Aesthetics&Values AN EXHIBITION ORGANIZED BY THE HONORS COLLEGE AT FIU
2010
Aesthetics&Values AN EXHIBITION ORGANIZED BY T H E H O N O R S C O L L E G E AT F I U
March 9 – April 18, 2010
2010
Open to all FIU Students and Funded by CSO
Front Cover: Wendy Wischer. Incandescence, 2010. Styrofoam with mirror tiles. 34” x 40” x 40”. Courtesy of David Castillo Gallery. Back Cover: TM Sisters, Things Will End Before They Start, 2007. Digital video performance. Designed by Aileen Solá-Trautmann
director’s words
Each year that the Aesthetics and Values Class of the Honors College has created an art exhibition for Florida International University as their final class project, I have been amazed at the extraordinary selection of art and artists they invite to participate – and their intelligent, fresh and intuitive approach to the installation. This year is no different. The artists represent some of the most acclaimed of our South Florida community, with national reputations and stellar exhibition records. All of them create art that is concerned with a social dialogue that is about and beyond the ordinary, and that uses a diversity of media to express the most contemporary of artistic concepts. The students have produced every part of the exhibition – from the curatorial vision, choice of artists, installation design, catalogue and invitations. For many months they have been engaged in the process, immersing themselves in the world of art and artists that is new to most of them, and they have done it with wonderful enthusiasm and attention to detail. This year is also significant because the exhibition will be in our new museum; the first of what I hope will be many more collaborations with the students and their projects that are especially appropriate for what has become the center of cultural life for the campus. Carol Damian Director and Chief Curator The Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum
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Aesthetics & Values 2010
provost’s words
Welcome to the Fifth Annual Honors College Aesthetics & Values Art Exhibition—the first one to take place in our Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum. In his upper division Honors course, Professor John Bailly challenges his students to understand the ways artists engage in
social dialogue through their creations. This exhibition is the culmination of a set of activities that are an essential part of Professor Bailly’s course. Each year his students select the artists whose work will be shown, research and interview them, select the works to be exhibited, and curate the show. Since these students are rarely art or museum studies majors, they are genuinely challenged as they experience the creative process and examine how it relates to general cultural expectations and norms.
I am deeply familiar with Professor Bailly’s work. Each day as I walk into my office I enjoy an exhibition of his works on the walls of the Provost’s office. In my opinion an openness to and appreciation of the arts is a defining characteristic of the life of the mind, and I appreciate the efforts of Professor Bailly and his students have gone to in bringing this exhibition to us. Douglas Wartzok Interim Provost and Executive Vice President
Aesthetics & Values 2010
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dean’s words
From year to year, the Honors College’s Aesthetics and Values Art Exhibition grows in quality, stature, and professionalism. Mounted each spring by the students of Professor John Bailly’s upper-division seminar, “Art as a Social Language,” the exhibition moves this year from its former home in the Green Library on the Modesto Maidique Campus to the exciting and dramatic Frost Art Museum. That the Frost—a top-notch venue with the highest standards of artistic excellence—wants to host the show is yet another indication of the esteem in which the production is increasingly held. The Honors College is especially proud of what is shaping up as a genuine FIU tradition, an established annual event that is widely anticipated by the larger community. That our students, under the exhilarating guidance of Prof. Bailly, continue to approach the exhibition with fresh ideas, deep commitment, and enduring enthusiasm is a testament to the outstanding young people who comprise the Honors College and the inspiring faculty who work with them. This year’s class has been especially creative in acquiring the funding to put on the show by selling pizza and cookies, working with the Red Cross Bloodmobile program, and generally eking out every available dollar to underwrite the catalogue, the invitations, and the other expenses of putting on a major show. As in the past, these students are learning not only about art and artists, but developing advanced business and production skills, all while exploring how art shapes what we think and do. We invite you to enjoy the art, the artists, the student curation, the Frost Art Museum, and the excitement that is the 2010 A&V Art Exhibition. Lesley A. Northup Interim Dean The Honors College at Florida International University
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Aesthetics & Values 2010
professor’s words
In the spring of 2005, I wrote a disjointed and rambling e-mail to then Honors College Dean Ivelaw Griffith and Associate Dean Lesley Northup. I described an idea for a seminar that would examine art, not from a formal or historical perspective, but rather by focusing on the social issues the art engaged. Essentially, the course would study how art was situated within society. The culmination of the seminar would be a student-curated art exhibition of established artists. They would approve the course and Vicki Silvera of the Green Library would host the exhibition. How the course and the Aesthetics & Values exhibition would take shape was a mystery. The crucial issue revolved around the question of how non-art majors were going to embrace the role of curators.
