TERESITA FERNÁNDEZ: ELEMENTAL AT THE PÉREZ ART MUSEUM MIAMI
Since October 17 the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) exhibits Teresita Fernández: Elemental. The exhibition is the first great solo show of Teresita Fernández (Miami, Florida, 1968) in her hometown. The exhibition, co-organized with the Phoenix Art Museum, will consist of more than fifty large-scale sculptures, installations, drawings and murals produced by the artist during the last two decades.
Conceived as one of the most relevant contemporary artists of the North American scene, the exhibition dedicated to Teresita Fernández is set up in such a way that the artworks challenge visitors from their status as US citizens in relation to the complex socio-political framework that regulates this condition. From this perspective, the exhibition explores the formal and conceptual aspects of the artist. Mainly in their inclination towards natural materials and the dialogue they establish with the identity and history of a nation.
With the aim of offering an extended look regarding Fernández's work, the PAMM exhibition includes works that range from the mid-1990s such as Borrowed Landscape, from 1998, to recently made works, as is the case of Charred Landscape [America], 2017. In this sense, Teresita Fernández: Elemental communicates the artist's language in an exceptional way; highlights the social and political nature of Fernández's work, whose career questions the most uncomfortable problems of North American society: the weakening of democracy, private property issues and climate change. However, the absolute value of the curatorship ―carried out by Amada Cruz, Franklin Sirmans, Gilbert Vicario and María Elena Ortiz― is the fact that it motivates the viewer to understand himself within those problems.
“Teresita’s work and influence has been vital to the evolution of Miami’s art scene and has played a significant role in the development of our museum,” said PAMM director Franklin Sirmans, and expanded: “We are also very grateful to have received a generous grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation to directly support the exhibition and enable us to present an in-depth series of programming around this exhibition.”
Thus, Teresita Fernández: Elemental is a unique opportunity to get to know in depth the artwork of one of the North American artists with the greatest international projection today. From October 17 to February 9, the exhibition will remain in the PAMM and then’ll travel to the Phoenix Art Museum be installed.
