MasterMind Award Finalists: Narrative

There's more than the one way to tell a story. The finalists in our next category of MasterMind awards spin yarns through dance, happenings, performance, theater, and cinema. And next week, on February 10, we'll choose one the following three artists for a $1,500 genius grant during our annual Artopia party. We'll also chose one from the Visual and Sound categories. (Read about the Visual finalists here and the Sound finalists on Crossfade.) A big thanks to all the artists who applied. We had a very difficult job narrowing Miami's rich and creative talent to just nine finalists.

Ana Mendez

Ana Mendez's dance recalls a David Lynch movie; dark and heady, it

touches on the occult and evokes the power of ritual. For "Tribute: A

Summoning," the breakout performance of art collaborative Psychic Youth,

Inc., men in suits and dark glasses writhe to analog sounds in a

movement-based séance set to the music of British producer Joe Meek. In

"Waking Spell," an improvisational dance set to spontaneous musical

cues, performers seem to step around scenes from a slasher film. If you

think you know modern dance, take another look. Read about Mendez's projects and inspirations in our 100 Creatives profile.

Jillian Mayer

From suntans to boobs, it's sometimes hard to tell what's real in the

Magic City. Which makes Jillian Mayer's videos and performance pieces a

fitting commentary on that blurred virtual line we walk every day. In

her video, "Scenic Jogging," Mayer sprints next to projected pastoral

landscapes that are nothing more than desktop screensavers. In her

experimental musical Mrs. Ms, she slices open the idea of marriage by

trying to marry her Chihuahua, using tropes from Saturday morning

children's television. Mayer's performances synthesize Miranda July's

whimsy, Yoko Ono's conceptuality, and Sarah Silverman's biting comedy.

They're so smart and entertaining, the Guggenheim museum recently

recognized Mayer's work before the artist had even staged her first solo

show. Learn more about Mayer's work in 100 Creative profile of the artist.

Jorge Rubiera

In Meniscus, the first feature film written and directed by Jorge

Rubiera, an estranged son of an infamous author inherits his father's

estate. The visually stunning black and white film deals with the heavy

weight of the muse and the complicated relationships between fathers and

sons. In vérité style, Rubiera underscores the surreal elements of

everyday life using first time-actors, environments rather than sets,

and Steadicam or handheld cameras to mimic human movements. Rubiera has

also applied his narrative and visual skills to nine short films, a

documentary about a Russian composer, and music videos for his band

Animal Tropical. Check out our 100 Creative profile of Rubiera.