#mocanomi

[friendswithyou]

Cloud City was our first museum show during @artbasel 2005 at MOCA North Miami @mocanomi w @goldmanglobalarts thank u to the director Bonnie Clearwater who let us make this special interactive experience as art. And thats me and Tury in the costumes. . . . . . . . #friendwithyou #mocanomi #bonnieclearwater #experientialart #installationart #moca #goldmanwarehouse #friends #theboy #miami #artbaselmiami 🍄 #play (at Miami, Florida)

[melinda-pascal]

Musuem Visit: MOCA North Miami

During my visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in North Miami, I had the opportunity to experience Andrea Chung’s exhibition "Between too late and too early." This series explores themes of colonial history and labor, particularly focusing on the Caribbean. Chung uses unique materials and experimental techniques to represent a sense of memory, survival, and cultural identity.

Andrea Chung, Proverbs, 12:22 (2018)

Materials: Sugar, beads, rice, herbs, spices, and paper, site-specific installation

Dimensions: 48 x 36 inches

Form:

● Proverbs, 12:22 has a structured fragile appearance, with blocks arranged in a way that makes them look as if they are melting or breaking down. The surface appears aged and worn, giving the impression of something that is slowly rotting over time. The piece has an organic, almost weathered look, as if it is dissolving before the viewer’s eyes. This sense of transformation makes it feel alive, as if it is caught between formation and disappearance.

Subject:

● Her artwork is inspired by Caribbean history and folklore. It focuses on the role of sugar production in colonial exploitation and how it shaped the lives of many people. The melting sugar blocks represents the mortality of colonial power and the lasting struggles of those who lived through it. The title, Proverbs, 12:22, references truth and betrayal, encouraging viewers to question how history has been told and who controls those stories.

Content:

● Chung explores themes of labor, survival, and battle. Sugar, which was once a symbol of wealth and power, also represents suffering and forced labor. By using sugar as her main material, she highlights how something that was once a tool of cruelty can now be used to tell stories of resilience. Her artwork reminds us that history is not just about facts it’s also about the emotions and experiences of those who lived it.

Technique:

● Chung casted sugar into block-like forms and combining them with resin and organic materials. She carefully arranged these sugar blocks in a way that allows them to appear as if they are melting or breaking down over time. Her technique involves controlling the material’s transformation while also letting natural processes, such as crystallization and mold, play a role in shaping the final appearance.

Why it attracted me:

● This piece stood out to me because I like how the sculpture appear as something that changed over time. The melting effect made me think about how history fades but still leaves a mark. The idea of using sugar as a material really deeply connects to colonialism, making her artwork feel even more meaningful. It made me reflect on how stories of struggle and survival are often overlooked or forgotten, yet they continue to shape the world today.

Andrea Chung, if they put an iron circle around your neck I will bite it away (2022)

Materials: Multimeda Installation

Dimensions: Varied

Form:

● The installation features a large mural painted in a gradient of oceanic blues, creating the illusion of depth and largeness. Emerging from the mural are sculptural blue hands, positioned at different angles, as if reaching, grasping, or floating in the water. A circular platform in the center holds additional blue hands, arranged in a ritualistic or symbolic manner. To the left, framed prints with a similar blue palette add to the atmosphere, while on the right, antique furniture including a vintage sofa and a wooden greenhouse containing plants represents elements of home life and safety.

Subject:

● The blue hands emerging from the seascape represent histories of forced migration, labor, survival, and battle. They make up the existence of individuals lost to the ocean, those who work hard under brutal conditions, and the unseen forces that continue to shape cultural memory. Some hands appear to be reaching grasping for freedom, connection, or something lost while others remain open, as if surrendering to or embracing the unknown. Their placement shows movement, struggle, and courage, blurring the boundary between past and present. The readymade objects, such as the antique sofa, wooden greenhouse, and framed prints, serve as symbols of care and memory. The greenhouse, with its enclosed plants, reflects the fragility of survival both of people and their cultural legacies held within controlled environments.

Content:

● This piece explores themes of migration, survival, memory, and loss. The blue hands emerging from the seascape symbolize those who have been displaced, those who have struggled, and those whose histories have been forgotten. Their reaching gestures suggest courage, longing, and the impact of time on personal and collective memory. The greenhouse reflects the fragility of survival and the care of culture, while the antique sofa and table evoke remains of home and displaced identities. The framed prints, with their deep blue tones, represent archival traces documents of lives that may no longer be remembered.

