MOCA Turns Spotlight on Contemporary Art as the Existence of Higher Dimensions
The Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami (MOCA) launched the Art Basel Miami Beach season with the presentation of The Other Dimension by Cuban-born, Miami artist Antuan Rodriguez. This is the first U.S. solo exhibition for the artist and the first time the museum is completely dedicated to a local artist’s exhibition, including the Courtyard. Curated by Jorge Luis Gutierrez, The Other Dimension addresses the constant human concern for universal communication through forms, symbols and codes. The exhibition is open to the public through January 22, 2017.
The Other Dimension kicked off Art Basel Miami Beach Week with a party and meet-and-greet with the artist on Wednesday, November 30, 2016. Sponsors of the opening reception included Arte Al Limite, Island’s Gem Spring Water, Savino & Miller Design Studio, SoL? Mia Miami, Deep Eddy Vodka, Santa Teresa Rum, Johnson & Wales University, Whole Foods Market, and Lukes’ Landscaping.
In MOCA’s courtyard, guests enjoyed live performances by Spam Allstars and DJ Umber Bandi-Ville. The courtyard was enhanced by a specially commissioned fence by Antuan Rodriguez, titled Flower of Life, that will permanently enclose MOCA’s courtyard, creating an intimate space. The making of the fence studio exhibition component is currently on view in the Pavilion where MOCA students are introduced to practical applications of art.
The Other Dimension reveals an artist who sees the universe from a range of diverse scientific, philosophical and cultural perspectives, all integrated into one single approach. The exhibition is presented in seven differentiated rooms, symbolizing five narratives that are not perceptibly different from each other, although the extremes are quite distinct. Rodriguez’s inventive artistic layout among the exhibition spaces makes The Other Dimension a participatory show for all audiences.
“Within this framework, exhibition visitors encounter Antuan’s works in an expressive itinerary of installations -- mixed media and video – which interprets human thought and reality in the combination and variants of myth, metaphor and archetype,” says Gutierrez. “Antuan’s pluralistic perspective itself constitutes a middle-ground between created and realist approaches to meanings, which leaves viewers with more paths to follow and tales to spin.”
“You won’t see Rodriguez’s unique art presentation anywhere else in South Florida,” MOCA’s Interim Director Natasha Colebrook-Williams said. “He has transformed the gallery space into a territory of interaction, a space with many questions and not necessarily many answers.”
The Other Dimension follows the idea of the exhibition as a space of discovery, a continuum of stories presented by the artist. As such, Rodriguez’s artworks never seem to cease, as if there is always more to come. Artwork made from objects of use, fragments, parts, and add-ons are characterized more by their components than as a methodological strategy.
The Other Dimension presents five narratives composed of:
1-Words that Kill
2-Changing Our Fables
3-On the Verge of the Other Dimension
4-The Other Dimension
5-Archeology of Paths
Which are followed by:
6-Om Mani Padme Hum
7-Precarious Balance: Left or Right (installation in the MOCA courtyard)
8-Flower of Life
Born in Villa Clara, Cuba, Rodriguez graduated from the Universidad Felix Varela with a specialty of Fine Arts. With an intense training in visual arts, he left Cuba for France to continue his training and education in art. He also holds a Master’s degree in Bronze Casting under the direction of sculptor Joseph Castell and was granted a Fine Arts Scholarship to receive his Master’s degree specializing in Iron and Resin at the Atelier D’Ros Mari in Valencia, Spain. Since then, Rodriguez designed and produced many prestigious exhibitions around the world, including Base Paint, during Art Basel Miami Beach in 2010.
“The Antuan Rodriguez exhibition is the latest in MOCA’s storied succession of cutting-edge contemporary art presentations,” said Colebrook-Williams. “Our mission continues to be to present diverse programs and serve the entire South Florida community. MOCA is equally proud of the international outlook it is able to present with support from regional artists, especially during the Art Basel Miami Beach season when the eyes of the global art world are focused here.”
The Other Dimension exhibition runs through January 22, 2017. Admission to MOCA is $5, but is free to MOCA members and North Miami residents.
About Museum of Contemporary Art North MiamiThe Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) is dedicated to making contemporary art accessible to diverse audiences – especially underserved populations – through the collection, preservation and exhibition of the best of contemporary art and its art historical influences. The Museum is located at 770 NE 125th Street, North Miami, FL 33161. It is open Tuesday–Friday from 11 a.m.–5 p.m., Saturday 1–9 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m.–5 p.m. (closed Mondays and major holidays). For more information, visit mocanomi.org or call 305-893-6211.
