Herradura Barrel Art Collection

Photography by Nathan Valentine ; Ryan Troy ; Rodrigo Gaya on November 15th, 2013 in Culture, Lifestyle

Miami Beach, FL – November 12, 2013 – In celebration of its culinary issue, this week Ocean Drive had guests over a barrel with Miami Dish. The mash-up of art, cuisine and mixology at Loews Miami Beach showcased Tequila Herradura’s Barrel Art program, where 10 local artists created an art piece using a barrel featured on-site. Along with the art, guests enjoyed signature cocktails, an Infiniti lounge and a branded dessert station as well as tastings by Haven Gastro-Lounge, Huahua’s Taqueria, Lure Fishbar and Jean Paul’s House.

Kiki Valdes

The best barrel of the night went to Kiki Valdes, who used oil paints as his medium. For him, it was all about keeping the original shape of the barrel and working with a 365-degree angle painting on the surface. The artist lives between Miami, New Jersey and New York. His work has been seen at alternative art spaces like 101 Exhibit, Miami Art Space and Hollywood Art and Culture Center. He uses Disney, Nickelodeon and other cartoon forms in his work depicted in thick oils, also seen on his barrel.

Claudia Calle

Artist Claudia Calle turned to music as her influence for her barrel. By cutting it in two, she turned the piece into headphones, explaining that music has long been an important part of her life. The gold color in the headphones represented the shade of Tequila Herradura Reposado. The mixed media artist’s photography has received awards like First Place – International Photography Award / Collage Pro in 2010, two honorable mentions from IPA in 2009 and Photographer’s Forum “Top 100 Best Photography Worldwide” in 2002.

Jona Cerwinske

As a local artist from Miami, Jona Cerwinske has created a name for himself in a relatively short time period by doing graffiti art and murals in Wynwood’s early days. Here, he displays his signature black and white graffiti art on his barrel, which featured the plant in which tequila is derived.

Ruben Ubiera

Using Heradura’s history and legacy, Ruben Ubiera created a sculpture out of his barrel. The artist relies on Pop-surrealism, which he calls Post grafissm or Urba-Pop to get his message across.

Cynosure

Inspired by mariachi, artist Cynosure transformed his barrel into a guitar, using Herradura’s symbol of the horseshoe for the sound hole. The artist and musician, who hails from England, uses musical instruments as his medium, which have been defined as “working, playable art.”

Cynosure

Dalva

Once agave plants are harvested, they are taken to distillery ovens and baked to break down the starches into simple sugars. It’s this process that Dalva recreated with his barrel. The locally born artist has an extensive background in working with graphic design agencies, like Crispin Porter, as an art director.

Michelle Weinberg

Using up-cycled, re-purposed and post-consumer packaging, Michelle Weinberg created her piece Barrel Crystallography. Her work, which includes paintings, collage, rugs, tiles, mosaics and murals. She is also known for her art in public places, which has been commissioned by the City of Miami, County of Miami-Dade, City of Hollywood, Fla. and City of Tampa.

Alexis Caputo

Heavily influenced by Mexican art for her barrel, Alexis Caputo depicted the rich landscapes of Central America for her piece. This jack-of-all-trades artist (poet, writer, dancer, journalist, multidisciplinary artist) has penned her own book, Afro Diaries, and her work has appeared in such publications as Miami New Times, The South Florida Times, and Flavour Magazine.

Gabriela Liascovitz Szpiro

With a degree in Architecture, artist Gabriela Liascovitz Szpiro made her barrel into a sculpture of Surrealism. The Argentine-turned Miami resident enjoys transforming objects into dream-like creations, much like her piece for Herradura.

Kevin Arrow

Using acrylic paint, gold leaf, aluminum, wood, lights, papier mâché, small motor and audio components, Kevin Arrow transformed his barrel into the myth of how tequila came to be. The Miami artist’s work has been exhibited throughout South Florida at The Miami Art Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art.