Meltdown is Stark’s latest project and expands on her previous work of creating complex colorful sculptures from paper and other media.
MIAMI – Passengers at Miami International Airport can now have a colorful “meltdown” experience when they walk past Meltdown, a new, permanent art mural by Miami artist Jen Stark. Meltdown greets visitors to MIA with a cascade of color and patterns when they enter the airport’s North Terminal on the third floor from the parking garage or the MIA Mover station.
According to Stark, creating Meltdown took a little more than a week with the assistance of several volunteers she enlisted to help her paint the intricate mural. “I typically had four assistants per night,” said Stark. “One of the last nights I had 10 people. I worked eight nights, six hours a night, for a total of 48 hours.”
“We are excited to provide an opportunity for emerging artists like Jen Stark to bring their artistic vision to MIA and use the transformative power of art to enhance the customer experience at the airport,” said Miami-Dade Aviation Department Director Emilio T. Gonzalez. “Once again, MIA is at the forefront of exposing the work of these talented artists to an entirely new audience.”
In Starks’ own words, “Meltdown is a large-scale mural depicting organic patterns oozing down, creating a waterfall of colors. My artwork concentrates on the hypnotic, time-intensive process of cutting and layering. The patterns I create mimic the repetitive intricate layers of plants as well as the geometric framework of the universe.”
Meltdown is Stark’s latest project and expands on her previous work of creating complex colorful sculptures from paper and other media. Her work frequently explores ideas of replication and infinity, echoing the patterns and intelligent designs found in nature.
Stark was born in Miami and received her BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art in 2005, majoring in fibers with a minor in animation. Although Stark is most recognized for her paper sculptures, she has explored a variety of media including wood, paint, plexi and animation. She has exhibited globally with major shows in NYC, Los Angeles, Miami, Washington DC, Chicago, Seattle, Thailand and Canada. Her work is included in the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Permanent Collection, The Goldman Collection, the West Collection, the Microsoft Art Collection, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale and the Museum of Contemporary Art Miami.
This latest installation continues the primary mission of the Aviation Department’s Fine Arts and Cultural Affairs Division to humanize and enrich the airport environment through the commission of contemporary artwork and the presentation of exhibitions that communicate culture, environment and art resources of an international scope, with special emphasis on those destinations served by MIA.
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