Landscaped Illusions curated by Mariavelia Savino, Curator of Contemporary Art Projects USA will be on display from December 4-9th, 2018 at  Scope-Miami International Contemporary Art Fair, Booth G13 as part of Art Basel Miami Week. Laura Jane Petelko, Photographer, will be part of this exhibition which encompasses a diversity of artistic media and densities. From paint/collage on steel and cement canvas to urban street landscapes or three-dimensional views of skies, waters or topographical lands, from sculptures in polished steel or cement to dreamlike Plexiglas or glass mounted photographic images fulfilled by mystery and fantasy. Our goal is to present the expansion of the human mind through Art, as an unlimited source of imagery, depictions, thoughts and feelings, endless and infinite, as it is the Universe in which we live, either the real one, or the one fulfilled by the magical abstract visions that Artists create while depicting it. A section of the exhibition will relate its visitors with visions of graffiti and branding, including a subtle night view of Manhattan, New York, and a motivating tribute to Basquiat as one of the masters that mastered this genre so popular in NYC. The other section is about landscape and nature. The unique artistic pieces will travel from the deep sea to the infinite space, as well as by the wonder of the minimal transcending as major Art theme, and also by depictions of a fantastic world, where animal and human are able to merge, beyond pain or destruction.

Laura Jane Petelko.Untitled-21. Photography

A photographic artist living in Toronto, Canada, Laura Jane Petelko explores in her Artworks the psychology of ‘ones’ identity, self-image and times of transformation. As artists look for the universal and the ubiquitous, a language of artistic expression has developed contemplating diversity, contrast and innovation. Some of the most popular topics come from films, television, and cartoons that have influenced our last century as artistic expressions. Today, computer and TV screens are everywhere at bars, the hospital’s waiting rooms, daycare centers, airports or in front of airplane’s seats. Movies, photography, video, and television are sources of today’s culture and information in conjunction with internet and cellular communication. Among the fonts of artistic exploration, toys imagery is created to portray feelings, love and spirituality, as Laura Jane Petelko does with her photographic Soft Stories Series searching for a kind of beauty and emotion that viewers will feel when looking at them, also enhanced by serene and attractive landscapes that surround the actors’ interaction. Culture and Art are among the basic formative constituents of a society, Laura Jane Petelko creates with her characters, sophisticatedly dressed in animal costumes, but acting like passionate human beings, an imagery that positions them as sculptures with the exclusive quality that happens when a refined sense of comedy and unpredicted theatrical action merges with the most exquisite technique. The main piece for Scope Art Fair 2018 at the Booth of Contemporary Art Projects USA, her photograph Until the Moment Comes, Plexiglas mounted c-print 72″ x 48″, edition of 3, is an indication of how Art can be a pleasant joyful experience, by the gracious movements that Petelko imprints to her figures in a simultaneous celebration of all human activities and feelings. Viewers will perceive the Artist’s love for aesthetics and harmony, celebrating the best of emotion, as Petelko finds the essence of movement delicately depicting equilibrium, intimate sensations and thoughts provoked in her artworks. Her images illustrate not only an image but also an event, depicted by exquisite impressive images in the largely limited editions of the 2018 Soft Stories ongoing series, from which also The First Time You Were in My Dream was selected by Contemporary Art Projects USA Curator for Scope Art Fair 2018.
Petelko states: “Born from a conversation about retreats for ‘furries’ deep in Canada’s wilderness, the inspiration for Soft Stories began to form. Images began to move me… nothing sensational, but something more Elemental… A strange paradigm began to reveal itself, one we share rather than one that separates… Our longing to commune with nature at this time of environmental crisis, our desperate need for intimacy in a technological world.” – “It became important to Laura Jane to create tangible yet anonymous characters. Ones that resembled animals in our northern landscape… Ones that were sensual and lush but imperfect, man-made from artificial plastics, polymers, and acrylics. Laura Jane collaborated with artist and designer Sara Wood who meticulously created costumes by hand… Shot in vast, pure, and magnificent landscapes exploring the notion of something soft, quiet, reflective and damaged… About our longing and our collective nature. This work is about the beautiful world that we tread upon with our needs and our appetites. It is about the distance we’ve created in our modern world and the beauty and love that always exists peeking through the artifice it hides behind longing to thrive…”
When reaching clarity, balance, essential form and grace, Laura Jane Petelko obtains the equivalent of the perfection of any form of Art. Studying at Vancouver film school and Apprenticeship in fine art and commercial photographic printing at Pacific Light Impressions, Vancouver, BC, Canada, she began her career in photographic production for celebrated fine art photographers, Canadian born Scott McFarland, Jeff Wall, and Kelly Wood, and American born Ed Ruscha and Harmony Korine. by
Mariavelia Savino, Curator, Contemporary Art Projects USA.

PLATINUM FIRST VIEW
Platinum Card Holder or by Invitation
Tuesday, December 4 | 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM

VIP|PRESS PREVIEW
Accreditated Press
Invitation Only
VIP Cardholders
Tuesday, December 4  | 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM

GENERAL ADMISSION
Wednesday, December 5 | 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Thursday, December 6 | 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Friday, December 7 | 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Saturday 8 | 11:00AM – 8:00 PM
Sunday, December 8 | 11:00AM – 8:00 PM

About Scope-Miami Beach 2018| International Contemporary Art Show.
Celebrating its 18th edition, SCOPE Miami Beach returns to its bespoke pavilion on the sands of Ocean Drive and 8th Street. Honoring its ongoing mission to provide a platform for discovery, it will welcome a diverse range of contemporary exhibitors, including a selection of participants representing SCOPE’s New Contemporary section.
This year will continue with their acclaimed 360° experience of VIP Programming, immersive Special Projects, compelling brand integrations and a dynamic array of Museum and Cultural Partners, as well as welcoming legendary publication HI-FRUCTOSE to the SCOPE Atrium, midst praise from collectors.

About Contemporary Art Projects USA
Headquartered in Miami, Contemporary Art Projects USA (http://www.contemporaryartprojectsusa.com), is dedicated to nurturing new contemporary art by providing exhibition opportunities and resources for emerging artists and curators. Their mission is focused on promoting art appreciation within the international community, to inspire and assist with the process of the art collection, and to generate resources that support artists’ creative endeavors through art awareness, artist promotion, and art procurement.
They work with the best minds in the industry and share their experience and passion for marketing the arts, culture, and entertainment. From Biennials and gala auctions to exhibitions and major international art fairs, Contemporary Art Projects USA has the experience, innovation, and creativity to engage audiences through inspired campaigns.

For more information, please contact:
Tata Fernandez, Executive Director
Mariavelia Savino, Chief Curator
Contemporary Art Projects USA
13899 Biscayne Blvd. Suite #302
North Miami Beach, FL 33181
786-262-5886
info@contemporaryartprojectsusa.com
www.contemporaryartprojectsusa.com