46. Monica Lopez de Victoria

In honor of our MasterMind genius awards, Cultist proudly presents "100 Creatives," where we feature Miami's cultural superheroes in random order. Have suggestions for future profiles? Email [email protected] with the whos and whys.

 46. Monica Lopez de Victoria
 

A roller skating crew freestyles in a circle while Otto Von Schirach's brand of art techno and lowdown dirty Miami bass thumps in the background. An above-ground pool teems with synchronized swimmers whose images project onto the walls via elaborate mirrors. All around the crowd, a collision of fabric prints, video game-like depictions, and bright colors pulsate on the screens. And in the middle of it all, stands Monica Lopez de Victoria, dressed in beautiful, tangled yarn courtesy of Karelle Levy. No, it's not your latest dream after consuming a bevy of ill-advised substances. It's the mixture of technology, pop culture criticism, athleticism, and pure, unadulterated fun that has become the signature mark of TM Sisters performances.

The artistic duo consists of two sisters from North Miami; At 29,

Monica is the eldest by two years. Both got their start sewing,

collaging, creating fanzines, and throwing parties while home-schooled.

Their parents, who are of Puerto Rican, German, and Swedish descent,

instilled a strong do-it-yourself work ethic. Their father is a preacher

turned psychologist and professor. "We were raised with intense

psychological and spiritual discussions regarding behavior, relationships, creativity, and truth," says Monica. 

After graduating from Florida International University with a bachelors in photography, Monica began collaborating with her sister on videos, large-scale installations, performance art, clothing, VJ sets, and fanzines. A video piece at Bas Fischer International that featured 35 local artists passing on "creative energy" to each other gained the attention of critics. Since then, TM Sisters work has been featured in the second Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art and at Performa07 in New York. Locust Projects selected the pair from an applicant pool of 72 artists to receive the Hilger Artist Project Award. They were also included in the international exhibition "Uncertain States of America: American Art in the 3rd Millennium" curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Daniel Birnbaum, and Gunnar B. Kvaran.

As if that's enough, Monica is also a professional synchronized swimmer. She is part of Dolphinettes of Miami, a troupe which has performed for movies, commercials, and the 2004 MTV Video Awards afterparty.

1. List five things that inspire you.

The vast sparkling water/ocean, people with strong and impacting energy, the colors of the tropical sky, coincidences, my friends.

2. What was your last big project?

My last big project was working with my sister, Tasha, and my brother, Sam, on an interactive video called "Hi Pressure" of an ocean underwater scene. It was projected into the facade of the Drake Hotel in Toronto and was for an all night art event called Nuit Blanche. We had built a stage across the street with joysticks built into the hand rails so that the participants could play the divers on screen and shoot the crabs that were coming out of the windows and other underwater characters/animals. It was a big hit!

3. What's your next big project?

It will probably be a short or feature length film... we are currently in the brainstorming stage.

4. Why do you do what you do?

Because it just continuously has to come out and I love it!

5. What's something you want Miami to know about you? What's something you don't want Miami to know about you?

I am a type 1 diabetic.

The Creatives so far:

47. Bill Bilowit
48. Alette Simmons-Jimenez
49. Tawnie Silva
50. Ginger Bardot
51. Jonathan David Kane
52. Naomi Fisher
53. Rocky Grimes
54. Teresa Barcelo
55. Paul Tei
56. Lee Materazzi