Marcel Katz is bringing a new vision of art to Miami. His creative marketing agency represents a global network of artists and his art platform is redefining what the traditional art fair looks like.
Marcel Katz has become a well-known art dealer and curator in both South Florida and around the world. Katz, born and raised in Miami, got into the art world through working in the bustling Miami nightlife industry. He began collaborating with local artists and started his art marketing and curation business, The Art Plug, out of his mother’s bedroom.
Over six years, Katz business has grown into an international success—at the age of 30, Katz became the youngest authorized Salvador Dali dealer, and now has access to famous works from renowned artists like Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and Keith Haring. Katz is “disrupting the U.S. art scene,” according to Forbes. “My main mission is to make art more accessible for all,” Katz said. “Art is something that can open people’s minds and I think that if people were more open to it, the world would be a better place.”
The Art Plug is a creative art and marketing agency where Katz curates mural advertising, brand design, digital content creation and experiential production. He has curated campaigns with brands like Lyft, Foot Locker, Red Bull and Stella Artois. The Art Plug Power House, a branch of the agency, is a platform that incorporates art with interactive experiences. Katz aims to exhibit an interactive experience for the viewer. His shows cater to youth culture, often exhibiting extreme performance art and live interactive experiences which feature monster trucks, stuntmen and a variety of performance art that defy the very definition of the tradition of art itself.
“Art is you embracing your own approach and direction, and concepts of life and living,” Katz said. “I felt with the Power House this was the only way to do that. You can keep people young and we are still able to play with monster trucks, motorcycles, trains, airplanes and helicopters. We can be kids forever.”
Katz’s commitment to pushing the boundaries through sensory experiences have come to define true creativity. At Art Basel 2018, for example, an event he curated transformed a 30,000 square foot police impound into a contemporary art gallery garnering major attention.
Even during the pandemic, when Art Basel was cancelled and many galleries suffered, Katz didn’t stop. He brought the first ever museum show of Salvador Dali to Miami. The free museum show, “The Real Surreal,” is still on display and located at the Confidante Hotel. It features works on paper and the famed bronze sculpture, “St. George and the Dragon,” along with a free virtual version. This COVID-friendly show, first opened (both in-person and virtually) in November of 2020. The second installment, “The Real Surreal 2,” opened in February.
Katz believes in bringing culture to the masses and works to make his shows accessible for all. “Culture should be free, my shows are free, art is an experience and I know how to give the world the right medicine,” said Katz. “I feel like I stand for Miami and I feel like it’s my job to make sure Miami preserves its culture and continues to thrive,” said Katz. “As a person in the forefront of the art world, I think Miami is a great place to start.”
words_amy poliakoff. design_giovanni aprigliano.
This article was published in Distraction’s summer 2021 print issue.