Face Your Past

During a new exhibit at the Miami Art Museum, Rivane Neuenschwander will re-create the mug of your youthful source of ardor with the help of a police sketch artist. Neuenschwander’s First Love, an installation inspired by Samuel Beckett’s novella of the same name, is on view as part of “A Day Like Any Other,” the first midcareer survey of the Brazilian artist’s work. Along with her arresting perp walk of former flames, the museum’s galleries will overflow with enigmatic and poetically evocative works. Rain Rain, a gallery-flooding environment of dripping buckets suspended from the ceiling, duplicates a downpour. Swap your secret desires with a stranger in I Wish Your Wish, an installation of thousands of colorful ribbons printed with the hopes of others who have visited the installation. Simply remove one of the votive offerings and replace it with your own. Neuenschwander’s inspiration comes from the tradition of a church in Bahia, Brazil, where the faithful bind ribbons to their wrists and believe their dreams become manifest once the ribbons wear away. These innovative works — which include painting, photography, film, sculpture, installations, and participatory actions — make memories that linger long after you leave the building. Hear from Neuenschwander at an artist talk at the museum Saturday. The exhibition opens Sunday at noon and runs through October 16.
Sat., July 16, 6:30 p.m.; Tuesdays-Sundays, noon. Starts: July 16. Continues through Oct. 16, 2011