Technique:

● Andrea Chung combines painting, sculpture, and found-object collection. The oceanic mural is painted in a gradient style, transitioning between deep and pale blues to create an immersive, atmospheric effect. The blue hands, was sculpted from cast in plaster and are added at different angles to interact with both the mural and real space. The framed prints on the left, was created using cyanotype to reinforce themes of archival memory and historical documentation.

Why it attracted me:

● This installation attracted me because it places direct human presence at the forefront. I like how the hands create an eerie yet powerful effect, as if reaching from the past or struggling against the tides of history. They represent both loss and resilience, making the space feel haunted by memory yet alive with movement. The contrast between the seascape, the grasping hands, and the domestic objects adds depth, forcing me to confront themes of survival, displacement, and ability in a deeply personal way.

Andrea Chung, An Unrequited Love (2019)

Materials: Mulitichannel Installation

Dimensions: 20 x 12 x 8

Form: This installation combines sculptural elements with a multichannel video projection, creating a layered and immersive experience. The sculptures feature mannequin heads adorned with decorated, textured wigs. The placement of the pieces, along with the controlled lighting, enhances the visual impact, drawing attention to the intricate details of the wigs and the eerie anonymity of the mannequins.

Subject: Her work explores the history of colonialism and the labor of enslaved workers, particularly in the Caribbean. Chung often focuses on the experiences of Asian migrants who were brought to the region to replace enslaved labor after abolition. The title An Unrequited Love implies a one-sided relationship, symbolizing the unacknowledge offering of these laborers and the emotional and cultural disconnect caused by forced migration. The installation addresses themes of power, bondage, and the lifelong effects of colonial systems on identity and personal history.

Content: Chung uses the symbolism of hair to discuss identity, displacement, and historical erasure. Hair has long been tied to cultural heritage and self-expression, but in this context, it represents the loss of individuality and freedom under trusting labor systems. The wigs, which appear unruly and sculptural, represent how identities were forcibly reshaped or reserved. The multichannel video shows her tying the wig manipulating it. As she combines these elements, the work invites viewers to reconsider how histories of labor and migration continue to shape contemporary identities.

Technique: In this installation, Chung used the wigs that appears to be made from fibers that mimic onatural hair, built through traditional weaving. The mannequin heads, lacking facial features, creates a ghostly appearance that represents themes of anonymity and historical erasure.

Why it Displeased me:

I was diapleased with this installation because I felt disconnected from its intended themes of colonialism and unrequited love, due to the use of wigs. While hair can symbolize identity and transformation, it was unclear how the sculptural wigs directly represent the emotional and historical weight of attached labor or colonial exploitation. To me the wigs, seemed more like an exploration of texture and form rather than a direct representation of the struggles, losses, or cultural dynamics suggested by the title.

[melinda-pascal]

Museum Visit: MOCA North Miami

During my recent visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in North Miami, I had the opportunity to explore a diverse range of contemporary artworks. Two captivating sculptural pieces that particularly caught my attention were John Espinosa's "Standing Still While We Move Across Land" (2004) and Manuel Mathieu's "Les désenchantés" (2024). While each work made a lasting impression, they stood in contrast to each other both aesthetically and emotionally.

John Espinosa, Standing Still While We Move Across Land (2004)

Materials: Uitraviolet lights, Wildfire UV sensitive acrylics, resin, and polyurethane foam

Dimensions: 84 in. x 216 in. x 216 in. (213.36 cm x 548.64 cm x 548.64 cm).

Form: Espinosa’s dynamic installation consists of bird-like sculptures hanging mid-flight, connected by bright neon-like beams radiating outward. The exhibition space, contrasting with its dark industrial background, features light and organic shapes, resulting in a futuristic yet inviting and visually dynamic experience.

Subject: The birds appear mid-flight, frozen in motion, giving a sense of movement within a still world. This surreal combination of nature and technology evokes a sense of timelessness.

Content: Espinosa’s work explores the delicate balance between nature and technology, representing a moment where the organic and the synthetic coexist. The birds, carried out almost ghost-like through their hanged, weightless forms, are surrounded by vibrant neon beams, suggesting the way natural elements are influenced by or even trapped within human advancements. The piece evokes themes of evolution, spirituality, and transformation, as though nature and technology are connected in a fixed journey toward the future.

