I am a Senior at FIU completing my BFA. My art practice has been mostly in drawing, but I am expanding that into ceramics and installation art. I am returning to complete my degree after many years out of school. I’ve spent that time mostly on entrepreneurship.
Art Encounter As Text
“Miami, Art & Myself” by Anai Fonte of FIU, August 25th, 2023
How well do I know the art culture in Miami? The art culture in Miami and I have an interesting history. If I were to answer this question with today’s art scene in mind, the answer would be superficially. I’ve gone to a few art museums. I go to a few galleries and shows during Basel. I support friends when they’re exhibiting, but I’d say not as well as I would like or should. Especially given that I am an artist myself.
That was a little embarrassing to admit, so let’s digress. I was born in Miami and had what you could call a colorful history. We will save that for another day, but I can recall standing in front of a mirror at just three years old and telling myself, “Eres una artista,” “You are an artist,” while covered in paint, hopefully, lead-free, this was the 1980’s, that my father let me throw all over the walls of my bedroom. My father wasn’t crazy; It had already been planned that my room would change colors. From that day to today – that is who I’ve always seen in the mirror.
Up to when I started at FIU, what I knew about the Miami Art scene revolved mostly around Graffiti and some spinoffs of it. I spent a lot of my teenage years around some of Miami’s most prolific graffiti artists, some of whom are still out there creating and well-known. Miami in the late 90’s did not have an art scene like today. I have literally seen it spring up around me. In the 20 years from then to now, I did not do as much as paint a dot. My sketchbooks from years of Yonder were chucked in a waste bin, and I was committed to not being a starving artist; I felt I had already done my time in the starving department but truly I just lacked the courage.
Let’s flash forward. This is my fourth semester at FIU, and if you asked me what I know about contemporary art, my biggest revelation is that it is not modern art. Aside from that, I could and have filled pages with what I’ve learned about Expressionism, Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism, Street Art, Neo-Dada, and more.
I look forward to having all that theoretical knowledge brought to life and practicing recalling it all. When I saw the class Art in Miami, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to explore the Miami Art Scene, which I am so eager to, and meet interesting and like-minded people. This course gave me the nudge I needed to join the honors college.
If I had to choose one place I am most excited to be visiting, it is the Basel event. The energy that time of year and at these events is bar none. However, I am genuinely excited about all the places we’re visiting. Aside from the PAMM, they will all be new experiences for me. To be able to explore these incredible museums and have the accompanying lectures to bring it all to life is something I am very grateful to have the opportunity to participate in.
PAMM as TEXT
“Portals” by Anai Fonte of FIU at PAMM, September 9th, 2023
Photograph taken and edited by Anai Fonte/ CC by 4.0
I am walking through the courtyard of the PAMM, making my way to the entrance at 90 degrees and 100% humidity. I walk through the doors and feel that blissful rush of cool air over me. I head towards the open-door elevators to ensure the moisture and heat haven’t distorted my polished hair. I glance over; have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror and seen no one looking back at you?
PAMM is Miami’s flagship art museum. It boasts a rich and diverse contemporary art collection and aims to encourage its guests to see art as an incentive for genuine human interaction. Leandro Erlich’s exhibit Liminal does precisely this. It is September 1st, 2023, the first of the month, the entrance day to a whole new month, and we are stepping into the portals cleverly crafted by Erlich.
Leandro Erlich, originally from Argentina, is known for his large-scale, lively installations. Elevator Maze would be the first installation of his I would experience. When my mind finally caught up with my eyes, I realized these are not actual elevators, but what is it? My brain is tickled. Where my reflection should be, there is nothing, and then, someone else curiously peered through an opening where a mirror and my reflection would normally be. I am actually seeing six open elevators whose walls are joined with “windows” into each of the carts. Erlich is taking an everyday object and shifting how we interact with it—challenging our notions of what is ordinary and what these objects mean in our own lives and our relationship to them. Instead of telling us what it is meant to convey, he allows our experience to unfold and reveal. This introduction conjures a kid-like curiosity in me, and I am primed to play.
Our tour guide, Tom, walks us over to the next artwork by Erlich we will experience. Having seen it saturating my Instagram feed for months, I was already somewhat familiar with Swimming Pool. This installation is an everyday object, a structure built to appear like a swimming pool, converted into a portal to shift the viewers’ perspective. The design is a hole in the ground with a clear plastic panel covering it with a few inches of water flowing over the transparent panel. The cavity underneath is a blue room the audience can enter, giving viewers a perspective from “underwater.” In 2001, Erlich represented Argentina at the Venice Biennale with Swimming Pool. This installation is part of the permanent collection at The 21st Century Museum of Art of Kanazawa in Japan. At the PAMM, it is part of the longest-running exhibition in PAMM’s history.
