Everywhere I look, I Only See Myself: Performance by Bert Rodriguez

Celebrity Reflection. December 3, 2012.

Celebrity Cruises and ICArt will present a live performance by conceptual artist Bert Rodriguez onboard Celebrity Reflection, the newest ship in the Celebrity fleet. The performance, Everywhere I Look I Only See Myself, will take place on Monday, December 3rd, during an exclusive Art Basel Miami Beach press and VIP event, marking the debut of the new ship.

Rodriguez’s performance, along with his site-specific installation in the Upper Grand Foyer of Celebrity Reflection – a living tree suspended in mid-air, “mirrored” by an identical tree, made of cast aluminum below – represent the ship’s curatorial theme, “The Seductiveness of a Reflection.” The theme investigates the effect of physical properties of reflective materials as well as the subtler acts of personal reflection.

The performance will consist of two people – the artist and his “double,” dressed and groomed to match identically, who will simultaneously host the event as the “real” Bert Rodriguez, interacting with the audience in the process. The idea of the “reflected doubles” will be explored through the creative positioning and alternating of the two artists – resulting in an inevitable double take from the attendees.

In conjunction with the performance and, as an organizational indicator for the event, there will be name badges for the event attendees. Based on the uniformly used “Hello My Name Is…” sticker, ubiquitous at children’s field trips and corporate holiday parties, the badge will be reflective and will bear Bert Rodriguez’s signature in place of an individual’s name. The badge thus becomes a signed artwork for the guests to take home and also suggests the larger concept of reflection, explored throughout the ship.

The second piece by Bert Rodriguez, the installation in the Upper Grand Foyer, addresses the notion of accessibility by using physical reflection, shiny surfaces and a living tree mirrored by a man-made tree. The artist’s intent is to allow viewers an easy entry-point into a more complex investigation of their own self-reflection or willingness to learn more about their fundamental essence, purpose and nature.

Bert Rodriguez (b. 1975 Miami, FL) is an artist and composer who works with a wide range of media, and genres, including installation, performance, photography, sculpture, video, sound and tenderness. He uses various methods to translate his ideas, which explore the relationship existing between art and audience. He received a BFA in Painting from New World School of the Arts, Miami, FL, and also attended Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Skowhegan, ME.

Bert Rodriguez’s work has been shown nationally and internationally, including exhibitions at prestigious institutions, such as New Work Miami 2010, at the Miami Art Museum, Miami, FL; In Your Own Image: The Best of Bert Rodriguez Greatest Hits Vol. 1 at the Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach, Miami Beach, FL; Whitney Biennial (2008), at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY; At This Time (2005), at the Rubell Family Collection, Miami, FL; and Becoming Father, Becoming Infant (2004), at the Bronx Museum, Bronx, NY.