Halleluyah: Recycling and Upcycling Le Salon des Refuse

Green Space Miami and Bernice Steinbaum invite you to HALLELUYAH: Recycling and Upcycling Le Salon des Refuse, a show of 21 Miami artists who present works at the intersection of art, fashion and activism. From the sculptural to the wearable, these artists create using discarded, recycled, and natural materials, addressing the sustainability of our consumerism. Curated by Bernice Steinbaum.

Opening reception September 2, 2023, 4 – 8 PM

HALLELUYAH:
Recycling and Upcycling Le Salon des Refuse

In France, in 1884, the Refusé rejected artists that included Signac, Seurat and Rodin, among others. That inspired those artists to create the Salon des Indépendents. That exhibit was free from interventions of jurors and despotic control. It proved to be a vitalization in the development of contemporary art. HALLELUYAH.

Art has been a way of expressing religious ideology, nationalism, individualism, terrorism, color, texture, and has stood as a symbol of capitalism. The work in this exhibition deals with all those issues but also takes on the issue of sustainability and climate change. Each participant takes on a personal responsibility in recycling and upcycling these garments.

These fashion artists create using consciousness, skill, creativity, and imagination. An opportunity lies in sourcing materials from regenerative farms and investing in regenerative solutions as a form of carbon offsetting.

We have seen how vintage, second-hand, and upcycling have taken off. It is my hope that the pitfalls of excessiveness in the traditional system (couture and fast fashion) will change. Second-hand has made less conspicuous fashion that makes a quieter statement in this time in the global world. The artists in this exhibition are concerned with rethinking, redefining, and re-contextualizing the traditions of fabrics. Thus these works, whatever the medium, is a message in and of itself.

Bernice Steinbaum