Merging Past and Present:
Images
Merging Past and Present:
Lauren Shapiro
Lauren Shapiro presents Merging Past and Present (2024), a site-specific window installation that combines historic Art Deco aesthetics with contemporary ceramics to blend tradition and modernity. Inspired by the vintage mosaics adorning the windows of 74th Street and Collins Avenue in Miami Beach and the famed Tiffany & Co. window niches, Shapiro highlights a
selection of illuminated ceramic sculptures by utilizing strategic cut-outs and mosaic tile patterns. By merging ceramic craftsmanship with technology, she reveals a modern grotto that nods at the deco glamour of the past.
Artist Bio
Lauren Shapiro (b. 1984) is an artist and explorer who lives and works in Miami, Florida. She integrates ceramics and modern techniques to uncover and communicate insights from the natural world, often collaborating with scientists to influence projects that highlight the diverse ecosystems of South Florida and beyond.
Select solo exhibitions include “Future Pacific” (2020) at Bakehouse Art Complex, Miami, Florida; “Garden Portals” (2021) at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami, Florida; and “Fragile Terrains” (2018) at Bianca Boekel Galeria, São Paulo, Brazil. Selected group exhibitions include “Intricate Oceans, Coral in Contemporary Art” (2023) with Coastal Discovery Museum, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; “Design Miami” (2021) with Todd Merrill Studio, Miami, Florida; and “Projektraum M54” (2017) in Basel, Switzerland.
Shapiro earned an MFA from the University of Miami in 2016. She has received awards and commissions from the New York Foundation for the Arts (2023), Knight Foundation (2021), Andy Warhol Foundation (2019), Miami Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs (2020–2023), and Art in Public Places (2021–2022). Her artwork is part of the Soho House Art Collection and Jorge M. Perez Collection.
Hours
Open at all times
Location
Windows at Walgreens
7400 Collins Ave
Miami Beach