Nick Mahshie: Smokescreen | review by Carmen Smith

At first glance, the small gallery space housing Nick Mahshie’s solo exhibit “SMOKE/SCREEN” seems…too full for people? The hanging mesh artworks create a maze. Screens overlap and intertwine. A truly interactive experience, visitors are invited to wear custom garments made by the artist while they weave through the gallery. Explore the densely populated gallery full of variably sized hanging artworks, and one feels camouflaged into the art. This creates a visceral connection for visitors to Mahshie’s man-made environment, like a walk through a densely overgrown tropical forest.

Oolite Arts Collaborations and The Art and Culture Center/Hollywood collaborate to present Smoke/Screen, a solo exhibition by Miami-based artist Nick Mahshie. Nick Mahshie’s practice toggles between art and design, referencing the visual language of Miami culture and the surrounding tropical landscape. Mahshie layers vibrant color patterns procured from fashion designs with his custom prints created on cotton and fiberglass mesh. For the exhibition at ACCH, Mahshie created an immersive room filled with hanging prints and designs.

Nick Mahshie’s background includes painting, fashion, and print design. His technical capabilities in all three disciplines dovetail in his immersive installations, wearable sculpture, and designed objects. A native from southwest Miami-Dade County, Mahshie received his Masters of Design in Fashion, Body, and Garment in 2017 from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He also earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from Rhode Island School of Design in 2007.

Founded in 1975, The Art and Culture Center of Hollywood is located in downtown Hollywood, Florida. Hollywood is nestled between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale and hosts a bourgeoning arts scene with Arts Park, the Downtown Hollywood Mural Project with renowned artists such as Kenny Scharf, and a monthly Art Walk on the 3rd Saturday of every month. ACCH presents contemporary gallery exhibitions, live performances and educational programs. The Center’s mission is to cultivate creativity and the support of the arts in the community. The Center’s main facility includes several galleries set in the renovated historic Kagey home built in 1924. An Arts School sits adjacent, and a 500-seat theatre is located off site in downtown. In 2019, the Center was awarded funding to expand the facilities, including a new education building that will connect with the Kagey home.