It was then that I learned of the intelligence, resourcefulness, and determination of Honors students. Over the next five years, they molded the course into what it is now. They selected accomplished, relevant artists. They wrote press releases and drew over 100,000 people into their exhibitions. They survived intense confrontations with university administration, faculty, and other members of the student body over their right to display the artwork of their choice. They sold empanadas, organized blood drives, and secured corporate sponsorship to fund the A&V catalogue. They created an A&V website, and expanded the A&V online presence to Facebook and Twitter. They installed complex and valuable artwork. They took the course beyond campus with special projects such as ShapeshifterD at Dorsch Gallery and Face Act at Gallery Diet. They garnered national recognition at NCHC. They created the A&V Alumni Advisory Board. They formed an A&V CSO club and held elections. They have argued, bonded, and ultimately endured. A&V’s move to the Frost Art Museum stands as a testament to the excellence of the A&V students, from the first class of 2006 to the current class of 2010. I thank and congratulate every one of you. John Bailly Faculty Fellow The Honors College at Florida International University Aesthetics & Values 2010
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student-curators’ words
The Aesthetics and Values seminar has become one of the most popular and sought-after courses at the Honors College at Florida International University. For four years, it has repeatedly attracted students from all backgrounds and disciplines. The course offers students the opportunity to explore the inner workings of not only designing and orchestrating an art exhibition, but also working with world-renowned artists. From arguments on what actually constitutes art to round-table discussions on the value of an author’s ramblings, this class has challenged its students to “color outside of the lines.” This is the first year the A&V exhibition is featured at The Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum. The 2010 A&V students have worked diligently to present a professional, cutting-edge contemporary art exhibit. Nevertheless, the effort put into this year’s exhibit would not have occurred without the student-curator alumni that made A&V what it is today. Without the support of the Frost Art Museum, the Honors College, CSO, our sponsors and the FIU students, A&V 2010 would not have been possible. We welcome you to the culmination of the 2010 student-curators’ ideas. It brings us great joy for you to experience the artwork that has so enriched our entire year. With Many Thanks, A&V Class of 2010
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Aesthetics & Values 2010
Bhakti Baxter 10
Xavier Cortada 12
Guerra de la Paz 14
Richard Haden 16
Bert Rodriguez 18
Gerry Stecca 20
TM Sisters 22
F r a n c e s Tr o m b l y 2 4
Wendy Wischer 26
Ricardo E. Zulueta 28
Aesthetics & Values 2010
artists
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student-curators
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Verónica Allais International Business & Finance Eugenia Alliegro Business Administration & Marketing Brian Alonso International Relations & Political Science Walter Alves International Relations Diego Arrieta Fine Arts Jocelyn Baéz Business, Finance, & MIS Michelle Callava Finance Miriam Blasco Business Management Elgina Cantave Management & Finance A n a P a o l a C a p a l d o E n g l i s h L i t e r a t u r e & W o m e n ’s S t u d i e s Jonathan Choukroun Computer Science Noor Daghistani Biological Sciences Marilyn Dominguez Public Relations Sonja Dyrdal Communications Johan Ekman International Business & Marketing Luis Fernández de la Vara Economics & Political Science Daniel Raul Gonzalez Psychology & Political Science Juan Grillo Finance Corina Guzman Biological Sciences Gissel Hermida Biological Sciences Lien Hernández Psychology Fernando Intriago English Isselle Medina Finance & International Business Carmina Montealegre Reyes International Business & Marketing Aesthetics & Values 2010
Alexandra Montesino Business Administration & Finance Michelle Montesino Accounting Jessica Napuri Biology Katherine Napuri Biology J e n e s i s M e rc e d e s N e g r o n B i o l o g y Michelle Neshin Psychology Remin Ozbay Theater Arts V i c t o r i a P a l m a F l o r e s H u m a n R e s o u rc e M a n a g e m e n t & M a n a g e m e n t Kanwal Raja Biomedical Engineering Andrew Rice Management Giselle Rodriguez English Laura Rodriguez International Business & Marketing Ana Ruiz Art History Hermis Sanchez Criminal Justice Alma Santiago Psychology & Biology Belinda Sardi単as International Business M a r i a A l e j a n d r a To rc i d a A d v e r t i s i n g A r i e l l e Tr u j i l l o P s y c h o l o g y Melanie Vazquez Criminal Justice Enrique Alejandro Villa Biological Sciences & Chemistry Linda Eirene Ward English & Marketing Johayra Witter Psychology Simone Renee Worsdale Advertising Aesthetics & Values 2010