When I exited Swimming Pool, I asked Tom if the artist had given any context to the work. Tom explained that Erlich’s intent is for the audience to interpret the work through their own experience. We discussed how we both shared similar sentiments about the work; being Miami natives and water lovers, Swimming Pool felt blissful. However, he shared that some people who fear swimming or water experience something quite different. This recalled John Jasper’s Neo-Dada work, specifically Semiotics and, in particular, Flag from 1954. Although Swimming Pool and Flag have very little in common aesthetically, Jasper and Erlich’s approach of allowing the viewers’ experiences to shape their interpretation is the same.
As I navigated through Liminal, it wasn’t all play and bliss. I approached another elevator, but this time, the door was shut. The elevator doors had windows that invited the audience to peer in. I approached with excitement, which quickly became exhilaration—the view, an endless drop down. For someone uncomfortable with heights, this made me uneasy. Elevator would complete my emotional journey. Erlich’s “Liminal” exhibition cleverly turned everyday objects into doorways that reflect our human tendencies, giving us a thought-provoking experience of changing perspectives.
Norton As Text
“It Was All A Dream” by Anai Fonte of FIU at Norton Museum of Art, September 15, 2023
Photograph by Anai Fonte // CC by 4.0
Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach was founded in 1941 by husband and wife Ralph Hubbard Norton and Elizabeth Calhoun Norton. It is a rare jewel in South Florida’s Contemporary Art vastness. The collection boasts art pieces from medieval times through today’s. Conveniently located a 10-minute walk from the Brightline, I took the 9 a.m. train from Miami and was at the front of the gorgeous, dramatic facade of the Norton in about an hour.
Within the halls and rooms of the Norton, you will see a varying array of artworks created across thousands of years. Of these rooms, the one I was most anticipating was the Impressionist room. The Impressionist movement rose out of the frustration of artists of the time with what was considered the academic standard of tight, controlled brushwork and a heightened sense of realism. The aim of the Impressionists was art for art’s sake, as championed by early avant-garde artists such as Courbet and Whistler. A key figure in the avant-garde movement was, of course, Claude Monet.
Claude Monet, a French painter born in 1840, is arguably the most famous of the Impressionists. He is also my favorite of the Impressionists, not just because of his breathtaking works but because I relate to him in that I, too, prefer being in rural areas, but city life is necessary for life and work. In his country home at his garden in Giverny, Monet created his most famous series of works, Water Lilies. These paintings were groundbreaking in that they were done ‘en plein air’ or in the open air with the advent of portable paint in tubes.
Nympheas from 1905 is one of the works from Monet’s Water Lilies series on display at the Norton, tucked among other great works by Impressionists like Van Gogh, Cezanne, and Degas. I chose not to photograph the entire painting because I had seen countless photos, and they do not hold a flame to the real thing. The colors of the canvas are rich pastels dabbed in a painterly symphony across the entire canvas. Up close, the brushstrokes appear to be nothing more than dabs, dots, and dashes, making the image incomprehensible, but as you pull away, the scene reveals itself. There is no aerial perspective beyond the reflection of the sky in the water. The lillies get smaller in scale as the scene moves to the top of the canvas, giving the illusion of perspective and distance. There are no clear boundaries. It is like standing in front of a dream.
The five or so hours spent at the Norton went by in a blink. I could spend an entire day in the Impressionist room alone. I never realized that we had access to this level of collection from a myriad of periods in art history so close to home. Seeing artworks I had only ever seen in books or on a screen in real life was a surreal and moving experience. There is no doubt that Norton is my new favorite local art museum.
de la CRUZ AS TEXT
“No, but where are you really from?” by Anai Fonte of FIU at de la Cruz Collection, September 29, 2023
Photograph taken and edited by Anai Fonte/ CC by 4.0
It’s September 29th, 2023, and today’s museum visit is to the de la Cruz collection in the heart of the Miami Design District. The de la Cruz Museum was founded by Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz to share their private collection with the community. As we explored the third floor, it became evident that many artists and artworks on display were stories of artists who grappled with self-identity, a theme that resonates deeply with me. The collection provides a platform for artists like Ana Mendieta and Felix Torres-Gonzalez to illuminate the complexity of heritage and identity.
