Representatives of MOCA Americas visited Sky Islands, an exhibition by Colombian photographer Felipe Aguilar at The Miami Photographic Observatory (MPhO), a project of Aluna Art Foundation. Aguilar, a Colombian artist who has lived in Miami for ten years, is taking part in the MPhO artist residency as its sixth artist in residence. The exhibition was curated by Aluna Curatorial Collective, the foundation's curatorial collective.
The visit expresses MOCA Americas' support for Aluna Art Foundation, a nonprofit organization that, like MOCA Americas, supports and gives visibility to artists from the South Florida community. For years we have known and supported the work of Aluna, which curates and organizes exhibitions for artists from our community. During the visit we also met Andreína Fuentes, artist and founder and director of Arts Connection Foundation, an initiative dedicated to promoting cultural exchange, supporting emerging artists and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration between communities. With her and her foundation we share goals and interests around art and cultural collaboration. Our presence at Sky Islands recognizes the work of Aluna and accompanies Aguilar in the context of his artist residency in Miami.
This meeting is part of MOCA Americas' Art and Community programs, which promote dialogue and ties between artists from the Americas and the communities where they develop their work. Aguilar's career, as a Colombian living in Miami, reflects those cultural ties.
The opening of Sky Islands coincided with the launch of Photographs for Colombia: A Special Benefit Sale Supporting Earthquake Recovery. The initiative brings together a special selection of photographs from Aguilar's Potente series; the funds raised go toward supporting recovery efforts in Colombia following the recent earthquake.
Venue: The Miami Photographic Observatory (MPhO)
Address: 1444 SW 7th Street, Miami, FL 33135