Introduction

This digital exhibition guide, written by PAMM Edu, highlights and provides additional context on the Permanent Collection curated by Chief Curator Gilbert Vicario.

Iscariot Blues

Chris Ofili
Iscariot Blues, 2006 Oil and charcoal on linen
281 x 194.9 cm (110 5/8 x 76 3/4 in)

Iscariot Blues by Chris Ofili is a painting from 2006. It is made of oil and charcoal on linen. It measures roughly nine feet by six feet. It is hung in portrait orientation, meaning its shortest side runs parallel to the ground.

The painting depicts the hanging of a figure as two others watch.

The painting is monochromatic, meaning it is composed of mostly one color and its various tonalities. The background of the composition is a dark blue. From the top of the canvas there are leaves, vines, and branches hanging and drooping toward the bottom of the image. They are mostly black various shades of dark blue. Underneath them there are two figures dressed in farmer’s clothing. Their features are largely obscured and their skin is mostly black. The figure on the left has a striped shirt and is holding what appears to be maracas. To the right, the other figure is sitting down, and wears a solid colored shirt with a large collar. They are holding what appears to be either a guitar or banjo. To their right is the hanging figure who appears to be naked. Their skin appears to be either rotting or becoming foliage. Its head is aimed toward the sky and appears to have a calm expression. All three figures are on top of featureless gallows made of rectangular beams.

Chris Ofili

Chris Ofili is a British contemporary artist known for his distinctive and often provocative artworks that explore themes of identity, race, cultural heritage, and spirituality. Ofili gained prominence in the 1990s for his unique approach to painting, which often combines a variety of materials, including glitter, resin, beads, and elephant dung.

He studied at the Chelsea School of Art in London and the Royal College of Art, where he developed his artistic style and experimented with different techniques.

He frequently incorporates references to African and Afro-Caribbean cultures in his works, exploring issues of cultural hybridity and identity. He also draws inspiration from European histories, biblical stories, spirituality, and personal experiences to weave together narratives from different cultures and mythologies to create layered artworks both physically and conceptually.

Transformation instable, juxtaposition, superposition, 1963/2014

Francisco Sobrino
b. 1932, Guadalajara, Spain; d. 2014, Paris
Transformation instable, juxtaposition, superposition, 1963/2014. Tinted plexiglass. Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, gift of Karen Bechtel

Transformation instable, juxtaposition, superposition by Francisco Sobrino is a sculpture made between 1963 and 2014. It is made out of tinted plexiglass. It measures roughly fifteen feet by fifteen feet by five feet.

The sculpture takes the shape of a lower-case “T” with a square around it when viewed from the front. However, as it is made of several layers of plexi-glass, it takes on different shapes when viewed from different angles. The plexi-glass is all tinted in a light purple color and in equal square shapes. As the layers of plexi-glass become denser, the color of the sculpture becomes darker in those areas and lighter in color in the areas with less layers of plex-glass. This gives the impression and feeling of a shape that is almost floating and cloud-like with variations of density and weight.

Francisco Sobrino

Francisco Sobrino, born in 1932 in Guadalajara, Spain, and later based in Paris, France, was a pivotal artist in the development of Kinetic and Op Art during the mid-20th century. His innovative approach to art centered on geometric abstraction and the manipulation of materials to create dynamic, visually engaging artworks. Sobrino was a prominent figure in the Kinetic Art movement, which focused on integrating movement and optical effects into art. Alongside artists like Jesús Rafael Soto and Victor Vasarely, he contributed significantly to shaping this movement. His artworks are known for their ability to transform and evolve as viewers interact with them, epitomizing the participatory nature of Kinetic Art.

Central to Sobrino's artistic vocabulary were simple geometric forms such as squares, rectangles, and cubes. He employed these shapes to construct intricate compositions that seemed to pulse, shift, and vibrate. Sobrino used various materials, notably plexiglass and metal, which he manipulated to produce optical illusions and dynamic effects.

