MIAMI.- PULSE Contemporary Art Fair announces the exhibitors and programming for its 2010 Miami edition. The sixth edition of the fair – the first under new Director Cornell DeWitt – offers a blend of 82 leading and emerging international galleries alongside the hallmark program of original cultural projects for which the fair is renowned. PULSE Miami 2010 also introduces a new focus on the city and culture of Miami, and an unprecedented emphasis on the visitor experience, foremost through its exhibitors and programming, but also via new culinary partners and social opportunities.

“PULSE consistently achieves success by presenting a first class roster of galleries on a scale that is manageable, and in a setting that is comfortable. Our core exhibitors, who could show in any fair the world, recognize this and it keeps them coming back” DeWitt explained. Joining such long-running PULSE veterans as Conner Contemporary Art, Hilger Modern/Contemporary, and Yossi Milo Gallery, are a wealth of new exhibitors. Miami’s Gallery Diet brings work by artist Christy Gast, who will have a solo exhibition at the de la Cruz Collection coinciding with the fair. Another newcomer is Galleri Maria Veie, a central figure in Oslo’s under-recognized contemporary art scene, bringing Jumana Manna to the IMPULSE section of solo artist booths. From New York comes Larissa Goldston Gallery, whose artists on view include the young American artist Orly Genger. For its garden area, PULSE Miami has commissioned Genger to create Beefcakes, a functional elaboration on prior installations by Genger, including her current MASS MoCA installation Big Boss, in which a gigantic construction of woven climbing rope appears to explode through a wall into a colossal mass throughout the gallery space.

Schroeder Romero and Shredder – a new joint venture, bringing together Schroeder Romero Gallery and The Sienese Shredder - make their first appearance in an art fair, bringing Michael Waugh’s Decline and Fall (of a performance artist). Waugh will continuously read from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire with no breaks during an eight hour long day at the fair. The performance is accompanied by a drawing inspired by the texts, on view in the gallery’s booth. Following last year’s acclaimed turn, the Austin, Texas collective OK Mountain will present Trailer, an ambitious new sculptural installation exploring the tradition of customized barbecue trailers, courtesy of New York’s Freight + Volume.

Several galleries come to PULSE Miami from points outside North America and Europe. Asian galleries include Silverlens Gallery from the Philippines, plus Ai Kowada Gallery and veteran exhibitor Megumi Ogita, both from Tokyo. A sizeable Latin American contingent will also be on view, represented by mainstay gallery Nina Menocal from Mexico City; Arróniz, also from Mexico City; and Bogota, Colombia’s Nueveochenta. San Juan, Puerto Rico’s RICA Gallery; and San José, Costa Rica’s Galería Bickar will exhibit in the IMPULSE section of curated solo-artist booths.

The Miami 2010 edition of the fair’s PULSE PLAY> video exhibition is curated by Tampa Museum of Art Executive Director Todd D. Smith. Titled Water on the Mind, works by Janaina Tschape, Janet Biggs and Johanna Billing channel a range of emotions - frustration, melancholy, and nostalgia, evoked by the recent Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

For the first time, the fair will open with a private evening preview on Tuesday, November 30, featuring a live musical performance hosted by the Friends of the New World Symphony. Also performed repeatedly over the course of the fair is WALL, a study in choreography by Shannon Gillen & Guests (see press kit/website for schedule). WALL imagines the human body as a magnetized form under pressure, irresistibly drawn to the length of a wall. Bodies will collide, levitate, and orbit this space, creating new relationships as they interact.

The PULSE Prize will be awarded to an exceptional emerging artist selected from the IMPULSE section of the fair by the PULSE Committee. The recipient will receive a $2,500 cash grant and the opportunity to design the limited-edition tote bag created for the next year’s fair. VIPs attending PULSE Miami 2010 will receive complimentary bags designed by last year’s PULSE Prize winner, OK Mountain. Other prior recipients include Eric Beltz, Chen Chien-Jen, Philip Gurrey, Chris Natrop, Emilio Chapela Perez, Duke Riley, and Travis Somerville.