Technique: Espinosa's work uses light as a sculptural medium, with neon beams serving as visual metaphors for the technological ties connecting the natural world. The artist's carefulness in placing birds and glowing lines provides balance despite contrasting materials. The technical craftsmanship of hanging bird forms with invisible supports and the neon glow create a striking visual effect, blending modern materials with organic shapes seamlessly.

Why it attracted me: I was drawn to this piece because of its balance of movement and light. The hanged birds, illuminated by neon beams, felt alive and full of potential energy, referring to a narrative of growth and flight. The vibrant neon beams and delicate, bird-like forms felt as if they were caught in a perfect, weightless moment between past and future. I was captivated by the way the piece manages to freeze motion while still evoking a dynamic sense of life and possibility. The glowing colors created a sense of warmth and lightness, making the installation feel almost spiritual.

Manuel Mathieu, Les désenchantés (2024)

Materials: Rebar structure with ceramic sculptures, silicone, dust, fabric, siliconeand studio dust

Dimensions: 95 x 144 x 24 in.

Form: Mathieu’s piece features rough, distorted white sculptures displayed on a skeletal metal frame. Torn fabric drapes over the structure, relating to a sense of rottness and destruction. The materials seem to be critically balanced, as if on the edge of collapse.

Subject: The damaged sculptures and crumbly fabrics suggest frustration and loss. The installation feels risky, as if the entire structure could fall apart at any moment, symbolizing fragility.

Content: Mathieu’s Les désenchantés explores a world in weakening, using fragmented forms and damaged materials to communicate loss, disappointment, and the breakdown of societal structures. The crumbling fabrics and damaged sculptures suggest a world where goals have broken, leaving behind only remains of what once was. The work speaks to personal and collective trauma, representing the development of dreams, culture, and identity in the face of existential uncertainty.

Technique: Mathieu's installation uses a raw, organic approach to create a fragile, unstable structure. The skeletal metal framework is set up to match a collapsed structure. The white, distorted sculptures are placed randomly, adding to the sense of weakening. The torn fabrics are purposely distressed and unevenly hung, creating a sense of neglect. The placement of these elements is disordered, giving the impression of a breaking environment or a society in collapse. The technique of using minimalistic use of materials like fabric, wire, and clay gives the work an almost improvised feel, further deepening themes of deconstruction and despair.

Why it displeased me: While the chaotic nature of Les désenchantés is impactful, the overwhelming sense of disorder left me feeling more estranged than moved. The rough, unfinished quality of the work felt too raw, taking away from its emotional depth. However, this rawness may be exactly what some viewers find fascinating, as it does successfully communicate vulnerability and disappointment in a powerful way. Despite my personal discomfort with the piece, I can appreciate its intent and its expressive analysis of fragility.

[duccnguyen]

The 23,000-square-foot collecting museum was designed by the architecture firm Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects @VISITFLORIDA #LoveFL @MiamiandBeaches #FoundinMiami @MOCANOMI #mocanomi @gska_ny (at Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami) https://www.instagram.com/p/B503M0nnTBS/?igshid=127ykrvkd6vr0

[soflanights]

“Monarchs: Brown and Native Contemporary Artists in the Path of the Butterfly” reception with curator Risa Puleo and a walkthrough tour ft talk with Onajide Shabaka at #MOCANOMI @MOCANOMI 📹 by #SoFlaNights - https://www.soflanights.com/archives/260477 (at Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami)

[anjamarais]

Progress of installation for the South Florida Cultural Consortium at @mocanomi. Opening will be June 15th. #sfcc #mocanomi #monroeartcouncil (at Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami)

[eclecticnetwork-blog]

ARS MEMORIA, A Collection from MOCA’s Permanent Collection

A Selection from MOCA’s Permanent Collection

Opening Reception

Saturday, June 20, 2015

6-9PM

Free for members, $10 non-members

RSVP

This exhibition of ONE HUNDRED works from MOCA's permanent collection are conceived as modes of recollection and determination. These have been sites of appropriation, contestation, adoption and rejection that inscribe memory in their structures.

MOCA North Miami, 770 NE 125 Street, Miami, FL 33161