MIAMI, FLA.- For Miami-based artist and designer
David Schwartz, sound has never been something to only listen to. It is something to hold, remember, andin many waysheal with. This December, Schwartz brings that philosophy to Miami Art Week with Music as Medication, a new sculptural series debuting at LVMH THE STUDIO MIAMI in the Design District.
The exhibition builds on Schwartzs expanding Rhyme Capsule universe, a body of work rooted in preserving the emotional weight of music history. His new pieces take the language of nostalgiamixtapes, boombox culture, and the unmistakable colors of vintage album artand merge it with the aesthetics of pharmaceuticals. The result is a collection of resin and crystal prescriptions that imagine music as something to soothe the mind, lift the spirit, or unlock memories that time has softened.
Each object nods to albums that marked entire generations, from Prince and De La Soul to Sade. Like time capsules, the sculptures invite viewers to remember not only the music itself but the moments in their lives that unfolded alongside it.
If Im not creating, I go to a dark place, Schwartz says. These pieces can uplift your vibration, either by sight or as a reminder to go stream that particular song or album.
That intimate connection between healing and creativity stems from Schwartzs own history. Raised in Minneapolis, he studied art before leaving school to pursue music full-time under the mentorship of Prince. He spent years recording at Paisley Park, touring, and absorbing the late icons uncompromising approach to blending sound and image. Those early years gave Schwartz a vocabulary that now appears not in music studios, but in sculpture.
After more than two decades working as a creative director and designer for major cultural institutionsincluding Netflix, Marvel, Amazon, Beats by Dre, and LL Cool Js Rock the BellsSchwartz returned to his own practice, determined to translate the energy of music into physical objects. His Rhyme Capsule works have since appeared at The Hip-Hop Museum in New York, ComplexCon, Rock the Bells Festival, and Googles Atlanta headquarters. They have also entered private collections owned by Swizz Beatz, Timbaland, Drake, Lecrae, and producer Bob Ezrin. The Mimms Museum of Technology & Art recently acquired several pieces for its permanent collection.
Yet Music as Medication may be Schwartzs most personal exploration to date. The sculptures examine how nostalgia, grief, joy, and memory intertwineand how art can become a kind of survival mechanism. Schwartz recalls the emotional spark that first inspired the series: Seeing those cassettes again brought me right back to moments with my mom before she passed, he says. That connection is what Im trying to share. Its medicine.
Music as Medication will be on view December 37, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, at the Palm Court Event Space, 140 NE 39th Street, 3rd Floor, Miami, FL 33137.
For more on David Schwartz:
https://rhymecapsule.com |
@davidmadeit