PHILIP LIQUE
LIVING AND MADE
ON VIEW APRIL 24 – OCTOBER 15, 2023
Located at 23rd Street and Collins Avenue in the Walgreens storefront.
Living and Made is a 93-foot-long public installation by artist Philip Lique that explores the intricate relationships between materials and the intentional and improvised act of “making.” Referencing and reconsidering elements of retail window displays, theatrical scenery and backdrops, and traditional still-life arrangements, Living and Made is a combination of sculptures, wallpapers, paintings, ready-made objects, Walgreens products, and live cactus plants.
Lique’s maximalist display considers how both living things and manufactured objects regenerate to form extensions of themselves, creating something entirely new and unexpected in the process. The installation serves both as a practical environment for cactus propagation and growth, as well as a space for Lique to experiment with the creation of unique pieces, with individual components sourced and reclaimed from his previous works. Living and Made is about the artistic impulse to adapt and revise, linking the evolution of ideas with the gradual (and potentially unavoidable) increase in the quantity (and quality) of objects.
In the artist’s words:
“My studio practice emphasizes process; I manipulate modest materials to build upon that which I have already mastered or exhausted and work to translate those ideas into objects. I explore intuitively and make obsessively, guided by the synergy between history, material, and design. In this way, my work is about craft and skill, exploring the modulation between ‘high’ and ‘low’ finish.”
A limited series of “condition report” NFTs will consist of 360-degree 3D scans of select structures, serving as a record of the original physical state of the exhibition display. After months of continuous exposure to Florida sun and heat, which will fuel the growth of new cacti branches while simultaneously causing incremental fading and deterioration of the artwork, the NFTs will be a testament to how the installation changed and evolved over time. Living and Made seeks to provide a point of entry to witness the life cycle of both natural and man-made elements, encouraging repeated public investigation and engagement.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Philip Lique (b. 1983, New Haven, CT) is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice focuses on blending craft and generative art-making with public engagement. His practice alternates between sculpture, installation, printmaking, and independent publishing. Lique is the Director of Exhibitions at MadArts Studio in Dania Beach, FL. He also collaborates with other organizations, artists, and institutions as a freelancer to produce exhibits, programming, printed matter, and objects. Lique has been a resident artist at the Bakehouse Artist Complex since 2020 and is represented by Emerson Dorsch Gallery. Learn more at the artist’s website at phillique.com and follow him on Instagram @philip_lique.
Lique holds a BFA in Graphic Design from Paier College of Art and an MFA in Painting from Western Connecticut State University. He has worked as a professor and technician at the University of New Haven, Yale School of Art, Southern Connecticut State University, The University of Miami, Nova Southeastern University, and the New World School of the Arts. From 2018 – 2022, Lique managed EXILE Books, where he organized programming and publishing fairs, and designed printed material for galleries, non-profits, and artists. Lique has participated in residencies at Vermont Studio Center, Zona Imaginaria (Buenos Aires, Argentina), and The University of Connecticut.
ABOUT THE BASS X BAKEHOUSE ART COMPLEX WINDOWS PROJECT
The Walgreens Windows Project is a collaboration between The Bass and Bakehouse. Featuring site-specific projects by emerging and local artists on a rotating basis, the projects represent the shared missions of the Miami-based arts organizations to support art that engages, challenges, and educates. The project is supported by Walgreens.
ABOUT THE BAKEHOUSE ART COMPLEX
Located in Wynwood Norte (a 20-minute drive from these windows), Bakehouse Art Complex is the working home to approximately 100 Miami-based artists who make art, discover, learn, and share work with each other and the community. Its artist community derives from a rich diversity of backgrounds and represents a broad range of media and practices, from painting to performance, from traditional to experimental. The organization provides affordable studios to artists offering access to on-site infrastructure, creative and professional development opportunities, among a community of peers. Visit bacfl.org to learn more.
