Rising Tide: A Story of Miami Artists is a feature length documentary that aired on WLRN-TV channel 17 on November 14, 2012. From the official synopsis:
Filmed during the lead up to Art Basel Miami Beach in 2011, Rising Tide is a story about the visual artists who live and work in this emerging art city. Featuring Jen Stark, the TM Sisters, Venessa Monokian, Funner Projects, Brookhart Jonquil and gallery owner Brook Dorsch, this documentary takes you inside the working worlds of these unique creative talents and serves as the perfect introduction to the history and trajectory of Miami's creative development.
During the first week in December, Miami Beach hosts one of the largest and most prestigious contemporary art fairs in the world, Art Basel Miami Beach. Over 50,000 people come to Miami for this event and it has kick-started rapid growth in the city's art scene. Satellite art fairs and events now take place concurrently, turning Miami into a playground for the international art world. Amidst this glitz and glamor, an ever growing collection of local artists struggle to be seen and make a living from their art. Rising Tide follows a few of these artists and explores the environment in which all this takes place.
Brook Dorsch is a gallery owner who has run the Dorsch Gallery since the early 90s. The film begins at his twentieth anniversary party, held just two weeks before the official opening of Art Basel Miami Beach and the start of the busiest week in Miami's art scene. Through Dorsch, we learn about the history of Miami and the impact of Art Basel on the local culture.
Jen Stark is a young artist who burst onto the scene with her meticulously crafted paper sculptures. From there, her work has expanded to include drawing, painting, wood sculpture and more. Her work is part psychedelia and part futuristic mind warp and is all the more impressive because it is all hand made.
Brookhart Jonquil is a conceptual sculptor who uses mirrors to build illusory shapes. Originally from Portland, Brookhart is a Miami transplant, something still unusual for a serious artist. Represented by the Dorsch Gallery, Brookhart is competing for a prize at Pulse, a renowned art fair held across town from Art Basel.
Justin Long and 'Meatball' Lorie are an art duo called 'Funner Projects' and they've built a 14 foot mechanized crossbow that launches 2x4 at over 140 miles an hour. Set up at the De La Cruz Collection, one of the largest private collections in the city, the resulting performance piece is part functional sculpture and all crowd pleasing spectacle. It also aggressively blurs the line between art, performance and entertainment.
Venessa Monokian is a photographer and micro-sculptor preparing for a studio open house just blocks from the main fair. Her carefully constructed video works are enigmatic and mesmerizing while her small scale sculptures are playful and inviting.
Tasha and Monica Lopez de Victoria are sisters who work together under the name 'TM Sisters.' Based out of an artist residency, they are mixed media performance artists who combine nostalgic kitsch with vibrant colors and aggressive collage techniques to create work that is uniquely reflective of Miami. Their immersive performances are fascinating explorations of emotional landscapes.
Produced, Directed and Edited by Andrew Hevia, Rising Tide is a co-production with WLRN-TV and was funded in part by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Poster designed by Ronnie Rivera of Bleeding Palm.