student-curators
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Bhakti Baxter
Born in 1979 in Miami, Argentinean-American Bhakti Baxter began his art education at the Design and Architecture Senior High School and went on to receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the New World School of the Arts. Working professionally since 1998, Baxter has displayed his work in several group and solo exhibitions in Miami and abroad. Early in his life, he explored an interest in both the principles of geometry and the intricate sequential art of Islamic architecture. These explorations, among others, have led him on a spirited pursuit of artistic identity. The artist describes this: “Investigating the territory between science and spirituality, my practice engages the disjointed relationships of the ordinary and the mystery of the abstract as one and the same.” Through geometric constructs, Baxter’s work brings to mind the intricate symmetry found in the world of nature. Eerie yet captivating paintings composed of black India ink skillfully applied on mylar, morphing polyhedral sculptures, and oil on canvas portraits are just some manifestations of Baxter’s diverse range. “Whether using ink, paint, or physical space, my efforts in producing art center on the idea that a greater understanding of life can be derived through the creative process. Recurring subject matters include infinity, light, and, the concept of zero or the void.” Some popular motifs also include spheres and skeletons.
Brian Alonso, Victoria Palma Flores, Laura Rodriguez, Belinda Sardiñas, & Simone Renee Worsdale
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He currently works and resides in Miami. Some of his solo shows have included the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami in 2002, the Emmanuel Perrotin Gallery in Paris in 2005, and the Fredric Snitzer Gallery, Miami in 2007. Also, in 2007, one of his designs was selected as the official image for the Latin Grammy Awards. Most recently (2009) he has exhibited at the BravinLee Programs in Manhattan.
Aesthetics & Values 2010
Bhakti Baxter
Inflorescence, 2007 plastic, mdf 84” x 84” x 18” Untitled (XYZ, threshold), 2009 wooden doors 83” x 83” x 83”
Aesthetics & Values 2010
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Xavier Cortada Corina Guzman, Lien Hernández, Alexandra Montesino, Michelle Montesino, & Hermis Sanchez
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Born in 1964 in Albany, New York, and raised in Miami, Cuban-American artist Xavier Cortada has worked collaboratively with diverse groups throughout the world, including environmentalists and scientists engaged in progressive projects. His aim to find “interconnectedness among things to gain greater understanding” through his artwork has led him in recent years to focus on environmental concerns and the intersection of art with science, particularly in areas of climate change and genetic anthropology. Some of his most recognized works, such as The Markers, Native Flags, and Endangered World, were created in the North Pole and South Pole with the aim of raising awareness about issues of global warming and the need for sustainable human interaction with nature. After receiving degrees from the University of Miami’s College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate School of Business, and School of Law, Cortada has become an activist working in international collaborative public art projects around the world. Some of these projects include peace murals in Northern Ireland and Cyprus, International AIDS Conference murals in South Africa and Switzerland, and child welfare murals in Bolivia and Panama. His work has been commissioned by the White House, the World Bank, Miami City Hall, and the Miami-Dade County Commission Chambers. For the Frost Art Museum he created four 40-foot-tall digital tapestries depicting the elements-Aer, Aqua, Ignis, and Terra-amid the periodic table of elements. These monumentally scaled compositions, which mark the changing seasons by the color compositions of leaves, are displayed in seasonal rotation at the museum’s entrance. Visitors are invited by the tapestries to “look closely at their surroundings, where there are new worlds to discover.” Describing Genetic Markers: Ancestral Journeys, Cortada states, “The installation invites the descendants of those who carved a path through the wilderness 60,000 years ago to re-enter the forest and retrace their ancestors’ path as they populated the planet in response to nature.”
