“Domestic Anxieties,” the third chapter of Pérez Art Museum Miami’s (PAMM) multi-part, yearlong exhibition dedicated to contemporary Cuban art, continues through Apr. 8.
“On the Horizon: Contemporary Cuban Art from the Jorge M. Pérez Collection” features more than 170 works of art spanning painting, drawing, photography, mixed-media and sculpture, and highlights a rich panorama of recent work produced by artists living both in Cuba and abroad. Chapter 3: “Domestic Anxieties” takes a closer look at artists whose work questions everyday life and its attendant insecurities, stresses, and anxieties.
“On the Horizon’ is PAMM’s most ambitious Cuban art exhibition to date and celebrates the recent generous gift of Cuban artworks donated to the museum by Jorge M. Pérez in December 2016. The exhibition is organized around the metaphor of the horizon line — a motif that appears in many of the works on view — and brings together a strong view of artistic practices in Cuba from the past three decades as well as work by young, lesser-known artists working on the island and across the globe.
The symbolic framework of the horizon line helps generate a larger dialogue between the works on view and the specificities of Cuba’s current physical, social, and political landscape, as revealed through each artist’s personal experience and unique aesthetics.
“PAMM’s mission is to provide a platform for the exchange of ideas on topics that resonate in our community,” said Franklin Sirmans, PAMM director. “’On the Horizon’ has given us an opportunity to reflect and connect with our audience in exciting new ways, encouraging critical and thought-provoking conversations with visitors through programs such as ‘Miami Stories,’ a project in collaboration with HistoryMiami and WLRN, a program that allows current and former Miami-Dade County residents to share their unique Miami-related experiences.
“Moreover, what we’ve seen throughout the past six months, and what I hope will continue with this last exhibition chapter, is an outpouring of support, curiosity, and meaningful dialogue about the breadth of artwork on view,” Sirmans said.
“With ‘On the Horizon,’ we set out to showcase the disproportionate amount of talent possessed by Cuban artists on the island, in Miami and around the world, and I’m happy to say the positive reception we’ve received has surpassed all of our expectations,” said Jorge M. Perez, PAMM benefactor and CEO of The Related Group. “I’m fascinated by the insightful, albeit sometimes challenging, conversations this show has sparked. The ongoing dialogue has reinforced my own belief in art’s unique capability to unite otherwise isolated communities and I cannot wait to see the conversations generated by this third and final chapter.”
“Domestic Anxieties” features works that focus on the everyday insecurities and personal stresses of the individual. In a video work by Havana-based artist Diana Fonseca Quiñones. titled Pasatiempo (hobby), the artist is seen stitching the shape of an airplane into the skin on her hand, a metaphor for many Cubans’ dreams of being able to travel outside the island.
Several works present images that map domestic interiors or intimate locations, while others reference details taken from the street or public buildings. A series of photographs by creative duo Atelier Morales depict deteriorating building interiors in Havana, illustrating the country’s lost architectural heritage and thus the lost stories of families who no longer inhabit these places.
Other artists use language and graphics to create spaces of aspiration, critique, and doubt.
Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) promotes artistic expression and the exchange of ideas, advancing public knowledge and appreciation of art, architecture and design, and reflecting the diverse community of its pivotal geographic location at the crossroads of the Americas. A nearly 35-year-old South Florida institution formerly known as Miami Art Museum (MAM), Pérez Art Museum Miami opened a new building, designed by world-renowned architects Herzog & de Meuron, in Downtown Miami’s Museum Park on Dec. 4, 2013. The facility is a state-of-the-art model for sustainable museum design and progressive programming and features 200,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor program space with flexible galleries; shaded outdoor verandas; a waterfront restaurant and bar; a museum shop, and an education center with a library, media lab and classroom spaces.
Museum hours are Friday-Tuesday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; closed Wednesday.
For more information, visit www.pamm.org.