Cai Cai Marrom

Ernesto Neto
b. 1964, Rio de Janeiro; lives in Rio de Janeiro
Cai Cai Marrom, 2007 Polyamide, wood, and spices 196 3/4 x 118 x 118 inches
Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, museum purchase with funds provided by PAMM's Collectors Council

Cai Cai Marrom by Ernesto Neto is a sculpture from 2007. It is made of polyamide, wood, and spices. It measures roughly sixteen feet by ten feet by ten feet.

The sculpture is made of Polyamide, also known as Lycra, a fabric material. The central piece of fabric is a large brown-red but translucent color, and it is hung from the ceiling. From the central piece which is mostly round in shape at its base with a singular peak where it is hung from, medium sized holes give way for darker brown stretches of fabric that are filled with spices, giving them weight and forcing the fabric to stretch toward the ground. It gives the appearance of appendages stemming from the base of the central structure.

Ernesto Neto

Ernesto Neto is a Brazilian artist. He is renowned for his distinctive choice of materials, which often include soft, tactile, and semi-translucent substances such as Lycra, stockings, and nylon. With these materials, Neto crafts large-scale, organic forms that often seem to blur the boundary between living organisms and inanimate objects. His sculptures and installations, frequently suspended from gallery ceilings or displayed in a way that encourages viewer interaction, are as much about tactile engagement as they are about visual aesthetics.

A defining characteristic of Neto's work is its profound emphasis on sensory engagement. Fragrant spices, aromatic herbs, and other scents are often infused into his installations, filling the air with an olfactory experience. Cai Cai Marrom, like much of Neto’s work, seems to invite viewers to interact with it in different ways than traditional works of art. Often leading viewers to touch and even rest within the realms of the piece.

Ernesto Neto's art is deeply rooted in a diverse array of influences, including Brazilian culture, indigenous traditions, and spirituality. He draws from the rich tapestry of Brazilian life and incorporates elements of shamanism and ritualistic practices into his installations. This infusion of cultural and spiritual themes underscores his exploration of connection, community, and the human body. Beyond the sensory experience, Neto's installations often carry social and political undertones. He employs art as a powerful means of communication, addressing issues such as environmental sustainability, indigenous rights, and cultural diversity.

Plumed Crest

Miguel Angel Ríos
b. 1943, Catamarca, Argentina; lives in New York and Mexico
Plumed Crest, 1993 Paint, Cibachrome prints pleated and mounted on canvas, thumbtacks, and graphite wall drawing 137 1/2 x 236 inches
Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, gift of anonymous donor

Plumed Crest by Miguel Angel Rios is a mixed media piece from 1993. It is made of paint, cibachrome prints pleated and mounted on canvas, thumbtacks, and graphite wall drawing. It measures roughly eleven feet by twenty feet. The piece consists of a large map that has been cut and folded and then fixed to a canvas. It is layered with graphite. The wrinkled texture of the map creates the impression of ridges and valleys when viewed from close and of feathers when viewed from afar. The map is not pasted in sequence and is instead placed at an offset in a circular pattern which creates the effect of a distorted map that ripples from the cardinal directions that are visible at the bottom center of the piece. The piece is various shades of off-white with streaks of black, red, yellow, blue in a pattern around the arc-shape that the piece creates.

Miguel Angel Ríos

Miguel Angel Ríos is a multidisciplinary contemporary artist celebrated from Argentina. His work spans video art, photography, installations, and sculpture. His work often is charged with political narratives, like Plumed Crest which alludes to colonialism and the effects it has had on Native Americans.

He is known to often combine video, photography, sculpture, and installation to create multidimensional and immersive artworks that aim to engage viewers and challenge their perceptions.

At the heart of Ríos's work lies an exploration of borders, violence, and socio-political issues that permeate border regions. His upbringing in Argentina and his experiences living in both Argentina and the United States have profoundly influenced his art. This thematic thread weaves through much of his work, reflecting on the human consequences of borders and the often harsh realities faced by those who must traverse them.

Dark Mirror

Carlos Amorales
b. 1970, Mexico City; lives in Mexico City
Dark Mirror, 2008/2018 Resin and automotive paint
Approximate: 162 x 132 inches
Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, museum purchase with funds provided by Carol and George Crapple

Dark Mirror by Carlos Amorales is a sculpture from 2008 and 2018. It is made of resin and automotive paint. It measures roughly thirteen and a half feet by eleven feet.