Aesthetics & Values 2010
Xavier Cortada
Genetic Markers: Ancestral Journeys Across the Asian Continent, 2009
Aesthetics & Values 2010
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Guerra de la Paz Verónica Allais, Miriam Blasco, Ana Paola Capaldo, Maria Alejandra Torcida, & Luis Fernández de la Vara
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This Cuban-born, Miami-based artistic duo form an amalgam of influences that create artwork balanced in its architectural and traditional perspectives as well as the unconventional and the implicit. The name Guerra de la Paz, a composite of their names, Alain Guerra and Neraldo de la Paz, encapsulates the spirit of both their artwork and the vivacity and life of Miami, the cosmopolitan and globalized gateway to the Americas. Their art embodies what the 21st century is and will be: an interconnected and universalized whole, where lines of nationality and identity are blurred and people from all over are fused by the perpetual transfer of information. Guerra de la Paz combine “traditional disciplines and experimentation with dimension and the use of unconventional materials,” connecting the viewer with far away archeological sites such as Stonehenge and the temples of Tibet, but also alluding to contemporary society. Guerra de la Paz challenges the viewer with issues such as “environmentalism, mass consumption, and disposability.” To amplify their message, the materials they use are representative of their concern for such topics: Using discarded cultural artifacts from local communities such as Miami’s Little Haiti, their artwork combines both complexity and a grounded sense of a locality that can be appreciated by the average observer. Guerra de la Paz have exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide, including the Saatchi Gallery in London and the Miami Art Museum. Having been featured in publications ranging from New York Arts, to Today’s Zaman in Istanbul, Turkey, Guerra de la Paz represent the face of cultural unification.
Aesthetics & Values 2010
Guerra de la Paz “Beyond the Daily Life” at the Center for Visual Communication Project Space, 2010 Mixed: Found garments, coats, shoes, and wood
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Richard Haden Sonja Dyrdal, Juan Grillo, Giselle Rodriguez, & Arielle Trujillo
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Richard Haden was born in 1958 in Frankfort, Kentucky. He began his art education at the University of Kentucky where, during a special guest lecture and studio course, he was introduced to woodcarving. After moving to the West Coast in the early 80’s, Haden had his first solo shows at the Anhalt Gallery, Los Angeles. He went on to show at the Ossuna Gallery in Washington, DC, as well as F.I.A.C. Paris and the Boise Art Museum, before he joined the Allan Stone Gallery in New York. Despite early appreciation of his work, Haden took a lengthy sabbatical to pursue various political causes. While living in New York during the mid-80’s, he participated in the anti-gentrification struggle in the lower east side of Manhattan that sparked the Tompkins Square riots. In 1986, he joined the Nicaragua Construction Brigades and helped build houses for the Sandinistas. In the 90’s, he spent several years as an activist in the underground medical marijuana movement, which was a vital part of AIDS relief. Haden insists that artists should also be activists, adding, “In addition to the social necessity of being active… it is through…causes that artists gain valuable… experience which enriches [their] practice of making meaning.” With this philosophy in mind, Haden resumed his carving after moving to South Florida. Haden’s main focus is sculpting the presence of everyday objects. With all of his works, Haden seeks to engage the viewer in a subjective conversation. For instance, this March in New York, Haden will arrange a solo show at VOLTANY as though the exhibition space was the institution’s utility room. Upon closer inspection, the viewers will realize that the objects are not what they seem. Haden’s work is about how to transcend the antiquated idea of “Art.” What Haden’s art tries to do is to spark a conversation among viewers, making art a conversation that involves everyone and the everyday. Richard Haden’s sculptures are a reflection of the social and individual need for a more meaningful sense of “being in” the world rather than just “being on” it.
Aesthetics & Values 2010
Richard Haden
Boomers Tank, 1993-2007 Polychromed wood 22” x 16” x 13”
Coy Decoy, 2008 Polychromed wood 67” x 11” x 6”
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Bert Rodriguez
Norberto “Bert” Rodriguez, a native of Miami, is an internationally renowned Cuban-American artist known for producing conceptual works that challenge the traditional boundaries of collectable art. Working with a variety of media including sculpture, film, photography, installation, and sound, Rodriguez creates pieces that present a duality between the unabashedly obvious and the impossibly subtle. Rodriguez graduated from the New World School of the Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1998 and was quickly recognized by the Fredric Snitzer Gallery as a talented up-and-coming artist. From this point forward, he says, “The art world built itself around [him].” In 1998, he curated a group show entitled “The Fashion Issue: four simple steps towards younger looking skin.” The result was a working relationship that continues to this day and that instantly provided exposure and legitimacy to the young Rodriguez’s art. In 2000, Rodriguez held his first solo show at the Centre Gallery in Miami FL. It was entitled “Bert Rodriguez: A Pre-Career Retrospective,” and featured works from his life prior to his recognition as an established artist. This show was followed in 2001 by his first solo exhibition with the Fredric Snitzer Gallery, perplexingly titled “(
)”.