Ana Mendieta, born in Havana, Cuba, in 1948, was forcibly separated from her homeland at a young age due to the political turmoil on the island at the time. She was part of the exiled Pedro Pan children. You find a vast collection of Mendita’s Silueta works tucked into its private corner on the third floor. These pieces speak to a yearning to re-establish roots in her heritage that mirrors my own. She uses her body to imprint the earth and create a dialogue between herself and the landscape. Her desire to bridge the chasm between her displaced self and her heritage is evident. I can’t help but imagine, had she lived to an old age, if she would’ve returned to Cuba and created her Silueta’s in her home soil.
Just like Mendita, I have often struggled with my own cultural self-identity. It’s not been easy to find where I truly belong, and how that has overflowed into different parts of my life is unclear but present. Born in the U.S. to immigrant parents, I am the product of three cultures and often seen as an outsider to all three. When asked, “Where are you from?” I struggle to find an answer that satisfies the asker. Mendieta’s art reflects this thirst we commonly share for belonging, and in that common ground, through her art, I connect to my tribe of un-belongers.
Previously unfamiliar to me, at the de la Cruz, I discovered Felix Torres-Gonzalez. His minimalist and conceptual works awoke a newfound appreciation for this genre of art. His Portrait of Dad work invited us to share his grief. The work is a conversation about love and loss. Having also lost my parents, this beautifully intelligent memorial profoundly affected me. It’s playful and simple but evokes a deeper connection to how we process the death of those closest to us and the ways we attempt to keep them alive.
Like loose molecules in space, we drift until we find like-minded souls, creating new bonds and elements within our kaleidoscope of culture. The de la Cruz has created a space for these loose molecules to bind, not just a home for some of Miami’s finest contemporary art but a haven for the voices of those with blurred cultural identities, many of which have ties to Miami and the Caribbean. As I left the museum, I couldn’t help but feel that in addition to discovering some genuinely brilliant artists, I found a piece of my own puzzle within its walls.
MARGULIES WAREHOUSE AS TEXT
“When does it end?” by Anai Fonte of FIU at Margulies Warehouse, October 19th, 2023
Photograph taken and edited by Anai Fonte/ CC by 4.0
One of my favorite things about art is the space it creates between what you see and what your experiences, biases, and emotions bring to complete the work. This is a successful piece of art, not one that spells it out for the audience but invites them in to meet it. These are the works that fill the Margulies Warehouse. It is not only a vast repository of photography but a home to large-scale works of which the size is not an everyday scene. It is October 19th, and I am the only visitor at the Margulies Warehouse; that, in itself, is a surreal experience, but it’s the content of the rooms will transport me to another world.
As an artist, I love to work with natural materials, especially clay. Although I admire a fine piece of pottery, it often bores me the practicality of it. So whenever I see clay used in ways I never imagined, it captivates me. Standing at the entrance of the massive 16,000-square-foot room, you aren’t sure what you are looking at. Is the form in the center of the room the artwork or the frames lining the wall, stacked one on top of the other at towering heights? No, the dystopian scene is all one piece of art that will engulf you in feelings of loss, destruction, and dark reverie.
Anselm Kiefer was born at the end of WWII and was raised in the ruins and rubble that remained in Donaueschingen, Germany. He is a multi-medium artist who along with his massive sculptures, has produced many works on canvas that today sell in the millions, making him one of the most profitable living artists of our time. His work, however different in materials, revisits dark themes of loss, war, and destruction, often incorporating natural materials.
In Geheimnis der Farne (Secret of the Ferns) 2007, Kiefer revisits his childhood home and the theme of loss through massive concrete sculptures, rubble, exposed metal, and frames with clay, clothing, and ferns. Ghostly gowns laid flat in lifelike forms within huge frames make you almost see the ghost of the person who wore it beyond it. Dried, cracked red clay and dried flowers, ferns, and other plants are within these frames. You start piecing together how this was a child’s perspective, exploring their home in the aftermath of pure horror.
How does a child process the atrocities of war? For Kiefer, he has dedicated his life to expelling his childhood emotional turmoil into art. Although they recall a world just after WWII, sadly, these scenes do not seem like some distant past reality, given today’s current events. As a mother raising a small child, I couldn’t help but think about the children living these dark realities right now, living among darkness, death, destruction, and rubble. Stepping into Secret of the Ferns, the emotional rawness is overwhelming; you are seeing through the eyes of a child as these broken-down forms and images tower and envelop you. Almost 80 years after the atrocities of WWII, we are still here; we have learned nothing; when does it end?
