BIOGRAPHY August 2016
Conceptual artist, graphic designer and cultural interventionist Randy Burman recently completed his two largest works to date. Called Poems to the Sky, the work, commissioned by O, Miami’s Poetry Festival, consists of huge poems painted on Miami rooftops within flight paths for window seat passengers to discover if they happen to look down when flying in or out of Miami International Airport. Previous collaborations with O, Miami included Poetry Pops, poems printed on frozen pop wrappers and given away for free at local cultural events, and the Department of Poetry Works, where poetry street signs were fabricated and guerilla-installed in Miami-Dade County neighborhoods.
A recent controversial work, The Vent-o-matic, a “cathARTic public health service”, was in the exhibition ‘Wrestling the Snake: Open Season in Political Art’ at The Projects in Ft. Lauderdale’s FAT Village. The premise, for art patrons to relieve their frustrations by throwing shoes at the 52 painted portraits of right-wing American politicians and religious ideologues.
The 60’ long Internatsyonale Fonschlong Zikherhayt Aperatus, was created in 2016 for the ‘Aesthetics and Values Exhibition’ at the Frost Art Museum, curated by the Honors College, was an intentionally outsized portrayal of the culture of surveillance by the corporate-surveillance state that listens, watches and gathers massive amounts of information and acculturates the public into accepting the intrusion of surveillance technologies and privatized commodified values into all aspects of our lives.
Whether graphic design or a work of art, the processes are most often exercises in identifying how communication will be perceived and the simplifying of concepts and gestures to amplify the metaphorical essence.
Awarded the Miami New Times Mastermind Award in 2015.
Profiled by Brett Sokol in Ocean Drive Magazine, May 2016
BIOGRAPHY SHORT
My first installation work in 1965 featured live ducks. In 1967, my painting Underneath the Piano was selected to be in the Baltimore Museum of Art’s Regional Painting Show. After dropping-out of the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1968, I had my first one-man show at University of Maryland Baltimore County. In 1969 became a staff artist on Baltimore’s underground newspaper, Harry. And in 1972 art directed The Fells Point Telegraphé and created movie titles with fellow artist Alan Rose for John Waters’ Pink Flamingos.
I moved to Miami in 1976 and beginning in 1978 worked at a silkscreen workshop at the Lowe Art Museum/City of Miami Cultural Experiences Division. Between 1979 and 1994 partnered in several graphic design studios and since 1995 have been creative director at my own design firm, IKON Communication + Marketing Design.
In 2005 returned to fine art practice and in 2010 became a member of the Artformz Collective. I have participated in exhibitions including the three-person show Alternate Realities; four shows with Artformz including the project room installation The Art of Destruction where 8000 copies of masterpieces were available to shred to make new art; the New Art Exhibition at the Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach; Seder as Art at the Art Center of South Florida; Humoratorium: Art of Whimsy and Appropriated Gender at 1310 Gallery in Fort Lauderdale; Rough & Tumble at The Projects in Fort Lauderdale’s FAT Village Arts District, and internationally at Artista Invita Artista in Valencia, Spain.
I’m currently working on an interactive installation where visitors will throw shoes at 60 painted portraits of right-wing politicians.
BIOGRAPHY LONG
I was born and raised in Baltimore in 1947 and considered myself an artist from as early as I can remember. This was discouraged at the Hebrew parochial school I attended as “making graven images”, which prompted and reinforced my rebellious nature. My first conceptual installation work featured live ducks in a fenced-in two-foot high plywood pen adorned with poetry. In 1967, my painting Underneath the Piano was selected to be in the Baltimore Museum of Art’s Annual Regional Painting Show. In 1968 I dropped out of the Maryland Institute College of Art in my Junior year, had my first one-man show, and published a book of drawn poetry entitled, We Knows Who’s Crazy Baby. I was a staff artist on Baltimore’s underground newspaper, Harry; opened Randy’s Discount Food City; published The Fells Point Telegraphe, which I also edited, art directed and organized contributing artists, writers and photographers to support a community lawsuit opposing the Department of Transportation’s plans to demolish the historic 18th century Baltimore waterfront neighborhood of Fells Point; performed in and created movie titles with friend and fellow artist Alan Rose for John Waters’ Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble; worked at the National Lampoon; and became a father and a farmer.