His first international show, “Intervenciones,” was held in 2006 at the Museum of Art in San Salvador, Jocelyn Baéz, Daniel Raul Gonzalez, Isselle Medina, Andrew Rice, & Linda Eirene Ward
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El Salvador. Other international displays of Rodriguez’s work include various locations in Europe as part of the 60 Second Video Art Festival in 2007 and Espace Experimental in Paris in 2008. Rodriguez was part of the 2008 Whitney Biennial. In 2010, he will be presenting his work at exhibitions in Germany and Italy. He currently resides in Miami.
Aesthetics & Values 2010
Bert Rodriguez
The True Artist Makes Useless Shit for Rich People to Buy, 2008 Neon and transformers 59” x 56” x 3”
Self-Portrait (Sinister David), 2007 fiberglass, plastic, glass and paint 71” x 31” x 24”
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Gerry Stecca
With an approach that is both intelligent and original, artist Gerry Stecca’s work simultaneously embodies the architectural and fluid. He was born in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1964 and comes from a family with a passion for both science and the arts. He obtained formal training as an artist, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts and a minor in Science from the University of California. At the age of 23, Stecca directed his focus to painting. In 1989, he settled in Miami, where he continues to live and work. Stecca describes his artistic development as a constant challenge, recalling the struggles of being a young artist and how he learned that age always brings a certain credibility and respect to work. Stecca’s breadth of talent as an artist is evidenced by his ease with different media. He began as a painter who specialized in murals and transitioned into sculpture. He says that “my search for understanding and depicting the 3D world on canvas/wall led me to my current work in sculptural installations.” In Stecca’s creations, it is the material that guides the art. The central focus of Stecca’s works is “repetition and space.” His most recent work, the Wooden Clothespins, was created to promote recycling and an awareness of the environment, but still welcomes the viewer to extract a more personal meaning upon experiencing it. Michelle Callava, Elgina Cantave, & Ana Ruiz
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Stecca’s works have been exhibited in Spain, Canada, and throughout the U.S. In 2009, the University of Maine Museum of Art organized a solo exhibition of Stecca’s work. His studio is located in the Bakehouse Arts Complex in Miami.
Aesthetics & Values 2010
Gerry Stecca Blurred Line, 2009 Wood clothespins, wire, and painted electrical conduit 77’ x 5’ x 8 ‘
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TM Sisters Walter Alves, Diego Arrieta, Noor Daghistani, Fernando Intriago, Carmina Montealegre Reyes, & Johayra Witter
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TM Sisters are best known for a style that embodies the Miami contemporary art scene. With an extensive collection of works that defines 21st Century modes of self-expression, (including video, digital video performance, VJing, graphic design and installations), TM Sisters are emblematic of contemporary art. Their success, however, is not solely attributed to their technological competency and artistic talent: charming personality, social inventiveness and major metaphysical experimentation are also apparent in their work. With their brother Samuel as a third collaborator, TM Sisters also work on interactive videos that seek to create novel experiences between art and humans. Monica Lopez de Victoria, born in 1981, and Tasha Lopez de Victoria, born in 1983, blossomed from a homeschooled environment. From an early age, they were encouraged to explore the intricacies of human behavior, the existential, and the spiritual. Tasha attended the New World School of the Arts in Miami, while Monica was a member of the Honors College at Florida International University. From these experiences developed a persistent infatuation with the outside world and its representation through art. The TM Sisters claim to detect a unifying presence in their art: “There is an electric presence and energy that exists between and around us all. The tropical darkness of the night holds audio-vibration booms, ocean swirls of overpowering emotion, golden glimmers of hope, and smashing psychological differences evaporate. Colorful life resolutions made in the sunset are projected forward with love into the sunrise.” The sisters’ work has been included in the internationally renowned exhibition, Uncertain States of America: American Art in the 3rd Millennium. Their interactive skills have also been on display in the Second Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art and PERFORMA 2007, while their most ambitious installation to date came with WHIRL CRASH GO!, exhibited in 2008 at Locust Projects. Diverse publications have displayed their work with prophetic confidence. “Our work deals with emotional resolutions, conflicts and battles where neither side is correct,’’ Tasha says. Monica observes, “Differences are [eventually] always worked out. That’s what we do as sisters and as Miamians.”
