THE 2023 ELLIES AWARDS
Gallery artist Yucef Merhi received a 2023 Creator Award from Oolite Arts' prestigious Ellies Awards. This award supports Miami-based artists with grants of $2,500 to $25,000 to realize a significant visual arts project that will advance their careers. Merhi was also a 2019 Creator Award Winner.
The award will go towards "a Miami-specific installation that will combine 3D modeling, video and sound – and focuses on the sea and the act of breathing" as well as "exploring video games as an artistic medium by allowing people to combine visuals, sounds and poetic texts, using controllers plugged into Atari 2600 game consoles."
ACQUISITION BY OOLITE ARTS
Each year, Oolite supports South Florida-based artists by acquiring works to be displayed at the organization’s new campus. To help forward artists’ careers, Oolite will ultimately donate the pieces to museums across the country and internationally, so that they will be represented in major collections. This year’s artists include Liene Bosquê, Leo Castañeda, Charles Humes, Jr, Yucef Merhi, Vickie Pierre, Cornelius Tulloch, and Tom Virgin.
Yucef Merhi
Atari Poetry VI, 2006
Atari 2600, Atari cartridge, TV
39 x 16 x 16 in.
