts at Ohio State University. On view Saturday, February 3, through Sunday, April 14, at Frost Art Museum, 10975 SW 17th St., Miami; 305-348-2890; frost.fiu.edu.

"Tomás Esson: Mimami Pop" at Fredric Snitzer Gallery

Feted with an exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami that unfortunately opened at the height of the pandemic, Miami-based Tomás Esson initially gained notoriety in his home country of Cuba, where his bold juxtaposition of communist iconography and sexually explicit scenes led to censorship. He returns to Fredric Snitzer this month with a new group of paintings, following up on his 2021 show "S.O.S. CUBA" at the same gallery, keeping the same anarchic, abstract style. On view Saturday, February 3, through Saturday, March 2, at Fredric Snitzer Gallery, 1540 NE Miami Ct., Miami; 305-448-8976; snitzer.com.

"ArienneRose Gionta: Somewhere I Belong" at Art and Culture Center/Hollywood

ArienneRose Gionta's bizarre Sims-esque commentaries on the metaverse, virtual avatars, and the corporatization of our digital lives have been popping up all over Miami as of late, for instance, at last year's excellent group show "Residential Properties" at Diana Lowenstein Gallery. Her next show at Hollywood's Art and Culture Center blurs the lines between IRL and virtual even more with an immersive installation that explores how digital worlds and self-love go hand in hand. On view Saturday, February 3, through Sunday, April 21, at Art and Culture Center/Hollywood, 1650 Harrison St., Hollywood; 954-921-3274; artandculturecenter.org. Tickets cost $4 to $7; admission is free for children 3 and under.

"Layers of Obsession" at Club Gallery

Club Gallery inside the Citadel has had an interesting start to 2024, wrapping up a show from abstract street artist Hoxxoh and mounting a flash exhibition from Young at Art Children's Museum founder Mindy Shrago. Its next presentation, "Layers of Obsession," highlights four Miami-based artists working in diverse mediums. Abstract paintings by Monica Czukerberg and Francisco Donoso and sculptural works by Dani Maya and Denise Treizman exhibit tactile qualities and brash, colorful vibrancy. On view Saturday, February 3, through Sunday, March 10, at Club Gallery Miami, 8300 NE Second Ave., Miami;  clubgallerymiami.com.

"Julia Zurilla: Vacational Aesthetics of the Environment" at Laundromat Art Space

They say seeing is believing, and Venezuela-born artist Julia Zurilla wants to challenge our perceptions. Her video and photo works use binocular vision to juxtapose scenes of idyllic family vacations and natural disasters, a dichotomy any Floridian will likely be all too familiar with. The opening also allows visitors to interact with Laundromat's resident artists, including Donna Ruff and Roscoe B. Thické. On view Saturday, February 3, through Saturday, March 2, at Laundromat Art Space, 185 NE 59th St., Miami; laundromatartspace.com.

"Alberto Checa: Amidst Twin Suns" at Oolite Arts

The title of Alberto Checa's new show at Oolite Arts refers to the two suns he encounters as a maintenance worker on boats, one in the sky and the other reflected on the water. That's already a cue to this show's interest in labor and exploitation, as Checa's stark, monochrome charcoal drawings and Arte Povera-inspired sculptures made from PVC pipes and cleaning tools aim to highlight the harsh conditions faced by Miami's immigrant working class. Music fans will also want to take note, as local producer/DJ Nick León will give a collaborative performance with the artist on opening night, Wednesday, February 7. On view Wednesday, February 7, through Sunday, April 14, at Oolite Arts, 924 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach; 305-674-8278; oolitearts.org.

"Samuel Dominguez: What Happened After I Left" at Artspace305

Working with various materials, including ceramics, drawing, and resin, Samuel Domínguez highlights the plant life of his Chilean homeland in this show at Artspace305 in Little River. The green ghostliness of certain works recalls a futuristic, lost society, hinting at a possible fate for our own climate-threatened city. On view Thursday, February 8, through Saturday, March 16, at Artspace305, 230 NW 71st St., Miami; artspace305.co.

"Dirk Salz: The World Is Deep" at Diana Lowenstein

Diana Lowenstein Gallery is following up a more than decent 2023 with its first show of the new year, focusing on German painter Dirk Salz. Investigating the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, Salz's combination of deep colors and resin-coated surfaces allows the viewer to stare at their reflections and personal abyss. Just don't forget: The abyss stares back at you. On view Friday, February 10, through Monday, April 1, at Diana Lowenstein Gallery, 326 NE 61st St., Miami; 305-576-1804; dianalowensteingallery.com.

"Anthony Goicolea: Forever Endeavor and Ever" and "Kris Knight: Superhost" at Spinello Projects

By its own admission, Spinello Projects' Miami Art Week was pretty gay — the gallery's "Gay Era" project installed five solo shows from LGBTQ artists across the city throughout December. It's continuing the approach in the new year with two new shows from a pair of artists working with queer themes. Working with canvas and Mylar, Cuban-American Anthony Goicolea's show features paintings that reference moments from gay life and culture. The works recall Hernan Bas but predate the famous Miamian by about a decade. Canadian Kris Knight, meanwhile, sketches intimate moments in a series of idyllic paintings. On view Saturday, February 10, through Saturday, March 16, at Spinello Projects, 2930 NW Seventh Ave., Miami; 646-780-9265; spinelloprojects.com.

"Miya Ando: Sky Writing" at Lowe Art Museum

Raised between the redwoods of California and a Buddhist temple in Okayama, Japanese-American artist Miya Ando fuses materials from ancient traditions — washi paper, indigo dye — and modern, industrial materials. This student-curated show at the Lowe features work from Ando's "Cloud" series, featuring ethereal, spectral sky views that change depending on light conditions, much like their namesake. On view Monday, February 12, through Saturday, June 1, at Lowe Art Museum, 1301 Stanford Dr., Coral Gables; 305-284-3535; lowe.miami.edu.

"Push and Pull" at Andrew Reed

Already following up on its presentation of feminist photography from Laurie Simmons, Andrew Reed gallery will host its first group show in its new Allapattah space, focusing on abstraction. Work from well-known names, including Hank Willis Thomas and Rafael Domenech, will be on view alongside a mixed bag of artists, including Eli Ping, Chico da Silva, Veronika Higer, and Sarah McRae Morton. On view Saturday, February 17, through Saturday, March 16, at Andrew Reed, 800 NW 22nd St., Miami; andrewreedgallery.com.

"The Daily Act of Art Making" at NSU Art Museum

Keeping up a daily art practice is something many working artists struggle to do, and NSU Art Museum aims to give credit to those who manage by presenting three concurrent solo shows from a trio of veteran South Florida artists. You'll see macabre, surrealist figures from 94-year-old Matthew Carone, cartoonish works from Panama native Jaime Grant, and foreboding Florida landscapes from Elizabeth Thompson, who died last year. The museum continues to support local artists with the show, albeit this time focusing on an older generation than in the crop of emerging artists from last year's "Future Past Perfect." On view Sunday, February 25, through Sunday, August 4, at NSU Art Museum, 1 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 954-525-5500; nsuartmuseum.org. Tickets cost $5 to $16; admission is free for museum members and children 12 and under.