Aesthetics & Values 2010
TM Sisters Things Will End Before They Start, 2007 Digital Video Performance
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Frances Trombly Eugenia Alliegro, Johan Ekman, Remin Ozbay, Michelle Neshin, & Alma Santiago
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“I like to think of the works as they are. The Rope is simply a rope and the Mop is simply a mop.” Frances Trombly Frances Trombly was born in Miami, Florida. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the Maryland Institute of Art. Her creations at first glance can often be mistaken for consumer goods, yet a closer look reveals amazingly detailed and time-consuming embroidered and crocheted works of art that emulate practical objects. Her pieces include everyday items such as garbage bags, extension cords, balloons, receipts, and socks, each of which are individually woven on a loom, embroidered, and detailed. Her most recent work comprises threads simulating a blank canvas that Trombly hand weaves on a loom. Trombly questions the beliefs of many by asserting through her works that what makes the “painting” so important may not always be the paint on the canvas but rather the canvas itself. Most striking in her work is the ability to create the extraordinary out of the excessively ordinary. Her meticulous and minutely detailed work both intrigues and comforts the viewer. Her timely work is the result of laborious cross-stitching, crocheting, and prodigious weaving. Perhaps most compelling, Trombly asks us to define these seemingly mundane objects for ourselves, challenging us to find the disconnect between the “real” object and the one she has created to bridge the gap. Trombly’s works have been exhibited in Miami, New York, Los Angeles, London, Vienna, and throughout Latin America. Her art has been featured in publications such as Sculpture Magazine and Art & Auction. Trombly’s creations can be seen in the permanent collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, and private collections throughout the United States.
Aesthetics & Values 2010
Frances Trombly
Extension, 2009 Crocheted cotton 50 linear feet
Mop, 2008 Hand spun silver wool and cotton, wooden mop handle 52” x 14” x 13”
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Wendy Wischer
Born and raised in rural Wisconsin, Wendy Wischer now balances her life between Miami and Sarasota. Wischer began her college career at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1993. Two years later, she received her Master of Fine Arts at Florida State University in Tallahassee. From site-specific installations to videos and public works, Wischer’s pieces span a variety of media and styles. One constant, though, is Wischer’s desire to create a balance between the natural and urban worlds. Wischer strives to understand shapes and space through conceptual and visual perspectives and explore how these shapes can clash, connect, and overlap. Many of her pieces utilize light and its fluid motion to mimic water and other natural forms. Wischer sums up her fundamental goals thus: “I seek to redirect attention to the smaller things in life, exposing the sacred within the mundane and the monumental within the minute. Thoughts and memories, experiences and environments, continuously appear and reappear in overlapping fragments.”
Marilyn Dominguez, Jessica Napuri, Katherine Napuri, & Jenesis Negron
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As a thriving artist, Wischer has had the opportunity to display her artwork throughout the U.S. and abroad. Her work can be found in several public collections, such as the Miami Art Museum. Wischer has received numerous awards and is currently completing a stay as Visiting Artist at Ringling College of Art and Design. She was the recipient of the Pollock-Krasner Grant in 2007 and the South Florida Cultural Consortium’s Visual and Media Artists Fellowship in 2008. Wischer is represented by the David Castillo Gallery.
Aesthetics & Values 2010
Wendy Wischer Incandescence, 2010 Coated styrofoam covered with mirror tiles 34” x 40” x 40”
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Ricardo E. Zulueta
Ricardo E. Zulueta was born in Havana, Cuba. He grew up in Miami and has lived in New York City, Madrid, and Paris. He earned a Bachelor’s degree from FIU and was selected to be a Helbein Scholar at New York University, where he completed graduate studies in photography and arts policy. Zulueta utilizes different media in his work—photography, performance, video, sculpture and/or installationdepending on the concepts in his current project. Zulueta appropriates sociological, anthropological and/ or psychological methods of investigation in his “photo-performance” projects, where he incorporates an interdisciplinary approach by crossing boundaries that are both reinforced and relieved by the disclaimer of artistic license. In adopting hybrid forms of investigation, interpretation, and representation of concepts, he is creating a new approach and vision. His work is sometimes participatory and requires the viewer to complete it. At other times, it consists of images that serve as documentation or a record of a performance/ project that occurred. Zulueta’s work also deals with post-identity concerns of categorization addressing social practice such as consumerism, behavior, body image, fashion and advertising, or with the individual’s “non-identity” within a larger societal structure. Whether Zulueta’s imagery is devoid of or distinct in human external signifiers, all of his oeuvre deals with our shared human common denominators.