Moved to Miami in 1976, worked as a dishwasher, window washer, carpenter, silkscreen artist, sign painter, and graphic designer. In 1983 was part of a CETA Title IV grant funded silkscreen workshop program administered by the Lowe Art Museum and the City of Miami Cultural Experiences Division. Partnered in several graphic design studios, and since 1995, have been creative director at my own design firm, IKON Communication. In 2005, I made a focused return to the making of fine art. In 2010, with gallery invitations to show my work, I accelerated my construction of assemblages and installation work.
Participated in first three-person show in 2010 at 12345 West Dixie Gallery. That same year became a member of the Artformz Collective in Wynwood where I exhibited in four group shows. For the Artformz project room installation I presented The Art of Destruction, where visitors were able to select from copies of 16 of the world’s great art masterpieces and then shred them to make new art. Also participated in Artista Invita Artista a cultural exchange in Valencia, Spain, and had two works selected for the New Art Exhibition at the Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach. In 2011 I participated The Open Tent’s Seder as Art project, exhibiting 18 Contemporary Plagues at the Art Center of South Florida. Also in 2011, three works were selected for Humoratorium: Art of Whimsy and an installation in the Appropriated Gender exhibition at 1310 Gallery in Fort Lauderdale. In August of 2013 was among 29 artists whose work was selected for the Rough & Tumble exhibition at The Projects in Fort Lauderdale’s FAT Village Arts District. I’m currently working on an installation entitled Vent-o-matic, in which sixty painted portraits will be hung in a grid for visitors to have the opportunity to interact with the installation by throwing shoes at the portraits.
Conceptual artist, graphic designer and cultural interventionist Randy Burman recently completed his two largest works to date. Called Poems to the Sky, the work, commissioned by O, Miami’s Poetry Festival, consists of huge poems painted on Miami rooftops within flight paths for window seat passengers to discover if they happen to look down when flying in or out of Miami International Airport. Previous collaborations with O, Miami included Poetry Pops, poems printed on frozen pop wrappers and given away for free at local cultural events, and the Department of Poetry Works, where poetry street signs were fabricated and guerilla-installed in Miami-Dade County neighborhoods.
A recent controversial work, The Vent-o-matic, a “cathARTic public health service”, was in the exhibition ‘Wrestling the Snake: Open Season in Political Art’ at The Projects in Ft. Lauderdale’s FAT Village. The premise, for art patrons to relieve their frustrations by throwing shoes at the 52 painted portraits of right-wing American politicians and religious ideologues.
The 60’ long Internatsyonale Fonschlong Zikherhayt Aperatus, was created in 2016 for the ‘Aesthetics and Values Exhibition’ at the Frost Art Museum, curated by the Honors College, was an intentionally outsized portrayal of the culture of surveillance by the corporate-surveillance state that listens, watches and gathers massive amounts of information and acculturates the public into accepting the intrusion of surveillance technologies and privatized commodified values into all aspects of our lives.
Whether graphic design or a work of art, the processes are most often exercises in identifying how communication will be perceived and the simplifying of concepts and gestures to amplify the metaphorical essence.
Awarded the Miami New Times Mastermind Award in 2015.
Profiled by Brett Sokol in Ocean Drive Magazine, May 2016
BIOGRAPHY SHORT
My first installation work in 1965 featured live ducks. In 1967, my painting Underneath the Piano was selected to be in the Baltimore Museum of Art’s Regional Painting Show. After dropping-out of the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1968, I had my first one-man show at University of Maryland Baltimore County. In 1969 became a staff artist on Baltimore’s underground newspaper, Harry. And in 1972 art directed The Fells Point Telegraphé and created movie titles with fellow artist Alan Rose for John Waters’ Pink Flamingos.
