There’s a new museum in town. Well, not exactly. The Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (ICA Miami), established by the Board of Trustees and the former staff of the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami (MOCA) has reinvented itself in a new setting, and will now resurface to showcase contemporary art in a “temporary” space in the landmark Moore Building in Miami’s Design District. The space has been provided rent-free by Miami Design District Associates while the Board continues to plan for the establishment of a new, permanent location.
Andra Ursuta. Lucian. Installation view. Private collection / Photo Uli Holz.
ICA Miami will open to the public in December 2014 during Art Basel Week with two major exhibitions dedicated to the work of contemporary artists Pedro Reyes and Andra Ursuta. “We are thrilled to inaugurate our new space with two exhibitions that exemplify our commitment to advancing the work of the most innovative and thought-provoking artists of our time,” states Irma Braman, Co-Chair of ICA Miami’s Board of Trustees.
The museum will be free and open to the public, supporting its goal of expanding educational resources and providing the widest possible access to contemporary art. Opening celebrations for the new museum and its inaugural exhibitions will be held on December 2, 2014.
The exhibition Andra Ursuta presents new and recent works by the Romanian-born, New York-based artist, whose sculpture and installations engage with the psychology of power and modernism and are rooted deeply in personal history. Amidst the heavily gridded architecture of the Moore Building, the artist reconfigures the viewing experience as part of her ongoing investigation of the gallery as a site of contestation.
Andra Ursuta. Soft Power. Installation view. Private collection / Photo Uli Holz.
Ursuta’s work was recently featured in The Encyclopedic Palace at the 55th Venice Biennale, and in solo exhibitions at Milan’s Peep-Hole (2014) and at Los Angeles’ Hammer Museum (2014). A catalog published by Walther Koenig in collaboration with ICA Miami and the Koelnischer Kunstverein accompanies the exhibit.
On view concurrently in ICA Miami’s second-floor galleries will be Pedro Reyes’s installation Sanatorium, an ongoing performative project that mixes art and psychology. The installation takes the form of a transient clinic, in which receptionists and “therapists” trained by the artist, help visitors with their individual needs. First presented at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in 2011, the installation has been radically adapted with each subsequent iteration.
Trained as an architect, born and based in Mexico, Reyes is know for his structures, relational installations, and his performance and video work, which have been shown internationally including at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Documenta in Germany, and the Carnegie International Exhibition, among many others.
Pedro Reyes. Sanatorium. Photos courtesy of the artist.
“With these expansive, richly-layered, and visually compelling solo exhibitions by two of the leading artists in the art world internationally, we are highlighting our deep commitment to rigor, quality, and excellence in contemporary art,” explains ICA’s Interim Director Suzanne Weaver.
On view from December 3, 2014 through March 2015, the two exhibitions reflect ICA Miami’s mission of presenting boundary-pushing experimental contemporary art for audiences throughout the Miami region, across the country, and internationally. ■
