Like art that’s visually appealing in color and design, i.e. “beautiful”? Or because it makes a powerful social or political statement? Or for the resourcefulness and innovation of the artist? Or you go to museums to see iconic works by star contemporary painters like Joan Mitchell and Robert Motherwell? Whatever your pleasure, you’ll love the new exhibit at El Espacio 23, the contemporary art space of real estate mogul and collector Jorge M. Pérez in Allapattah. And stay tuned until the end for more fiber art at The Camp Gallery. Also, coming up next week, (in time for Art Basel), an update on what’s new in Allapattah.

Though it’s called  “To Weave the Sky: Textile Abstractions from the Jorge M. Pérez Collection”.,the exhibit is not only about textiles, but all of the above. It features almost 140 works by over 100 artists from around the world, including artists from countries whose work one seldom sees, like Zimbabwe, Mali, Poland and Ethiopia.

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Pérez eloquently describes the exhibit, “Art will always serve as a universal language that helps bridge cultures and brings people together. Textile works in particular open up a unique window into many diverse traditions, showing how everyday materials and timeless craftsmanship can come together to inspire new, unique methods of creative expression.”

\In the art world when one thinks textiles, one thinks of fiber based materials. But here, besides that, one finds works made of everything from reclaimed electrical wires and strips of paper to milk and dirt, beads, clay and much more. Many of the works can be enjoyed on different levels, like the process the artist took to make the piece interesting, and the stories behind the works, from indigenous cultures to political realities today.

You’ll also see paintings by everyone from Sam Gilliam and Al Held to Frank Stella and others which, I was told, are there to have a dialogue with the textile works, setting them off in new ways.

Rather than write about specific works I’m going to feature some of my favorites and the materials they used. But before that, I want to share a question I asked myself, why so much interest now in textiles? I’ve noticed a growing number of these works at Art Basel but they’re also increasingly featured in exclusive shows across the country. For instance, I was just in Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Country Art Museum has a textile show now, and in Miami there’s a gallery, the Camp Gallery, devoted to fiber arts. Could it be that it’s a reaction to the conceptual art movement that’s cerebral? Hmmm. I welcome comments from those of you in the art world and art lovers.

 El Espacio 23, 2270 NW 23rd St.,Miami, Florida, 33142 It’s open Thursday through Saturday from 10 a,m. to 5 p.m.  During Miami Art Week it’s open Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free and there’s free parking. This is the museum’s fourth exhibit. It runs until August 2024. Don’t miss it.