WYNWOOD
WALLS GARDEN SURVIVES BASEL AND LOOKS AHEAD
By Hilary Saunders Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Wynwood has its walls and its doors. It has its kitchen and
bar and its brewing company too. And now, ready or not, the Wynwood Walls Garden
is ready for neighborhood usage.
Officially opened last month in time for Art Basel Miami
Beach and Miami Art Week, the Wynwood Walls Garden represents another project
spearheaded by Goldman Properties, the real-estate and urban development
company that revitalized/gentrified the area. Goldman Properties commissioned
six artists to draw murals on discarded, repurposed shipping containers, which
were then stacked on top of each other to create an installation sculpture.
The Wynwood Walls Garden also hosts the new "Walls of
Change" exhibit. An additional 14 artists were invited to paint their
visions of change on the walls surrounding the garden. Five U.S. muralists —
Crash, Cryptik, Hueman, Logan Hicks, and Magnus Sodamin — joined Case (Germany),
el Seed (France), Ernest Zacharevic (Singapore), Fafi (France), INTI (Chile),
the London Police (UK), Pichi & Avo (Spain), and Alexis Diaz (Puerto Rico).
In total, these elements of the outdoor exhibit encompass nearly half an acre
just west of the Wynwood Doors (260 NW 26th St.).
Coconut Grove’s award-winning design firm
PlusUrbia worked
in conjunction with Goldman Properties to conceptualize the space. In
particular, the firm contributed to the landscaping and artistic integration.
According to Santiago Eliaschev, director of architecture at PlusUrbia, “The
idea was to take the Wynwood Walls and Doors concept a step further by merging
art and nature. The garden itself was designed around sight lines and vantage
points to experience the murals.
“In essence, the garden functions as a stage where the
murals are the protagonists. It’s a serene place to relax in the shade, a
retreat from the concrete and asphalt.”
According to the Real Deal, the Wynwood Walls Garden could
soon be home to a restaurant or other retail space. It wouldn’t be surprising,
because Joey’s Italian Café and Wynwood Kitchen & Bar flank the original
Wynwood Walls.
In the meantime, though, the space is open to the public,
now free from Basel traffic and tourists. “Wynwood is about exploration and
discovery as much as it is edgy and unrefined," Eliaschev adds. "We
incorporate all these elements into an urban landscape, an oasis that enhances
the way you experience art.
“In whatever way this space is used, we hope people can
appreciate and experience how art and architecture and landscape can be
combined to create a unique place.”
