Lincoln Road 500
October 16, 2021
9 PM until the Completion of 500 Drawings;
Time Estimate: 35 Hours
Contact: benito@esquenazi.us; 914-953-7459
On October 16 Miami native Benito Esquenazi will create 500 drawings in one sitting. This work of public performance art will take place in the Euclid Oval on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach, Florida, starting at 9:00pm.
Esquenazi spends long hours in his studio. At the end of these rigorous painting sessions, he creates brush-and-ink drawings to wind down his practice. He explains: “I do these drawings daily to explore what I have left creatively in me after I think I have nothing left. Like the last few miles of a marathon, this period is a way to see what exists deep within my psyche.”
Taking this practice into the public sphere and extending its duration is an attempt to break the walls of the artist studio as well as the walls between art maker and art viewer. Making himself vulnerable to watching eyes—or being ignored by those passing by—is part of what the artist expects to be the transformational element of the experience, in addition to the challenge of remaining present and focused over the course of approximately 35 hours with no sleep.
All the proceeds from the sale of the first 250 drawings from the "Lincoln Road 500" will be donated to two organizations that support our community.
- The Mission of this program is to elevate the voices, visibility and value of artists in our society by making their work accessible to a global community. Fountainhead empowers artists to build thriving careers while cultivating and nurturing a community thatsupports them and their work. By harnessing the power in our differences, Fountainhead is building a more equitable and inclusive future, one personal connection at a time.
- An organization founded in 2020 to provide assistance for the children of the invisible workforce mainly in the industries of hospitality, construction, cleaning, etc. Their focus is to help these children, who were impacted by the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown, with their nutrition, access to healthcare, clothing and legal needs.
Following the Lincoln Road 500, Esquenazi will have a solo exhibition of his recent works at the JCC /Miami Beach. The exhibition opens on November 30th. The opening reception will include a live performance choreographed by dancer, Pioneer Winter, inspired by Esquenazi’s work. Titled “The Joy of Life-Dance of the Drawings,” this performance piece will be performed again in the round at “Stage 3” at the 1100 block of Lincoln Road in Miami Beach on December 2, 2021.
Artist Bio
Benito Esquenazi is a Cuban-American artist working primarily with brush, paint, and ink. His work is inspired by spirituality, the human figure, music, and street art. While the heart of his practice is in his studio, Esquenazi explored street art in the Lower East Side of the 1980s and painted several murals in Miami during that period.
Esquenazi received formal art training from Miami Dade Community College, followed by the completion of a BFA from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn in 1984. As such, Esquenazi’s formative life and art experiences are deeply rooted in both Miami Beach and the New York City metro area. Since last year, he has been flying back and forth, reconnecting with Miami, where he was born and raised, as a matured artist rediscovering his voice and inspirations. This public performance allows him to take his art back onto the streets of Miami Beach in a new way, while stretching the boundaries of his practice.
Learn more about Benito Esquenazi at: https://www.atelierbenito.com/artist-bio and follow him on Instagram at @atelier_benito.
Panoramic view of the Euclid Oval on Lincoln Road. The location of the "Lincoln Road 500"
Comments