MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida actress and playwright is taking a provocative look at the art world through the lens of the Cuban-American experience in her new theater production.
Carmen Pelaez said “Fake,” which premieres this weekend at the Colony Theatre in Miami Beach, is a story that is both personal and takes issue of what’s real and what isn’t.
When asked to mention the play’s themes, Pelaez replied, “Art, politics, the market of art.”
In this portrait of the cutthroat world of the prestige auction house, a mysteriously sourced painting is brought in as a last-minute inclusion for sale, and the authenticity of the painting is challenged.
“It deals with authenticity and the moral question, how far would you go to defend that which you hold most dear?” said Pelaez.
The controversy snowballs into a search through layers of complex characters and political bureaucracy. It’s something Pelaez has firsthand knowledge of, having worked in art houses and also being the grandniece to revered painter Amelia Pelaez.
“I had to deal with a lot of elements of the art world, from the highest auction houses to eBay, and on eBay particularly, there were a lot of fakes,” she said.
It’s also where she got the idea to write the play.
“I got into a fight one time with someone in eBay, and they were being extremely nasty, and I came into my office and said, ‘You know, this is ridiculous. People are telling me this,'” said Pelaez, “and my friend said to me, ‘You should write a play about it.'”
This isn’t Pelaez’s first time on stage, either. Born in Miami to Cuban parents, she continues her family’s artistic expression of life’s challenges filtered through the Cuban experience.
“Fake” is the second in a trilogy the playwright has planned. She said Miami is the perfect place to showcase this new work of art.
“Art has become an incredibly important part of Miami,” she said. “I think we can see the city’s evolution over the last 10, 15 years with Basel, with different artists making Miami their home.”
Following preview performances Thursday and Friday, “Fake” will hold its world premiere Saturday night. It runs through Feb. 10 at the Colony Theatre.
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