Anselm Kiefer. Paintings, landscapes, watercolours and sculptures for sale, auction results and history. (n.d.). https://www.christies.com/en/artists/anselm-kiefer?lotavailability=All&sortby=relevance
WOLFSONIAN AS TEXT
“That Time Everything Was Shiny” by Anai Fonte of FIU at Wolfsonian, October 27th, 2023
Photograph taken and edited by Anai Fonte/ CC by 4.0
Just a few moments after exiting the mainland onto South Beach, you will find yourself at the entrance of FIU’s Wolfsonian. Founded in 1995 by Mitchell “Micky” Wolfson, Jr, not as an art museum but as a collection of interesting objects and art from the Industrial era. The museum only houses works from 1850-1950, showcasing the evolution from agricultural to urban societies. The building itself, which now houses over 200,000 objects, was originally a storage facility for the wealthy residents of early Miami Beach. It was transformed in 1992 by architect Mark Hampton into the beautiful cultural beacon it is today.
You quickly establish the hopefulness and excitement of the latter half of the 19th century as soon as you walk through the doors. Window Grille from 1929 was originally from the Norris Theater in Chicago. It is grand, decadent, gold, and glorious, embodying the excitement of the time. This “frozen fountain,” a concept initially unveiled in Paris, became an Art Deco staple. It is further highlighted by its new placement at the Wolfsonian. It is at the very end of the main lobby, parallel to the entrance. It sits between a large, reflective pool of water and ceiling windows showing the magnificent beach sky.
Proceed to the elevators, and you are greeted by Talcott’s enormous sculpture Wrestler, also from 1929, which conveys strength, imagination, exploration, and ingenuity, all the promises of the Industrial Revolution. Standing about seven feet tall with machine-like hands and geometricized form, you are unsure if you are looking at an alien, a human in a suit, or an interpretation of a new robotic human assistant who may or may not turn against its people and start a new world. It’s clearly bred from the sci-fi magazines of the era and an imposing figure when seen off the page and standing just in front of you.
As you move up the building and enter the landscapes of the first half of the 20th century, you awaken to the realities of pre-war and the death of all the aspirations birthed by the technological advancements now turned into a war machine. You can see this sense of loss and despair in Virginia Berresford’s The City from 1936, a surrealist-like landscape depicting a baron desert, a lone hiker, and a dense urban cityscape in the distance with twisting, leafless trees at the forefront. You get the sense of the disappearing hopefulness of a bright future as humanity heads into one of its darkest periods.
After exploring the Wolfsonian, it didn’t take long for me to draw parallels between the Industrial Revolution and our current Digital/AI Revolution. Like Window Grille’s creators, we are in the optimistic, hopeful, and excited period. But what can we learn from the errors of the past advancements and the consequences they yielded? They say history repeats itself, and I can’t help but leave with a sense of dread. Places such as the Wolfsonian exist as historical mirrors to guide us through the impacts of progress. They help us reflect on societal shifts and help us better navigate the changing tides so we can do better, and we must do better.
FROST AS TEXT
“Free” by Anai Fonte of FIU at the Frost Art Museum, November 17th, 2023
Photograph taken and edited by Anai Fonte/ CC by 4.0
Located at FIU’s Modesto Maidique Campus in South West Miami, the Frost Art Museum serves not just students but the community in its mission to “provide transformative experiences through art; collect, exhibit, and interpret art across cultures.” The collection contains over 6000 works of art and objects that span centuries and represent many cultures, particularly those of America, Latin America, and the Caribbean. It’s a beautiful fall day in Miami, and Chief Curator Amy Gaplin welcomes us to the museum. We are very fortunate to have her guiding us through the permanent exhibitions of the museum; then, later, Yady Rivero led us in the exploration of the temporary exhibition of Addie Herder Machines for Living.
Addie Herder did not have a popular career while alive. Although she was very much in the art scene, her work largely remained under the radar. However, her work was appreciated by other artists and collectors. Machines of Living is the first exhibition dedicated to her in over 45 years. The works on display vary in style, themes, and overall aesthetics. There are various mediums, ranging from ceramic tiles to matches on boards. Her constant experimentation and playfulness are evident in her work’s multiple materials and styles. The Machines of Living exhibition will be on view until January 14th, 2024.