Jonathan Choukroun, Gissel Hermida, & Enrique A. Villa
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Zulueta has received numerous grants and awards including the New York Foundation for the Arts Individual Artist Fellowship, the Cintas Foundation Fellowship, the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts CAVA Fellowship, the Artists Space Grant, and the Art Matters Grant. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in venues such as the New Museum of Contemporary Art, the International Center of Photography, the Centro Reina Sofia (Madrid), the Borusan Foundation (Turkey), and the Museo Alejandro Otero (Venezuela). Zulueta’s work has appeared in numerous publications and the writings of Lucy R. Lippard, Mildred Constantine, Vicki Goldberg and Helen Kohen.
Aesthetics & Values 2010
Ricardo E. Zulueta
Domesticated Homosapiens in Traditional Costume Circa Twenty-First Century Number 17, 2009 Digital Archival Pigment Print 73.5” x 58.5”
Domesticated Homosapiens in Traditional Costume Circa Twenty-First Century Number 35, 2009 Digital Archival Pigment Print 73.5” x 58.5”
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The Vasari Project Archive and A&V
The Aesthetics & Values seminar has partnered with the Vasari Project. Student-curators conduct interviews, photograph studios, and write research papers detailing the life and works of artists selected for A&V. These research papers become part of the Vasari Project to contribute to the building and preservation of the history of art in Miami. A&V thanks Denise Delgado, Curator or Art Services and Exhibitions, for making this collaboration possible. The Vasari Project, housed at Main Library, is an archive that documents the development of the visual arts in Miami-Dade County since 1945. Its purpose is to capture, preserve and build upon an important phase of Florida history: Miami-Dade County’s transformation into a significant hemispheric art center. It contains correspondence, press clippings, photographs, posters, books, exhibition catalogues, oral histories and other ephemeral materials. This collection grows primarily through donations and contributions from art institutions, organizations, and the public. Donations are accepted based on their relevance to the purpose of the archive and the Library’s ability to accommodate special conservation and storage space needs. The archive does not include works of art. Helen Kohen, Consultant to the Vasari Project, and Miryam Rodriguez, A&V 2009. The Vasari Project Archive, Miami-Dade County Public Library System 305.375.1550 / vasari@mdpls.org 30
Aesthetics & Values 2010
Aesthetics & Values Alumni Advisory Board Founded in 2009, the Aesthetics and Values Alumni Advisory Board serves to assess, improve and protect the principles and structure of the Aesthetics and Values Exhibition Project. The A&V Board ensures the A&V Project remains by students and for students and that the A&V Project continues to address the vital role visual art plays in the social and cultural dialogue surrounding controversial issues. Board Members: Andrea J Lahoz (A&V 2008), Jairo Pava (A&V 2009), Rocio Perez (A&V 2007), Melissa Pita (A&V 2009), and Miryam Teresa Rodríguez (A&V 2009) Secretary: Corina Guzman (A&V 2010) _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
National Collegiate Honors Council Conference Thirteen A&V students and Professor Bailly have presented at the National Collegiate Honors Council Conference (NCHC) since 2007. Representing FIU and the Honors College, the students have explained their own projects, as well as absorbed new perspectives on how to keep A&V engaging and relevant. In the Spring 2011, the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, will organize its own A&V exhibition, under the direction of Eileen Turan. A&V students at NCHC: Alejandro Diaz-Ferguson, Diana Medina, Rocio Perez, Katrina Rodriguez, Rosemarie Romero (Denver 2007), Sarena Bahad, Andrea J Lahoz (San Antonio 2008), Ernesto Fernández, Gabriela García-Linares, Ana-Sofia Navarrete, Jairo Pava, Melissa Pita, and Miryam Rodriguez (Washington, DC 2009).
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Art Basel Miami Beach George Kinghorn, UMaine Museum of Art Director and Chief Curator, tours Art Basel Miami Beach with the A&V class. (photo by Walter Alves, A&V 2010) Art Basel Miami Beach is the most important art show in the United States, a cultural and social highlight for the Americas. As the sister event of Switzerland’s Art Basel, the most prestigious art show worldwide for the past 40 years, Art Basel Miami Beach combines an international selection of top galleries with an exciting program of special exhibitions, parties and crossover events featuring music, film, architecture and design.