The sculpture takes the form of what looks like a bird. Its wings are extended and it lays on the floor. It is painted with glossy black paint that gives it a reflective quality. The entire sculpture is made of many individual small pieces that appear as if the bird is made of glass, fell, and shattered on the floor. Through the cracks in between the pieces, the floor of the gallery is visible.

Carlos Amorales

Carlos Amorales is a Mexican multi-disciplinary artist known for his diverse artistic practice that spans a multitude of mediums, including drawing, painting, sculpture, video, performance, and animation. Amorales has developed a distinctive visual language that blends Mexican folklore and mythology with contemporary and global influences.

At the core of Carlos Amorales's art lies a visual language that he meticulously cultivated over the years, known as the "Liquid Archive." This extensive collection encompasses drawings, animations, and other works characterized by a repertoire of pictograms and symbols unique to Amorales. These symbols serve as a visual encyclopedia of his artistic vocabulary, offering a bridge between abstraction and representation, tradition and innovation.

Through his art, Amorales delves into questions of cultural identity, linguistic identity, and the ways in which symbols and images shape our understanding of self and society.

You Keep Our Spirit Safe Between All Within the Day to Night

Patrick Dean Hubbell, You Keep Our Spirit Safe Between All Within the Day to Night, 2022

Patrick Dean Hubbell
b. 1986, Navajo, New Mexico; lives in Navajo
You Keep Our Spirit Safe Between All Within the Day to Night, 2022
Oil, acrylic, enamel, acrylic dispersion, sewing on canvas, and wood stretcher bar
76 x 72 inches

You Keep Our Spirit Safe Between All Within the Day to Night is an unstretched painting made with oil, acrylic, enamel, acrylic dispersion, sewing on canvas, and wooden stretcher bar. The work is in vertical orientation, meaning that its shortest side runs parallel to the ground. Overall, the work measures a little over six feet tall and is exactly six feet wide.

The painting resembles a woven tapestry, with multiple layers of canvas overlapping each other bound by a single stretcher bar that hangs horizontally on the wall. The foremost and shortest canvas layer has been left raw with fringed ends that extend the full length of the piece. Its tan-colored base is painted with black and red splatters that resemble blood, while its surface is covered in a uniform pattern of white crosses. Underneath this short canvas and slightly to the right, a longer piece of canvas is painted white with a uniform pattern of crosses that drip with black paint. Underneath this layer, two equally long pieces of canvas form the base of the piece. The corners of the fabric have been treated to appear as though they have tassels hanging from their ends. The piece on the left is covered in rough white and black stripes, and black paint splatters across its surface. While the piece on the right is painted black with a crudely drawn white zigzag pattern, with paint dripping from the zigzag patterns as if it were bleeding down the surface.

Patrick Dean Hubbell

Patrick Dean Hubbell is a contemporary Native American artist known for his intricate and culturally rich artworks that delve into his Navajo heritage and identity. Drawing inspiration from his Navajo descent, Hubbell's art weaves a tapestry of symbolism, patterns, and imagery rooted in Navajo culture, spirituality, and tradition. His artistic practice encompasses a diverse range of mediums, including painting, drawing, printmaking, and mixed media.

At the heart of Hubbell's art is an exploration of identity, both personal and collective. His work grapples with the complex relationship between his contemporary identity as a Native American artist and the deep-rooted heritage and traditions of the Navajo people. Through his use of symbols and motifs, Hubbell navigates the intricate relationship between tradition and modernity.

Twisting Roots Summon the Thorns

Leslie Martinez, Twisting Roots Summon the Thorns, 2023.

Leslie Martinez
b. 1985, McAllen, Texas; lives in Dallas, Texas
Twisting Roots Summon the Thorns, 2023.
Fabric and paper scraps, charcoal, fine
ballast, pumice and acrylic on canvas
90 x 70 x 5 inches
Gift of Michael Sobel

Twisting Roots Summon the Thorns by Leslie Martinez is a mixed media piece from 2023. It is made of fabric and paper scraps, charcoal, fine ballast, pumice and acrylic on canvas. It measures roughly seven and a half feet by six feet by five inches. It is hung in portrait orientation, meaning its shortest side runs parallel to the ground.