I had never heard of Addie Herder before we visited the Frost Museum, but she will undoubtedly be one of my inspirations in my practice. She was also inspired by Louis Nevelson, whose work I greatly admire. One of the first mediums I worked with was collage. My collage work was what ultimately earned me an acceptance to the New York School of Art and Design, which I eventually never went to, but I appreciated the acknowledgment. I abandoned collaging early on, feeling it was a naive type of work, and it was when I saw Herder’s precise, deliberate, technical aesthetic in her collages I realized the potential in the medium. I was captivated. Furthermore, I was inspired by her exploration of her works. Often, artists are pressured to develop a cohesive aesthetic throughout their body of work; seeing a successful artist whose work varied in such a way was eye-opening.
In Herder’s piece from 1953 Titled Work, you first notice that it is on the larger side of her works. The piece is mostly muted, with natural tones and overlapping paper shards. It has a very organic feel and very little depth. In contrast, her piece titled Femme from 1970 is small, approximately four by three inches, and is constructed from found objects to create an abstract and minimalist geometrical form that looks like female genitalia. Both of these pieces are so different from what I believe to be her more popular aesthetic, the shadow box collages. You find a small work in First Black City from 1961, but still much more significant than Femme. It is colorful, busy, has depth, and is very precise. The overlapping and stacked cardboard creates a miniature abstract scene that gives the sense of looking at building facades in a busy city like New York in the 60s and 70s.
The Frost Museum’s collection is rich and diverse. For me, it provided a transformative experience, delivering on its promise. I was inspired by the Addie Herder exhibition Machines of Living, seeing an artist having fearless artistic freedom and exploring varying styles successfully. Museums such as Frost inspire and reshape perspectives and are a testament to the enduring power of art. I am grateful to Amy, Yody, and Professor Bailly for allowing me to engage in such a dynamic and thought-provoking exhibition. It has left a lasting imprint on me.
ART REFLECTION AS TEXT
“Full Circle” by Anai Fonte of FIU, November 30th, 2023
Photograph taken and edited by Anai Fonte/ CC by 4.0
At the start of this semester, we were asked to reflect on our personal relationship with art at the time. As an artist, that relationship is, at most times, complex. However, the one thing that I’ve come to accept is that I could blame everything from my parents to my partners or even work that kept me away from my art, but honestly, it was my lack of courage. It would be scary if I needed to hike a mountain or dive at night, but I don’t shy away from these challenges. For me, it’s the fear of putting yourself or something you created out in the world for judgment. That level of vulnerability, and to do this without pretending indifference but standing with conviction, is something I deeply admire and covet. You might ask, how does this tie into my experience with this class?
Art in Miami is undeniably the most engaging, fun class I’ve taken. The people we’ve met and the places we’ve visited were all interesting and thought-provoking. Professor Bailly brings a palpable energy and excitement, bringing lectures to life and making it impossible to be bored or uninterested. Each class and museum we visited was unique, with different artists, works, and themes from the previous.
At the PAMM, I was enveloped in the playfulness of Elrich’s large-scale installations. Being at the Norton felt like getting to meet Tom Hanks, someone you feel like you know personally but have never actually met. At the de la Cruz, I connected with artists who, like me, struggled with cultural identity. Marguilles highlighted how childhood scars can manifest in art. Wolfsonian was a look into our collective errors of the past and how we can reflect on this for a better future. At Frost, it all came full circle as I stood in a room full of the fearless pursuit of one’s own art practice.
The Miami art scene I knew in the 90s was the seedling that sprouted this incredible contemporary art world. I still see the familiar roots, but the branches have reached great heights, and beautiful flowers have blossomed. With Basel around the corner, I am beyond excited to explore my city’s art scene with a newfound appreciation.
Through this course, I’ve developed an understanding and fondness for conceptual art I did not have before. I now understand the depth and immensity of the contemporary art scene in Miami. I better understand the role of museums in the process of art creation and curation. But if I had to choose one thing that will certainly stay with me, it is being exposed to all these artists, all so different from one another with different backgrounds and different challenges, but they created unabashedly and put it out there for the world to see. The kaleidoscope of artistic expression we experienced in this course has ignited a fervent passion within me to surround myself with the unbridled energy of creators who create and model my courage after theirs. I believe this course would immensely benefit any student pursuing a BFA and should be as much of a requirement as any other. It is with deep gratitude I end this journey in Art in Miami.
Miami in Miami 