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Rubell Family Collection RFC Director Juan Valadez-Roselione tours “Beg, Borrow, and Steal” with the A&V studentcurators. (photo by Walter Alves, A&V 2010) The Rubell Family Collection (RFC) was started in New York in 1964 when Don and Mera Rubell were first married. Since 1993 it has been displayed in Miami at its current, 45,000 squarefoot location inside a former Drug Enforcement Agency confiscated goods facility. RFC first opened to the public in 1994. In 1998 the non-profit Contemporary Arts Foundation (CAF) was created to expand the Collection’s public mission inside the paradigm of a contemporary art museum. Since opening in 1994, RFC has been recognized as the pioneer of what is often referred to as the “Miami model,” whereby private collectors create a new, independent form of public institution.
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Pia Lindman’s Face Act Student-curators Alexandra Montesino, Michelle Montesino and Noor Daghistani participated in Face Act by Berlin-based artist Pia Lindman at Gallery Diet. The performance took place during the week of Art Basel Miami Beach 2009. Art Basel Miami Beach is the leading contemporary art fair in the U.S. The fair and the accompanying satellite fairs represent a comprehensive review of global artistic developments. The FIU Honors College utilizes the fair as a unique pedagogical setting for students to engage avant-garde ideas. During the 2009 fair, the students’ interaction with the fair expanded, as three students were invited by Finnish artist Pia Lindman to be active participants in her performance, Face Act. In Face Act, Lindman allowed the students to use her face as their stage, pulling, poking, and pinching her face to create the corresponding facial expression to a script of controversial statements, thereby examining expressions and the authenticity behind those expressions. This enabled the students to explore and deconstruct the traditional boundaries between artist and audience and learner and subject.
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Richard Blanco A&V 2010 hosted a poetry reading by critically acclaimed Cuban-American poet Richard Blanco. The reading offered the public an opportunity to hear many new, unpublished works, as well as selections from his published works. Richard Blanco was made in Cuba, assembled in Spain, and imported to the United States — meaning his mother, seven months pregnant, and the rest of the family moved as exiles from Cuba to Madrid, where he was born. Forty-five days later, the family emigrated once more, eventually settling in Miami, where he was raised and educated. His acclaimed first book of poetry, City of a Hundred Fires, which explores the negotiation of cultural identity as a Cuban-American, won the Agnes Starrett Poetry Prize from the University of Pittsburgh Press. His second book, Directions to the Beach of the Dead, continues to explore themes of home, place, and identity.
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Honors College The mission of The Honors College is to provide an intellectual community where outstanding students and dedicated teachers and scholars pursue intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and personal and professional enrichment marked by excellence in all engagements. It is guided by the FIU Values Statement, which espouses a commitment to freedom of thought and expression; excellence in the pursuit, generation, dissemination, and application of knowledge; respect for the dignity of the individual; respect for the environment; honesty, integrity, and truth; diversity; and service excellence.
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Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University The mission of the Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University is to enrich and educate local, national and international audiences through the language of art by collecting, preserving, researching, interpreting and exhibiting art from diverse cultures throughout human history. The Frost Art Museum, located within a large urban institution, provides an exceptional resource for scholarly research and interdisciplinary collaboration, augmenting the university’s educational mission as both a local and global center of knowledge and culture.
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Sponsors ArtistaMundo.com provides a platform for artists to gain exposure, exchange ideas and interact within a global arts community. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thank you A&V thanks all the institutions and individuals that have welcomed us this year. The A&V 2010 class visited Art Basel Miami Beach, the Lowe Art Museum, the Norton Museum of Art, David Castillo Gallery, Dorsch Gallery, Gallery Diet, Rubell Family Collection, Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation, Margulies Collection at the Warehouse, and Vizcaya Museum and Gardens.
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Sponsors Aesthetics & Values wishes to thank the Council for Student Organizations Executive Board for their support. The A&V catalogue would not be possible without the support of Trang Van (President), Rozina Parbtani (Vice President), Jaime Isaac (Secretary), Abdel Perera (Treasurer), Alan Meca (Integrated Marketing & Communications Director), Kantica Arora (Events Coordinator), and Ayana Wilson (Council Advisor). The A&V 2010 catalogue is funded by CSO.
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A&V 2010 at Norton Museum of Art
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A&V 2010 at Rubell Family Collection
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