It was Cuba early 1960's and the Castro regime started to confiscate guns away from it's citizens. A 40 something year old father of 4 knew they were coming for his gun...in an act of protest he buried his gun on his property. When they came to take it from him...he denied that he owned one. It is still buried to this day in a brush of grass somewhere by Placetas, Cuba. I would love to get my hands on my grandfathers gun...bring it to the USA and see these parasites try to take it from me.
Domingo at 18 (1944)
DON'T LET HISTORY
REPEAT
ITSELF
ART TALK:
K I K I V A L D E S
Hosted by Monocle Order & Black Banditz
as apart of a series of artist talks during Sunset Session at the Kings & Grove Tides Hotel during Art Basel Week.
Friday, December 7th
Moderated by: Michael Margulies
King and Grove Tides Hotel 1220 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33139.
7:00–8:30 pm
Time:
Location:
K I K I V A L D E S
"Bull's Head"
(Oil, cut canvas on wood panel) 2010
BOOTH #217
Miami Project Fair in Midtown for Art Basel
Dec 4th - Dec 9th. NE 1st Avenue and 29 Street. Miami FL, 33137
M I A M I P R O J E C T
MARGULIES AT
The studio pop up experiment otherwise known as 'STUDIO WORLD' was a success. I want to thank AID FOR AIDS for getting me involved and we were able to sell over ten original small scale artworks to benefit the organization. I would also like to thank my agent Michael Margulies for inviting his family for joining us. It was an honor to have Martin Margulies stopping by and seeing my work in person. Thanks again to everyone that bought artwork and those that stuck around till we closed. Btw, check out todays Miami Herald article on Martin Margulies art collection
Thanks - Kiki Valdes (July 2012)
STUDIO WORLD
(L to R: Martin Z. Margulies, Kiki Valdes, Joe Margulies and Angela Winkowski)
Margulies Agency just announced that you are joining their art roster. How did you link with Mike Margulies?
He has shown support over the years whether by going to a few shows I've curated or just being cool overall. When I heard he started working as an agent for artists I kept a close eye to what he was doing. I wanted to see what he was about. Slowly but pretty quick we built a friendship. He loves art. It's been around him his entire life. The artists he represents are good friends so everything has been natural.
Why did you choose the Margulies Agency?
I moved to New York over a year ago and I knew I had to have a solid connection in Miami. I knew I had to work with someone young and excited to work. We set up a few meetings and we laid things out. He's a very aggressive and passionate personality. I didn't want to work with standard establishment types or someone that really has no deep lifelong commitment to art. I love working with someone from the ground up. There's a passion there. It was a no brainier.
What do you have planned going forward?
I can share that with you at a later date. Things are coming but just can't speak on it yet. Things are looking very good.
Why did you choose a Miami based agency?
I like to do things in steps. I moved from Miami to build elsewhere and build in Miami at the same time if that makes sense. Mike understands that and he supports it.
How is New York treating you? Is your career progressing as planned?
New York is great. I'm really in the building block stages. Really just making new work and building incredible friendships and bettering my knowledge of art making. I'm observing everything, taking it in and meeting the most amazing people I use to read about in art books.
KIKI VALDES
DISCUSSES
MARGULIES
ARTIST AGENCY
From: Miami Art Zine
Kiki Valdes "Can You Trust A Smile?" Oil on wood panel 2012
To view more works visit: Michael Margulies Artist Agency
MIAMI, FL (Feb 14th 2012) - The Michael Margulies Artist Agency announced expressionist painter, Kiki Valdes, as the newest addition to its roster of artists. Margulies considers Valdes as a step in an exciting new direction that will provide an additional level of diversity amongst the agency’s artists. Kiki is the first expressionist painter to be represented by the agency.
“Kiki is going to appeal to a new genre of clients attracted to expressionist painting - a style that is more about the moment and intentions rather than the execution,” says Michael Margulies. “It’s a different way of looking at art that a lot of people can identify with. Kiki is very talented and we are happy to be a part of his career.”
“I've always been uncomfortable when art is talked about more than just looking at it. Laughter, tears or in awe is paintings best language.”
- Kiki Valdes
Based in New York, Valdes is a Cuban-American who's work explores the multidimensional complexities of people, religion, American-life, sex, and superstition. His canvases tend to overlap on top of various unresolved paintings and capture a sense of association, rhythm and conflict. The work can best be described as a marriage between abstract expressionism, cartoons and Caribbean folklore.
Based in Miami, the Michael Margulies Artist Agency specializes in the representation and marketing of contemporary artists, as well as Artist estates. The agency collaborates with galleries, art fairs, museums, and other art institutions to present the utmost awareness of its art catalog while operating with an unconventional business model. For more information, visit www.marguliesagency.com or email [email protected].
KIKI VALDES JOINS
THE MICHAEL MARGULIES
ARTIST AGENCY
"Face-Time"
Oil on canvas (2012)
I've been doing cartoon based drawings with india ink for the past year. This is my first attempt at this new form of painting for me. It's a mixture of expressionism and cartoon imagery from my childhood. I stopped painting women in the traditional sense and started using something more playful and nostalgic to pull new viewers into some of the same type of issues and themes I’ve been experimenting with for the past 5 years.
Kiki Valdes
"Erasing Boogie"
Kiki Valdes - Oil, acyrlic on canvas.
I found this photo of this painting I did a few years ago. It was a painting I was working on then I started layering it with older paintings and ideas I never finished, basically in some ways I resolved this painting with previous ideas from other works and studies.
KIKI VALDES
painting in Bogota, Colombia for Social Media Week. Here are photos of the process of the painting being created.
Magazine Posts
Table of Contents