Second Saturday Art Walk Guide: Eight Unmissable Shows

Didier Gicquel at Leila Mordoch Gallery

Art Walk is back in Wynwood, bringing with it even more signs that Miami is soaring as a cultural destination. Last month's edition was, admittedly, a dud. But this Saturday, starting at 6 p.m., culture-seekers can browse a galaxy of new shows, ranging from a Parisian shutterbug's photos of famous celebrities, to an exhibit riffing on El Generalissimo Franco, to the contents of a man-made underwater reef dredged up from the coast and plopped inside a Wynwood space.

The food trucks are back (we think) after a brief hiatus, to the joy of slavering culture crawlers and the dismay of some dealers fuming about sweeping bones from their sidewalks. But hey, what's an art walk without feuding interests?

Florida Grand Opera will also jump onto the art walk bandwagon by hosting a preview of Roméo et Juliette at the always-buzzing Dorsch Gallery for those hankering for star-crossed feuds to go with that rack of ribs.

Here are our picks for what not to miss during this weekend's rollicking arts bash offering something for everyone to enjoy.

1010 Portraits
This show features Paris lensman Didier Gicquel's large black-and-white gelatin silver prints of film, art, music, and literary luminaries captured while visiting the City of Lights. Since 1979, the photographer has used a battered old camera with a Leica lens to take pictures of personalities such as James Ellroy, Patti Smith, Francis Ford Coppola, Johnny Depp, and a host of other celebrities with a passion for France. Gicquel's shots are soulful and speak to the universal cult of celebrity with a natural, unposed air.
Lelia Mordoch Gallery, 2300 N. Miami Ave., Miami. Call 786-431-1506 or visit galerieleliamordoch.com.

Eclipse
German artist Hannes Bend presents a multimedia re-creation of a natural disaster wrought by man. For his arresting exhibit, Bend has filled the gallery space with hundreds of rotting tires dredged from the Osborne Reef, expanded in 1972 when the Broward Artificial Reef Company began dumping old automobile tires off the coast in an attempt to attract more marine life. With more than 2 million rubber tires sitting underwater today, Osborne has been declared an ecological catastrophe, and Bend's project, which also features photography and video, draws attention to the 30-acre site.
Charest-Weinberg Gallery, 250 NW 23rd St., Miami. Call 305-292-0411 or visit charestweinberg.com.