Prime Video takes advantage of Miami Art Week to promote its new series with a showcase of the work of 15 African artists at Wynwood’s Spring Studios.
Hosted by former Art Basel events manager Donnamarie Baptiste, the brand activation, titled “The Crown We Never Take Off,” celebrates Prime’s latest original series. Wealth, which begins airing on December 2. It is free and open to the public from 12 to 9 pm on December 2 and 3.
Wealth recounts a fictional Nigerian-owned beauty company called Flair and Glory in the wake of the death of its founder, Stephen Richards, shocking his second wife (played by Sarah Niles from ted lasso) when he leaves the company to his separated children in the United States.
BlackHouse Events approached Baptiste to translate Wealth in an exhibition. To prepare, Baptiste anticipated preliminary cuts of the first season of the series. Just the premise of it inspired her. Although African Americans spend $6.6 billion on beauty and make up 11.1 percent of the national market, she told Artnet News, ownership is not proportional.
“What really made me connect art with space was that here is this black family that, against all odds, became incredibly successful and wealthy,” he said. “Those of us who work on the ground know that [art is] something we just love and need in our lives. But for a large group of the population, it is an asset class.”
(ID) Deborah Ayorinde (Nina) and Emmanuel Imani (Simon), Richards’ American children in “Riches”
“It’s about connecting the achievements of creatives of color, from the black diaspora, and tying them in with the achievements of creatives new to the show,” Baptiste said of his vision. “It was very important that we keep Africa, the continent, in the spotlight.” The artists he chose come from Cameroon and Ghana, but also from the United States and the Caribbean.
Camille Lawrence of Black Beauty Archives completed a video commission to introduce the exhibition, which places emerging artists alongside established talents already planning to show up at the festivities, such as Miami-based sculptor Morel Doucet, who appeared at the Christie’s sale. this fall in association with Galería Myrtis.
Baptiste was already acquainted with Tanzanian-Nigerian collage artist Marryam Moma, who produced a new series of five pieces cut specifically for the show. Baptiste also owns works by Kum Cletus, so she contacted his gallery, a black-owned upstart outfit called FC Collective in Atlanta, who also inquired about curating it.
“There is going to be a lot of photography in the show, because there are very beautiful photographs coming out of Africa,” added Baptiste. Ghana-based Carlos Idun-Tawiah, who is participating in the programme, has made a name for himself channeling that inspiration to Fashion glossy pages.
Disparate artistic worlds thrive from South Beach to Wynwood this first week of December, even if they don’t quite match. “This is not a show for the fine art crowd,” Baptiste said, “but I think with the quality of artists that we have, we will attract some of that audience.”
It’s more about capturing the foot traffic and capitalizing on the week-long block party ahead, blurring the line between art and pop culture with busts of the Wealth characters and professional photo shoots related to the show.
The performers will be on site, as will some of the stars of the show. Artistic performances and sets by diaspora DJs are scheduled for the duration of the activation.
“Artists, particularly from Africa, have been overlooked,” Baptiste said, “or have been placed in a category of African art, when they are actually doing contemporary art.” She hopes “The Crown We Never Take Off” will inspire attendees to explore art from new perspectives, especially the diverse cultures of Africa.
“It is possible that you are African and you are something else,” he said. “Your work can still speak to the wider contemporary art world without being put in a box.”
All that will be missing is the show itself. Selections will stream on “The Crown We Never Take Off,” but you’ll need a Prime Video membership to enjoy Wealth in all its glory.
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