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A curated selection of artwork fills the Art of Ease exhibit created in partnership with Shoe Gallery for Art Basel Miami. The exhibit is inspired by the Flyease collection and each artist partner was selected because of the incredible work they are doing to support people with disabilities and limited mobility.
Learn more about the artists and their artwork below.
Meet the Artists.

Dream Grids

Vito Bonanno

"In Grammar school I was encouraged to use drawings to express how I was feeling or to learn something new, because I was language delayed. The school used a story telling grid style method to teach me things, and had me draw my own stories to let them know how I was feeling. Drawing became a daily therapy for me and the grids remain prominent in my pieces. My artwork is always done in layers.
This piece began with a layer of images in India ink, then paint marker, oil and even acrylic paints layered over layers. I have so many things crowded into my head every day, I have to get them out and so the layers of the painting actually span over days/months of my life.
I hope when you look at my art you can see silent images shout for your attention from off the canvas encouraging you to take a closer look into the secrets and treasures hidden in plain sight."

Spine

Ace Ratcliff

"I was born in Texas, but my dad was a fighter pilot, so we spent the first few formative years of my life hopping from here to England before settling in South Florida when I was about 4. There has never been a time in my life when I haven’t considered myself an artist. I’ve been doodling and writing for as long as I’ve been able to hold a crayon. I work in watercolors, mixed media, fabric (quilts and occasionally clothing), linocuts, beads, and this year I’ve started learning metalsmithing, chasing & repoussé, and enameling to create jewelry.
A significant portion of my work nowadays involves my body, which I call my meatcage. I live with a degenerative collagen disorder called hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which causes a plethora of side effects. It’s a little like if both the bricks and the mortar that make up every part of my body, from my organs to my bones to my muscles, is genetically imperfect.
Spine is a painting I started after I had a procedure done called a radiofrequency ablation, where a doctor uses an electric current to burn away nerve tissue to stop it from sending pain signals to your brain. I was working in reds and oranges because it felt like my back was on fire, especially after the procedure went ripping down my nerves. I wanted the painting to look the way I felt, laying in the operating room, letting some stranger in a white coat burn away my nerves."

Ashes to Ashes; Dust to Dust

Cynthia Fleischmann

"I am originally from Kusnacht, Switzerland and moved to Dover, Massachusetts when I was 10. When I was 18 years old I moved to Miami to attend the University of Miami, Undergraduate & Masters, and now live in Coconut Grove, FL.
My inspiration comes from animals, plants, places and people. I love how animals blend into and connect to their environments through colors, patterns & shapes and I attempt to recreate that connection with people.
The Harmony Strand Symbol inspired the Human Harmony Strand formation for the art happening at Burning Man called 'Ashes to Ashes; Dust to Dust'. The symbol is a call to question traditions and take action to make sustainable, peaceful and positive impact choices. It is a reminder that we are all connected and each have our parts to play for a more harmonious future. I hope viewers feel more connected to each other, connected to nature and can appreciate their own bodies for what they are: a beautiful and unique work of art. The red hands are a symbol of humanity and a reminder that we are all connected, especially now during these hard times."