The piece is an example of an abstraction.

The piece is composed of bright colors and lush textures that extend the two dimensional plane of traditional paintings. The majority of the piece is a rich light blue, that coupled with the overlapping texture of the paper and fabric, gives the impression of waves crashing into each other in the ocean. Scattered throughout are bursts of colors: greens that look like hills covered in grass, and deep reds surrounded by yellows and oranges that look like reflections of the sun. There are also instances of deep shadows made of black that give the piece more depth and light grays that help create a sense of movement.

Leslie Martinez

Leslie Martinez is a trans artist from the Rio Grande Valley of the South Texas-Mexico border. Their work uses recycled materials from their studio to create pieces that are heavily textured and brightly covered as a means to think about climate in both physical environment and sociopolitics and how both go through a cycle of damage and healing. The pieces offer a perspective of a world that acknowledges self-determination, joy, and resilience.

Finding Faith

Tidawhitney Lek b. 1992, Long Beach, California; lives in Los Angeles Finding Faith, 2022 Acrylic and pastel on canvas 72 x 144 inches, overall Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, museum purchase with funds provided by PAMM's Collectors Council, with additional funds provided by Camille and Patrick McDowell, James Curnin, Frank Destra, and Lorena and Evelio Gomez

Tidawhitney Lek
b. 1992, Long Beach, California; lives in Los Angeles
Finding Faith, 2022 Acrylic and pastel on canvas 72 x 144 inches, overall
Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, museum purchase with funds provided by PAMM's Collectors Council, with additional funds provided by Camille and Patrick McDowell, James Curnin, Frank Destra, and Lorena and Evelio Gomez

Finding Faith is a painting made with acrylic and pastel on canvas. The work is in horizontal orientation, meaning that its longest side is parallel to the ground. Overall, the painting measures six feet tall and twelve feet wide.

This painting blurs the line between interior domestic space with the world outside. It is a colorful rendering of a bedroom space with walls that are dusty pink, seen from the edge of where the floor meets the wall.

On the left half of the painting, there is an open closet that is painted with dark black, inky brush strokes. Clothes emerge from the shadows with brightly colored brushstrokes indicating jacket sleeves and other items. Just below the clothing, there are a pair of green hands with long coral-colored fingernails. The green hands float in the darkness, as if they belonged to a monster or other-worldly creature. The closet floor is painted sandy brown. Long, green blades of grass are sparsely placed throughout. This sandy brown extends onto the bedroom floor, making it seem as though it were spilling out of the closet into the interior.

On the face of one of the sliding closet doors, there is an image of a monk with orange robes. The monk is in mid-step alongside a carved, marble-colored column and their back turned against the viewer. The panel behind it, from which only a sliver is seen, depicts a sunset sky. At the bottom of this sliver, there is a white face that resembles a beast from traditional Asian theater. The face is painted cartoonishly, with a big round black eye and white iris, as well as a big red mouth with sharp teeth. A hand with deep brown skin and long pink nails wraps around the edge of the closet door in front of it that shows the monk.

The right half of the painting has an open doorway showing a sky at sunset. Inky clouds are painted with creamy orange and yellow, ruby red, and cerulean blue. A body is shown walking out of the frame of the door with the edge of a zigzag patterned skirt with a pointed foot wearing a golden heel. To the right of this open doorway, there is an edge of a window showing a blue sky through black iron bars. Lilac colored roses lean in from the window and into the interior space of the bedroom.

Tidawhitney Lek

Tidawhitney Lek is an artist from California of Cambodian descent. Her work focuses on her experiences with her family as a person from Cambodia and the generational trauma she recognized within her family upon her graduation from college. She has stated that the use of hands emerging from spaces in her work is a representation of trauma and how it can appear in unexpected places. The use of multiple frames and different sceneries represent familiar memories and the motif of the closet represents where the memories are being hidden from future generations. Her paintings explore how in an effort to protect younger generations, histories can be lost and forgotten while also creating distrust and confusion.

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Permanent Collection