By Lee Pivnik
Dust My Eyes with Diatomaceous Earth
Miami-based artist Lee Pivnik presents a series of new works primarily composed of embellished ceramics and gouache paintings as part of his exhibition, Dust My Eyes With Diatomaceous Earth, at the Bay Parc Apartments, 1756 N Bayshore Drive, Miami. The recent body of work features glazed ceramics in branching forms that have been embedded with multicolored beads and stones, decorated to mimic a process of biological ornamentation. Covered in wax, carved foam, pressed flowers and fabrics, materials cling to the ceramic forms like lichens on a rotting branch.
Pivnik’s work is site-specific, delicate, and frequently temporal. His current body of work is produced in response to the remnants of a limestone brick building, constructed in 1936 in Matheson Hammock Park. Initially built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, the building was designed as a native plant nursery to help maintain the ecology of Matheson Hammock Park during its development. At some point, under serious disrepair, the building’s wood-slat roof fell through. In its place, a ceiling of banyan trees dropping aerial roots effectively created a space that is simultaneously inside and outside, inorganic and natural. A scale model of the building rendered in clay is present in this exhibition.
Dust My Eyes With Diatomaceous Earth is part of a residency—through a partnership between YoungArts and Bay Parc Apartments—that provides YoungArts alumni with space and resources they need to create site-specific installations at Parc Space, a 500-square-foot installation-based gallery. Accompanied by activations and art talks, the project connects artists to local audiences and fosters art as an integral part of living in Miami.