ExhibitionFebruary 10, 2025
Mirror of the Mind: Figuration in the Jorge M. Pérez Collection
The exhibition delves into human experience through over 120 works that engage with figuration and portraiture to explore themes of perception, trauma, healing, belonging, and the body as a vessel for emotional and physical transformation. Co-curated by Patricia M. Hanna, Director Jorge M. Pérez Collection, and curator Anelys Alvarez, "Mirror of the Mind" examines the body's role in personal and collective identity, highlighting its materiality and immateriality. From the intimate to the communal, the exhibition offers a visual journey through the complexities of the human condition, inviting viewers to reflect on the body as both a mirror of individual experience and a bridge to broader cultural narratives. Through diverse media, the works offer a powerful reflection on the human experience in an age of uncertainty, where the body serves as a metaphor for memory, emotion, and resilience.
"Several recent additions to the Pérez Collection, including works by Shirin Neshat, Julio Galán, and Anselm Kiefer, sparked the concept for Mirror of the Mind," says Hanna. "We were inspired by the entangled and inseparable relationship between the body's physical and emotional aspects and chose to show a multi-faceted deep dive into the human experience, exploring emotional aspects such as the power of perception, the weight of trauma, healing, introspection, and belonging, as well as the impact on the body."
Mirror of the Mind features six distinct sections: Perception features artists such as Eduardo Arroyo, River Claure, Liliana Maresca, and Nancy Spero, who explore the notion of representation throughout history, examining how images shape perceptions of ourselves and others. Trauma features artworks addressing historical and intergenerational trauma and its effects on physical and emotional aspects of the self. Artists in this section address themes of grieving, self-inflicted harm, and the confrontation of pain as a path to liberation with works by A. R. Penck, Ayana V. Jackson, Liliana Maresca, Carlos Martiel, Shirin Neshat, and Antonio Tàpies, among others. Introspection features artworks portraying the figure in moments of solitude and introspection, prompting reflection on the transience of life. Artworks by Alice Neel, Luis Felipe Noé, La Chola Poblete, Cindy Sherman, and others are featured. Belonging includes artworks from Deana Lawson, Jared McGriff, Larry Rivers, and others that span several experiences and temporalities, examining themes such as social and cultural representation, negotiation and performance, and individuality and community. Healing expands on the concepts of belonging and empowerment and highlights the resilience of humanity. Flesh showcases artists such as Vera Chávez Barcellos and Marta Minujín, whose works focus on the body's physicality.
EE23 will publish a catalog titled Mirror of the Mind: Figuration in the Jorge M. Pérez Collection to accompany the exhibit. The fully illustrated book features commissioned essays by arts and cultural scholars Odette Casamayor-Cisneros of the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Tatiana Flores of the University of Virginia, along with Frist Art Museum's Chief Curator, Mark Scala, and Natalia Zuluaga, Co-Director of Miami-based [NAME] Publications.
For more information, visit: www.elespacio23.org
"Several recent additions to the Pérez Collection, including works by Shirin Neshat, Julio Galán, and Anselm Kiefer, sparked the concept for Mirror of the Mind," says Hanna. "We were inspired by the entangled and inseparable relationship between the body's physical and emotional aspects and chose to show a multi-faceted deep dive into the human experience, exploring emotional aspects such as the power of perception, the weight of trauma, healing, introspection, and belonging, as well as the impact on the body."
Mirror of the Mind features six distinct sections: Perception features artists such as Eduardo Arroyo, River Claure, Liliana Maresca, and Nancy Spero, who explore the notion of representation throughout history, examining how images shape perceptions of ourselves and others. Trauma features artworks addressing historical and intergenerational trauma and its effects on physical and emotional aspects of the self. Artists in this section address themes of grieving, self-inflicted harm, and the confrontation of pain as a path to liberation with works by A. R. Penck, Ayana V. Jackson, Liliana Maresca, Carlos Martiel, Shirin Neshat, and Antonio Tàpies, among others. Introspection features artworks portraying the figure in moments of solitude and introspection, prompting reflection on the transience of life. Artworks by Alice Neel, Luis Felipe Noé, La Chola Poblete, Cindy Sherman, and others are featured. Belonging includes artworks from Deana Lawson, Jared McGriff, Larry Rivers, and others that span several experiences and temporalities, examining themes such as social and cultural representation, negotiation and performance, and individuality and community. Healing expands on the concepts of belonging and empowerment and highlights the resilience of humanity. Flesh showcases artists such as Vera Chávez Barcellos and Marta Minujín, whose works focus on the body's physicality.
EE23 will publish a catalog titled Mirror of the Mind: Figuration in the Jorge M. Pérez Collection to accompany the exhibit. The fully illustrated book features commissioned essays by arts and cultural scholars Odette Casamayor-Cisneros of the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Tatiana Flores of the University of Virginia, along with Frist Art Museum's Chief Curator, Mark Scala, and Natalia Zuluaga, Co-Director of Miami-based [NAME] Publications.
For more information, visit: www.elespacio23.org
