An installation made from 300 kilos of hippopotamus dung, arranged to look like seized cocaine. A 12-ton rock, carved into an Olmec head, crushing the roof of a Tesla car. The monstrous torso of a woman, molded from clay and then captured in a hyperrealistic oil portrait.

The painters, sculptors and assorted object-makers showing in the Artist Spotlight section at Untitled Art fair in Miami, running through Sunday, come with their own signature moves, building their reputations on work that could be considered over-the-top, even in an art world where the outrageous can be common.

This is the first year for the section, which will include 30 galleries, each showing one artist, and will focus on a new work the artists will unveil at the fair. The roster was curated by Petra Cortright, an American artist who built her own reputation partly through provocative videos delivered on a YouTube channel.

“My focus was on digital influences as well as outsider art,” she said in a text message, explaining how she chose the lineup. That strategy allowed her to look globally for artists making things that do not fit into traditional visual arts categories, or whose work might not immediately be considered commercial without the frame of an art fair with a clear focus on buying and selling.

That includes artists like Camilo Restrepo, from Medellín, Colombia, who will be featured in the booth of La Cometa Gallery. Restrepo was born in 1973, which means he grew up during an era of runaway violence as law enforcement wrangled with notorious Colombian drug lords like Pablo Escobar.

ImageRestrepo grew up in Medellín, Colombia, during an era of runaway violence linked to notorious local drug lords like Pablo Escobar. His work routinely delves into the city’s remaining trauma.Credit...via Fountainhead Miami; Photo by Karli Evans

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