I moved to Miami in 1976 and beginning in 1978 worked at a silkscreen workshop at the Lowe Art Museum/City of Miami Cultural Experiences Division. Between 1979 and 1994 partnered in several graphic design studios and since 1995 have been creative director at my own design firm, IKON Communication + Marketing Design.
In 2005 returned to fine art practice and in 2010 became a member of the Artformz Collective. I have participated in exhibitions including the three-person show Alternate Realities; four shows with Artformz including the project room installation The Art of Destruction where 8000 copies of masterpieces were available to shred to make new art; the New Art Exhibition at the Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach; Seder as Art at the Art Center of South Florida; Humoratorium: Art of Whimsy and Appropriated Gender at 1310 Gallery in Fort Lauderdale; Rough & Tumble at The Projects in Fort Lauderdale’s FAT Village Arts District, and internationally at Artista Invita Artista in Valencia, Spain.
I’m currently working on an interactive installation where visitors will throw shoes at 60 painted portraits of right-wing politicians.
BIOGRAPHY LONG
I was born and raised in Baltimore in 1947 and considered myself an artist from as early as I can remember. This was discouraged at the Hebrew parochial school I attended as “making graven images”, which prompted and reinforced my rebellious nature. My first conceptual installation work featured live ducks in a fenced-in two-foot high plywood pen adorned with poetry. In 1967, my painting Underneath the Piano was selected to be in the Baltimore Museum of Art’s Annual Regional Painting Show. In 1968 I dropped out of the Maryland Institute College of Art in my Junior year, had my first one-man show, and published a book of drawn poetry entitled, We Knows Who’s Crazy Baby. I was a staff artist on Baltimore’s underground newspaper, Harry; opened Randy’s Discount Food City; published The Fells Point Telegraphe, which I also edited, art directed and organized contributing artists, writers and photographers to support a community lawsuit opposing the Department of Transportation’s plans to demolish the historic 18th century Baltimore waterfront neighborhood of Fells Point; performed in and created movie titles with friend and fellow artist Alan Rose for John Waters’ Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble; worked at the National Lampoon; and became a father and a farmer.
Moved to Miami in 1976, worked as a dishwasher, window washer, carpenter, silkscreen artist, sign painter, and graphic designer. In 1983 was part of a CETA Title IV grant funded silkscreen workshop program administered by the Lowe Art Museum and the City of Miami Cultural Experiences Division. Partnered in several graphic design studios, and since 1995, have been creative director at my own design firm, IKON Communication. In 2005, I made a focused return to the making of fine art. In 2010, with gallery invitations to show my work, I accelerated my construction of assemblages and installation work.
Participated in first three-person show in 2010 at 12345 West Dixie Gallery. That same year became a member of the Artformz Collective in Wynwood where I exhibited in four group shows. For the Artformz project room installation I presented The Art of Destruction, where visitors were able to select from copies of 16 of the world’s great art masterpieces and then shred them to make new art. Also participated in Artista Invita Artista a cultural exchange in Valencia, Spain, and had two works selected for the New Art Exhibition at the Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach. In 2011 I participated The Open Tent’s Seder as Art project, exhibiting 18 Contemporary Plagues at the Art Center of South Florida. Also in 2011, three works were selected for Humoratorium: Art of Whimsy and an installation in the Appropriated Gender exhibition at 1310 Gallery in Fort Lauderdale. In August of 2013 was among 29 artists whose work was selected for the Rough & Tumble exhibition at The Projects in Fort Lauderdale’s FAT Village Arts District. I’m currently working on an installation entitled Vent-o-matic, in which sixty painted portraits will be hung in a grid for visitors to have the opportunity to interact with the installation by throwing shoes at the portraits.