The Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (ICA Miami) opens to the public on December 3, with two major exhibitions dedicated to the work of contemporary artists Pedro Reyes and Andra Ursuta. On view through March 2015, and curated by Deputy Director and Chief Curator Alex Gartenfeld, the exhibitions reflect ICA Miami's mission of presenting boundary-pushing experimental contemporary art for audiences throughout the Miami region, across the country, and internationally. Located in the Miami Design District's landmark Moore Building, the museum will be free to the public, supporting its goal of expanding educational resources and providing the widest possible access to contemporary art.
In honor of the exhibitions and the inauguration of its new museum galleries, ICA Miami will host an opening celebration on Tuesday, December 2, from 7 to 9pm. Hosted by Interview magazine, and presented by Forevermark, ICA Miami's opening celebration is the official museum kick-off event for Miami Art Week during Art Basel Miami Beach. The event will be open to all ICA members.
Andra Ursuta: As I Lay Drying presents new and recent works by the New York-based artist, whose sculpture and installation engages with the psychology of power and modernism and is rooted deeply in personal history. Amidst the gridded architecture of ICA Miami's Atrium Gallery, the artist has created a dramatic site-specific installation, involving platforms that elevate the works above the ground floor, reconfiguring the viewing experience. Among the works on view in ICA Miami's Atrium Gallery are Soft Power 1 and 2 (2013), monumental inflatable fists made of patchwork-quilted comforters, whose fabrication and motion reflect upon the complex histories of patriotism and protest. 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's Hammer Museum (2014). Andra Ursuta: As I Lay Drying is accompanied by a catalogue published by Walther Koenig in collaboration with ICA Miami and the Kölnischer Kunstverein. The exhibition in Miami is curated by Alex Gartenfeld and organized by ICA Miami in collaboration with the Kölnischer Kunstverein, Germany.
On view concurrently in ICA Miami's second floor galleries is 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. Reyes's therapies leverage a range of methods—from Gestalt psychology, psychodrama, and hypnosis, to theater warm-up exercises, conflict-resolution techniques, and trust-building games. First presented at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in 2011, and radically adapted with each subsequent iteration, Sanatorium at ICA Miami reflects the region's dynamic landscape and community. Trained as an architect, born and based in Mexico, Reyes is known for his structures, relational installations, and his performance and video work, which have been presented internationally including at the Walker Art Center, Documenta, and the Carnegie International, among many others.
About the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami
The Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (ICA Miami), is dedicated to promoting continuous experimentation in contemporary art, and to the exchange of art and ideas throughout the Miami region and internationally. Through an energetic calendar of exhibitions and programs, and its collections, the ICA Miami provides an important international platform for the work of local, emerging, and under-recognized artists, and advances the public appreciation and understanding of the most innovative art of our time.
Established by the Board of Trustees and former staff from the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, ICA Miami is currently located in the landmark Moore Building, which has been provided rent-free by Miami Design District Associates as the Board continues to plan for the establishment of a new, permanent location. The museum will open to the public with free admission in December.
Media contacts:
Regional media: Tommy Ralph Pace, Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami
tpace@icamiami.org / T +1 305 901 5272 ext.102
National media: Juliet Sorce/Chelsea Bruck, Resnicow Schroeder Associates
jsorce@resnicowschroeder.com / cbruck@resnicowschroeder.com / T +1 212 671 5158/5164
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