When asked what makes Miami stand apart from other cities, Books Bischof, a co-founder of PRIMARY, says, “You can execute your projects with great freedom in this city. It’s a small, hyper-unique community already doing something great, on the verge of doing something greater.”
Before settling into a permanent space, Bischof, Cristina Gonzalez and Typoe Gran first started as Primary Flight in 2007, a massive mural commissioning project that painted the neighborhoods of Wynwood and the Design District. The gallery itself has moved from the Design District to Downtown and back, and for Art Basel this year, PRIMARY will show “Black White and Brown” by Derrick Adams, a New York-based artist whose work oscillates between video, 2 and 3 dimensions and performance. The show will be a “monumental solo installation,” according to Bischof.
A detail of Derrick Adams’ When the Music Starts, Come Out Dancing 1. Photo Courtesy of Derrick Adams and Primary.
The gallery’s street cred is undergirded by its spate of local artists with flourishing studio practices. This includes Autumn Casey, whose work combines creepy found-object nostalgia with sophisticated assemblage. This desire to rep locals comes partly from a sense that Miami gets periodically taken over by visitors; and though the influx of outsiders serves Miami’s art scene in important ways, Bischof articulates a solid stance: “Miami belongs to those who inhabit it.”
