Kelly Breez Pays Homage to South Florida's Classic Dive Bars

Two guys walk into a bar, and everything seems just right but a bit surreal. Looking around, their mood quickly starts to change when they notice there is no bartender.

"What does one have to do to get a drink around here?" they ask loudly.

Suddenly, they realize that Dirt's is not a real bar, even though the typical barflies are waiting to imbibe: a surfer dude, a platinum blonde in beach clothes, and an overworked lady looking to unwind. Except, they are not real. They were conceived by multidisciplinary artist Kelly Breez and brought to life as hyperrealistic mannequins as part of her latest installation, "Dirt's Dive," at the Faena Art Project Room.

Although confusing drunk tourists might sound like a valid purpose for the immersive experience, Breez's intention is to pay tribute to South Florida's dying dive bar scene. The artist envisages them as community spaces where people gather to share stories, fall in love, listen to music, and let time pass. Dirt's is a celebration of all that with thoughtful South Florida nuances and Breez's signature sense of humor sprinkled in.

"I've always really loved funny stuff and gravitate toward it," Breez tells New Times while sitting at one of the high tops by the window. "A whole thing with Dirt's was, and something that I love so much, is that people don't take themselves super seriously in it. The baseline of a place like this is stuff with no ego and a sense of humor."

Using a very in-your-face narrative style, Breez has a unique way of making her pieces talk to viewers by combining cartoonish resources with punny phrasing. An example of this is a "Cash Only You Bastards" sign displayed behind the bar. "Growing up, I was a cartoon person, which is probably why Beavis and Butt-Head is on that TV," Kelly explains while pointing at a 13-inch CRT TV hanging on a wall. "I have a background in creative writing. I went to an arts high school, so writing is really important to me, and I really enjoy it. I love incorporating text that's funny."
The Lake Worth native grew up surrounded by art. Her grandmother was a prolific artist, while her dad was a woodworker with a keen eye for boat restoration, which sparked her curiosity for working with wood, epoxy, and resin. The countless hours spent at the boatyard influenced Breez's mediums, color palette, and general aesthetic, all of which are evident in "Dirt's Dive."

When looking around, countless details add to the universe Breez created in the project room. At first glance, it's easy to overlook the bar's decor as random tchotchkes, but a closer look reveals that everything adds to the story Breez is trying to tell. In particular, there are three items that Kelly points out: a Chrysler hood ornament, a framed SpongeBob napkin drawing, and an autographed drumhead. The hood ornament came from Breez's mother's minivan.

"She had that minivan for years, and it was like a whole thing in the family. It was super fun riding around with my brother and all of our friends in the minivan. Eventually, someone stole it and crashed it into a ditch in Georgia, and that was the only thing she got back from it. She saw a picture of [Dirt's] and was like, 'I saw you have the hood thing. I want that back,'" Kelly says while laughing.

SpongeBob's drawing has an equally personal anecdote. "I was at my friend's dad's wedding in Joshua Tree. It was the most fun I've ever had in my life. I'm obsessed with SpongeBob. The dude known for creating SpongeBob, Vincent Waller, was going to be there. I spent a long time talking to this rad dude. I thought, Oh, that guy's cool, but I didn't know it was him. Then I showed up at the reception, and he handed me that napkin, and it said 'To my fellow gap-tooth pal' on it. I had a Beatles-mania moment. I burst into tears and had to hide in the bushes and cry."
The story behind the signed drumhead is enough to make any metalhead jealous. In 2018, Breez took part in an exhibit honoring the 50th anniversary of heavy-metal pioneers Black Sabbath at the Subliminal Projects in Los Angeles. "Drummer Bill Ward was there, and I was so happy. I was freaking out the whole time; my cheeks hurt from just smiling nonstop. And then a week afterward, my friend was his studio neighbor, and he was like, 'Can you give this to Kelly for me?' It's signed to me, and it's so awesome."

Since opening during Miami Art Week, Dirt's doesn't only look like a dive bar, but during many nights, it turns into one, hosting live bands, culinary experiences, happy hours, and even karaoke nights. (The next karaoke night, hosted by Bad Juju, takes place on Friday, January 19.)

"We are at this perfect moment in time where I feel so many of us are talking about how much it's changing here and how all of our favorite spots are disappearing, and it's super depressing. And what a cool thing to be able to have this platform where there's like a million people walking through the door," Kelly says. "It's cool that Miami is changing, and all the people that are moving here are pretty rad and adding a lot to the city. But there's this huge part that was the heart of the city for so long that is just vanishing, and it sucks. This was a perfect moment in time to mash it all together and simultaneously incorporate all the different types of art that I like to make in one room. It just worked out great."

Kelly Breez's "Dirt's Dive." On view through Saturday, February 9, at the Faena Art Project Room, 3420 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; faenaart.org. Admission is free.