AnEyeDiary’s Summer Pop-Up at the Historic Dorn Building Is Artists’ Choice

Works by Miami-based artist Juliana Bukowitz are featured in AnEyeDiary’s “Summer Show” at the Dorn building in South Miami through September. (Photo courtesy of the artist)

AnEyeDiary started in 2019 as a passion project by photographer and art curator Cristina Villamil and architect Luigi Vitalini. Their first collaboration in the art world dates back to 2015 when they co-sponsored a collective exhibition at the Ingraham Building for Dwntwn Art Days, an homage to non-designated buildings disappearing from downtown Miami area.

In July, AnEyeDiary celebrated the opening of its seventh exhibition, this time at the historic Dorn building, located at the corner of Sunset Drive and Dixie Highway in South Miami. Throughout the years, they have worked with more than 20 artists residing in Miami, all with diverse backgrounds. Their past pop-up exhibitions took place at locations around Miami, including the Art Cafe in Allapattah, Viernes Culturales and Futurama in Little Havana, South Miami Arts Fest with the longest-running show at a former shoe storefront in South Miami from 2020 to 2022.

“We want to not only highlight the work of independent artists but also the beauty of storefronts around the city that are underutilized,” shares Villamil.

“Bustop,” photography by Peter Kastan. (Photo courtesy of AnEyeDiary)

The Dorn building, a designated historic landmark built in 1925, serves as the backdrop for the latest show, which opened on Friday, July 26. “The building was in shambles when we started, with debris and unfinished renovations. It was a challenge, but we saw an opportunity to revitalize it and give it new life through art,” says  Vitalini while discussing the challenges and rewards of transforming this space.

Villamil and Vitalini’s vision for AnEyeDiary extends beyond exhibiting art. Their goal is to bridge the gap between the traditional gallery world and emerging artists who lack formal representation. “We wanted to create a community project that promotes talented artists who aren’t full-time career artists, making their work accessible and affordable,” says Villamil.

“Estelle3,” drawing by Andrea Colusso. (Photo courtesy of AnEyeDiary)

For its “Summer Show” exhibition,  Villamil and Vitalini,  decided not to set a specific theme for the show, allowing the artists to present the work they felt most passionate about. “It’s about giving them the freedom to express themselves without constraints,” says Villamil.

Among the featured artists is Juliana Bukowitz, whose journey in art began during her adolescence in Rome, where the worlds of art and history collide. Her passion for ceramics, influenced by her time in the ancient city, is evident in her work with a career expanding over 30 years. “In Rome, I had my first experience with clay, and it was transformative. The process of working with clay, feeling its texture, and creating something lasting is therapeutic and deeply fulfilling for me,” shares Bukowitz.

Although she says her first experience working with clay was challenging and didn’t yield the expected results, it ignited a deep passion for the medium. “I tried to make a pot and I couldn’t make it, but I could never forget that experience — touching the clay, touching the earth, trying to make that happen,” she recalls.

“Opus Iterum” by Juliana Bukowitz is a site-specific assemblage of work in AnEyeDiary’s “Summer Show” at the Dorn building in South Miami. (Photo courtesy of the artist)

The Miami-based artist, who is originally from Brazil, is particularly fascinated by ceramics due to its historical connections. “When you go to museums, you see many ceramic artifacts. The first tablet for writing was conceived through clay before papyrus was used. While papyrus is much more delicate and harder to preserve, ceramics can break but are easier to find in shards and piece back together. It has this beautiful lasting quality.”

For this exhibition, Bukowitz created a body of work that not only features ceramic, but also includes washed cardboard, wax, and mixed media as well, but with an underlying topic. “My works tell stories about our contemporary life as if they were found a hundred years from now, showing who we were and what we did,” she says. “So, imagine a hundred years from now, they’re digging through and they’re going to see things that talk about who we were and what we are doing,” she says.

Other Miami-based artists in the show include Andrea Colusso, who integrates his experience in set design and painting to create surreal, space-themed watercolors and drawings. Peter Kastan’s photography captures the serene beauty of the Indian River Lagoon and his travels between Florida and Asia. Thomas A. Spain, a retired architecture professor, offers intricate pencil drawings and watercolors that explore the interplay between natural landscapes and architectural landmarks.

“Front Façade,” pencil drawing by Tom Spain. (Photo courtesy of AnEyeDiary)

The exhibition also features a unique collaboration between Vitalini and the sustainable furniture design project, Morto A Galla. This includes repurposed furniture and a modular bookshelf system, combining everyday life designs with an artistic approach.

Villamil and Vitalini’s partnership feeds into AnEyeDiary’s resilience with the project surviving the pandemic and riding the wave of changes that the nomadic spirit of the venture brings, creating what Luigi likes to call “an outsider’s gallery.”

“I think that Cristina and Luigi are putting a very interesting group of artists together that have different languages, different backgrounds, different media to present, and they give us so much freedom to really express ourselves. They don’t force us to curate anything in particular. And I love that,” says Bukowitz.

WHAT: AnEyeDiary Summer Show

WHERE: The Dorn building, 5900 SW 72 St., South Miami

WHEN:.11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 1 to 6 p.m., Saturday, and by appointment. Through September.

COST: Free

INFORMATION: (305) 342-6509, aneyediary19@gmail.com, and instagram.com/aneyediary/

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