- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Miami and help keep the future of New Times free.
Man might be able to erect soaring skyscrapers on postage stamp-sized plots of land but nature remains unimpressed. If the recent Tsunami in Japan taught us something it's that our efforts to yoke nature to our needs is futile at best. "The Wilderness," the new exhibit opening Sunday at the Miami Art Museum explores the real or imagined boundaries between our notions of tamed or untamed nature MAM's associate curator, Rene Morales says.
At a time when we are constantly reminded that we are destroying the
planet, the exhibit reminds us how vulnerable we remain when nature
decides to strike back. "Several of the works in this group exhibit question the assumptions of our dominion over nature," Morales says.
On display you'll find a provocative selection of film and sculptural
installations by artists Darren Almond, David Brooks, Tacita Dean,
Christy Gast and Allan McCollum - in addition to works by Matthew
Buckingham, Aramis Gutierrez and Fernando Ortega.
Among these is a sprawling installation by Alan McCollum in which the
artist joined forces with scientists and employed small rockets to
trigger lightning strikes into sand. The bolts created fulgurites which
he had replicated in a souvenir shop before arranging them in a stunning
display at MAM.
In his video installation Arctic Pull, Darren Almond isolates a lone
figure battling the frozen gloom of a tarry Siberian night reminding one
of man's epic struggles to conquer uncharted lands.
"In different ways, each work dramatically underscores the
intertwinement of nature and the human sphere, while evoking some of the
psychological, political, ethical and ecological ramifications of our
historical tendency to conceive of them as separate entities," Morales
explains.
"While we may never fully escape the idea that we stand above or outside
the natural world, it is within our power to confront this assumption
critically," Morales adds. "In this way, we may yet find new ways to
mitigate its most destructive consequences".
"The Wilderness" opens Sunday at Miami Art Museum (101 West Flagler St.,
Miami) and runs through June 26. Call 305-375-3000 or visit
miamiartmuseum.org.
Follow Cultist on Facebook and Twitter @CultistMiami
Keep Miami New Times Free... Since we started Miami New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Miami, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Miami with no paywalls.
