The notion of the "Now" is a central interest of many philosophical theories. The questions of what it means to be "in the present moment" and whether the present moment is actually a well-defined concept have been debated for centuries. Recently, Neuroscientists have found that, contrary to popular belief, the brain does not process information in a linear fashion. Instead, information is constantly being shuffled around and reordered in order to create a coherent and current picture of the world- The NOW.

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All the exhibiting artists with Burgess Modern + Contemporary at Art Miami 2022 in the curatorial booth of “NOW” resonate with conceptual concepts of either current times, reflective times, social & political times, or aspects of being in the moment- demanding the viewer be present in the moment to digest the visual.

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Jedd Novatt’s linear bronze sculptures and inked monotypes are complex Minimalism yet constraining connotations of equilibriums within their discernments of balance, and negative space.  His conceptual towers of space are infinite in their upward expansion redefining both time and space – breaking boundaries of associated with what is deemed the Now.

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Works by Alex Katz show the artist revisiting / reflecting on some of his favorite paintings of his beloved wife and muse, Ada; a collection that was retrieved from his more than seven-decade career, reexamined as fine art prints. A then and now development. Katz’s hard-edged definitions and minimal modeling techniques are at their core, a subtractive methodology by the artist allowing him to edit out the visual noise and concentrate on the essential elements with key precision.

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In Tom Wesselmann’s “Still Life with Blonde and Goldfish” and “Sunset Nude with Yellow Tulips”, 3D raised paper Mixografia print explodes with vibrancy, the artist deftly showcases his determination to reject all notions of Abstract Expressionism. These shaped swatches of bold and bright colors provide minimalist environments for everyday objects such as bowls of fruit, flowers, and a fishbowl simplistically rendered and void of any emotion. The contemporariness of these fine art prints elevates traditional printmaking processes into the third dimension, bring them into the viewers space with a reason to pay attention to their existence in the present moment.

David Hayes’ painted steel works and monumental outdoor sculptures saw the artist contemplating the relationship between a work of art and the environment it occupies, while showing the influence of his world-famous teacher David Smith and friend Alexander Calder. The artist was aware of existing in the instant to create in the moment influenced by his surroundings but affected by his past relationships which laid the foundation for his own legacy.

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Retna is an American street artist became known for his unique typography and letterforms where each block of text is a sophisticated system of script, culled from hieroglyphs, calligraphy and illuminated lettering. With influences ranging from Arabic, Egyptian, Hebrew, Old English, and Native American mythologies.  In his cryptic words, letters, and messages, he reflects aspects of contemporary times. Yet he is in tune to a sophisticated and metaphysical connectedness that draws inspiration from poignant relevance of historical cannons. RETNA employs ancient totemic symbologies as a baseline, overlaid with rhythms he perceives as compartmentalized sequences of letters to hypothetically vocalize significances deemed important enough to manifest into works of art. 

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Miss Bugs is centered on contemporary times with a hyperfocus on destructive social norms of current societies.  Their unique artistic statement and its implied irony is cemented in the fact that our current technology advances have infiltrated many aspects of our private lives and hold us hostage to our addictions, obsessions, and fascinations. Their kaleidoscopic chambers of interconnected patterns and mathematical rotations create a symmetry and mirroring that allude revelations of harmonious consumer culture perfection.

Rex Hausmann, a Texas-based artist, often draws on these famous writings and other Art Historical Cannons to help define his own current Metamodernism Practice of Contemporary Art. Hausmann’s unique and self-formulated genre of artmaking features an amalgamation of friends, family, and happily harnessed mundanity of everyday life into the artist’s complex visual narratives that are gaining national recognition. His autobiographically driven contemporary landscapes, painterly avatars, and eccentrically specific recorded moments of time come alive in bold, bright and neon colors; artworks giving voice and credence to 400-year-old trees, dusty pick-up trucks, celebratory congregations, and a ‘beautiful mind’ mapping of linking people, places, and things through intrinsic artistic alchemy.

Gabriel Delgado’s PEMDAS driven, and conceptually solvable Order of Operations mathematical equations bring to light the elegance of numerical and text-driven logic via an expressive chalkboard aesthetic. As an Artist, Delgado creates themed artwork that explores aspects of contemporary culture and events, ranging from Science, Economy, Decentralized Finance and Economic Markets, Human Emotions, Police Brutality, Animal & Environmental Rights, Immigration, Social Reform, and other relevant topics; things that are happening NOW! He acts as teacher; Delgado uses a variety of techniques and applications to create works of art that not only educate but create visual avenues for an often-unbiased political debate and community discussion. His themed artworks dive deep into the human psyche to investigate emotions as well as pivotal responses of human interactions.

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Through a stylized contemporary street art aesthetic, Andrew Cotton creates split-portrait betrayals of pop culture icons. His contemporary street portraits give us a hybrid model of duality. From splatter-painted Pollock to Graffiti styled Basquiat, Cotton separates his subject in two; part anatomically correct portraiture juxtaposed with the preferred visual nomenclature of such identify. We see a split personality, the outward appearance and the inner (conceptual) appearance – simultaneously of these chosen movie stars, artist, musician, actresses, and celebrities, civic leaders, and poets. Cotton embraces his coveted family lineage and formulaically calculates the building of his own brand with a narrower and more focused mindset to produce artwork that successfully blends pop culture, nostalgia, friendships, and kinships.