What could be better than cultural exchange that enriches our coexistence, fosters pride in our roots, and inspires us to build a common horizon that strengthens our sense of belonging to this magical city?"*
HISPAFEST, the Hispanic-American Art and Culture Festival, was founded in 2018 with the mission of integrating various artistic disciplines and providing a meeting space for the multicultural community of Greater Miami. Each festival edition celebrates the richness and diversity of Hispanic-American cultures, highlighting immigrant artists from different countries who now reside in Miami. Through HISPAFEST, these artists are helped to connect with the city’s art network, opening doors and fostering relationships that support their integration into the region’s vibrant cultural scene. In this way, The Bright Foundation and HISPAFEST establish themselves as key platforms in Miami's growing recognition as a global art capital.
During Hispanic Heritage Month, in September and October, HISPAFEST simultaneously organizes visual art exhibitions at various locations throughout the city. This year, the MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART OF THE AMERICAS, "MOCAA" joins this initiative by presenting eight selected artists at its venue for the festival's fifth edition in 2024.
This exhibition features the work of Spanish artist Dalia Berlin, whose quest for her roots is always represented through the legacy of Velázquez’s Meninas; Chilean artist Francisco de los Ríos, who, with a family background in the arts, showcases his architectural studies and classical view of the contemporary through his well-defined abstract lines; and Franck de las Mercedes, a Nicaraguan immigrant currently based in New York, who, during his visit to Miami, presents a pop art narrative of loss that reflects the experiences of those who lose everything abruptly and must start anew.
Lorena Vélez, from Peru, represents a blend of modernity and nature, using materials that form a landscape we are part of. Martín Cano, from Ecuador, presents a composition of his multiple investigations and experiments, with techniques and styles that reflect the city's changes that have welcomed him. Colombian artist Mónica Jaramillo, who navigates between metropolises and the Colombian jungle, focuses on representing women merged with nature. Venezuelan Rafael Montilla, known for the rigidity of forms in his work and his performances as Kubeman, symbolizes the union of humanity in a single being; the simplicity of his work speaks to the idea of "I am you and you are me."
Finally, Brazil, the invited country that shares the American continent but is not Hispanic, is represented by Silvano Soriano, an intellectual and pedagogue whose work is a constant search between technique, materiality, and the integration of his passions, such as literature and visual artistic representation.
This eclectic and vibrant exhibition of artists, each working from their individual vision and with no curatorial requirements other than what their soul dictates in their expression, once again reflects the essence of The Bright Foundation & HISPAFEST, showcasing the individuality of each selected artist, all united in a celebration of unique voices.
Selection of Works: Nubia Abaji
Exhibition Design: Ivonne Ferrer / Jorge Rodríguez Diez
As the title suggests, these extraordinary artists explore the intersectional spaces between the real and the supernatural, where both realms coexist in a productive tension. Throughout the history of thought, humanity has sought to reconcile these two planes: from mythical cosmogonies that explain the visible world through invisible forces to scientific pursuits aimed at elucidating phenomena once considered supernatural. In this sense, Allegories of the Real and the Supernatural can be interpreted as an invitation to rethink our own experiences—the boundaries between what we can know and what remains shrouded in mystery. In the works associated with this title, there is perhaps a suggestion that the mystical is not separate from everyday life but rather intertwined with it, offering new ways of understanding the world.
Under the Art in the Community program, the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas actively participates in the tribute to the recently deceased Manuel Comas Labrada. Starting Friday, August 30th, Miami's artistic community, along with friends and family, will have the opportunity once again to appreciate several of his pieces.
As is customary, the prestigious Women in the Arts Program at the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas is proud to present to the art lovers in its community, and indeed to the entire community of artists and enthusiasts across South Florida, the latest creations from a distinguished group of female artists working throughout the state.
The selection of works exemplifies her profound mastery of abstract painting intertwined with a deep commitment to environmental advocacy. It also reveals a resonant fusion of culture, memory, and ecological consciousness. MaiYap's artistic perspective was shaped by her upbringing in Panama, under the dual influences of her rich Chinese heritage and the vivid tropical environment.
Latin American Rockers brings together artists from South America and Mexico. Each artist was invited by the curator to reflect on their cultural roots and to explore the spirit of rebellion, freedom, and creativity that characterizes Latin American culture. Ultimately, it is a tribute to the influence of music on art and society, seeking to connect the rhythm of rock with the visual rhythm of art.
While her work has been part of the museum's collection for several years and has been featured in numerous group exhibitions both within our galleries and at various art institutions across South Florida, 'Women Who I Could've Been' marks her first solo exhibition in our space. Ana Albertina Delgado uses her pictorial language to express the current social debates surrounding diversity, emphasizing the role of women in society.
Stubborn presents a collection of works inspired by classical statuary, particularly torsos and heads, transformed with the unexpected incorporation of industrial objects. Through this juxtaposition, the exhibition invites viewers to reconsider the legacy of Western values and our perceptions of various aspects of life. In contrast to his previous series, Prado intentionally relinquished total control over the creative process, allowing it to unfold with less restraint.
The Kendall Art Cultural Center (KACC), dedicated the past six years to the preservation and promotion of contemporary art and artists, and to the exchange of art and ideas throughout Miami and South Florida, as well as abroad. Through an energetic calendar of exhibitions, programs, and its collections, KACC provides an international platform for the work of established and emerging artists, advancing public appreciation and understanding of contemporary art.
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The Rodríguez collection is a blueprint of Cuban art and its diaspora. Within the context of the new MoCA-Americas the collection becomes an invaluable visual source for Diaspora identity. It represents a different approach to art history to try to better understand where we come from to better know where we are heading.
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