The Exhibition:

The exhibition takes its title from the collaborative spirit of music-making: two distinct voices in dialogue, resonance and counterpoint. Through sculptural assemblages, painted surfaces and found‐object reliefs, Martinez and Pace repurpose brass and string components from radios, pianos and other instruments—alongside plastics, wood and e-waste—to compose visual symphonies that riff on memory, improvisation and cultural legacy. Visitors will encounter works that both reference the physicality of jazz, blues and Black American music, and reimagine the afterlives of discarded, “silent” objects.

Skira Martinez draws on a lifetime of hands-on making, from her childhood on an off-grid farm in Ontario to her current studio practice in Historical South Central Los Angeles. Inspired by trips to the country dump and raised in a household where “something out of nothing” was the daily ethos, Martinez transforms salvaged electronics, thrifted treasures and yard-sale finds into jewel‐like assemblages. In “Duet,” she unveils new mixed-media sculptures that echo the improvisational spirit of brass and string ensembles, while commenting on consumption, waste and the regenerative power of art.

Sam Pace’s practice began in the late 1980s in Europe, where he first translated the moods of jazz and blues into painterly narratives. From acrylic and collage on wood panels to reliefs built from discarded recyclables, Pace’s works channel the syncopated rhythms and emotional cadences of his sonic inspirations. In this exhibition, he presents a series of collaged reliefs incorporating piano hammers, radio dials and bent sheet-metal forms—each piece a visual “note” in his ongoing composition celebrating African American musical heritage.

Together, Martinez and Pace perform a creative “duet” that spans material histories, cultural memory and the improvisatory core of contemporary art. Visitors to DUET: Composition of Rhythm, Harmony, and Form at Cielo Galleries and Studios, can expect an immersive environment where sculptures gleam like brass instruments, painted surfaces pulse with rhythmic energy, and discarded fragments find new voice—turning waste into witness, silence into song. The exhibit will be on view to the public from September 20th through 27th. Visits after Opening Night are by APPOINTMENT ONLY. Press release and show imagery available upon request. Please contact Spaceart44@hotmail.com for more information. “DUET: Composition of Rhythm, Harmony, and Form” is located at Cielo Galleries and Studios, 3201 Maple Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90011.

Artists In The Exhibition:

Abel Alejandre, Morgan Barajas, Sharon Louise Barnes, Lavialle Campbell, Chukes, Pam Douglas, Jonah Elijah, Elmer Guevara, Kiara Aileen Machado, Evan Mendel, Zeal Harris, Allison Honeycutt, Kat Oldershaw, and Sam Pace.

Curator:

Badir McCleary is an independent consultant. He holds an M.A. in Arts Business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art (Los Angeles/London) where he focused on emerging art markets. Having extensive contemporary art history knowledge and experience, Badir can tackle large projects with confidence, protecting and tracking deliverables and ensuring high-level success for clients. Badir was the Co-Owner and Director of Gallery 38 (Los Angeles), a project that produced exhibitions for emerging artists of color in South Los Angeles and helped contribute to several public projects globally, helping artists transform communities through visual aesthetics. (​@artabovereality​).