“Unspecified Void” 2021 Visual Arts BFA exhibition showcases cutting-edge artwork
MIAMI – New World School of the Arts Visual Arts BFA class of 2021 will be presenting the final show in the iconic venue The Moore Building. Unspecified Void features the work of 28 recent Bachelor of Fine Arts degree graduates of NWSA. “This year, our students persevered during very challenging times, said O. Gustavo Plascencia, Dean of Visual Arts at NWSA. “Despite the challenges the pandemic has brought to us, they continued to work in makeshift studios at home and produced an incredible body of work.” The work included in the exhibition ranges from documentation of the pandemic to heartbreak to futuristic imagination, among other themes. The exhibition culminates these young artists' academic training at the school and will present a wide range of media and themes. The work on view was curated by faculty member and Miami gallerist Fredric Snitzer along with dean Plascencia.
UNSPECIFIC VOID: 2021 BFA EXHIBITION
• June 21 - July 9, 2021
• Monday - Saturday 11 AM - 7 PM / Sunday 1 PM - 7 PM
• Moore Building, 4040 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami FL 33137
• Free and open to the public. Information at 305-237-3649
Among the works to be presented is Alian Martinez Rives’ Kakotopia. A visual arts graduate from the Art & Technology discipline, the artist concludes his tenure at NWSA with a VR installation comprised of archival digital prints which address society’s manipulation of reality. “My work alludes to the essence of human actions, their influence on the environment, and the minimal implementation of technological processes beyond the artist’s control.” Alicia Betancourt uses her color drawing entitled Can You See Me Now? to address social topics which are central to the nation’s ongoing dialogue. “My work explores the relationship between my experience in everyday life and “intersectionality” in the U.S. The current world operates within the song of the once voiceless mass now roaring with unapologetic confidence. These individuals are united through what should always have been rightfully theirs.” Through photography, Michelle Alvarez Collazo aims to illustrate the stages emotions that often accompany emotional breakups. Collazo’s Rotten Relationship series highlights the “distortion of emotions through the process of healing. My main intention is not only to show the various stages of a breakup but to show whoever has had this experience that they are not the only ones going through all that pain and fury.” Adrian Sena also addresses the mind and how emotions are affected by violence. His large-scale paining, Places Between, highlights how acts of violence are encoded in the mind. “My objective of showing struggle, brokenness, identity, and shame is not as a barrier, but as a bridge to transformation, victory, freedom and hope.”
Exhibiting students include Michelle Alvarez Collazo, Alicia Betancourt, Lauren Bouza, Victoria Braga, Ruth Burotte, Erika Cantin, Cassandra Cespedes, Kassandra D’Angelo, Anastasia del Valle, Nuria Dolphin, Daniella Figeroa, Gabriel Garlin, Daniel Gongora, Nicole Gonzalez, Adela Gonzalez, Carlos Jimenez, Alian Martinez Rives, Luis Mederos, John Medina, Eric Mendoza, Daniel Ochoa, Otari Oliva, Katherine Otero, Adrian Sena, Pedro Sena, Megan Tran, Luis Velasco, Astrielle Williams.
About New World School of the Arts’ Visual Arts program: At New World School of the Arts, visual arts students can explore and develop their personal artistic and aesthetic vision while being guided by a dynamic and distinguished faculty who are all practicing artists. Through disciplined training in traditional and new media, students also develop new skills and refine others while gaining invaluable understanding of the roles of art and design in society. Areas of concentration in visual arts include Drawing, Electronic Media, Graphic Design, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, and Sculpture. Information about the NWSA Visual Arts program is available by calling 305-237-3620, by visiting http://nwsa.mdc.edu/ or by calling the main office at 305-235-3135.
About New World School of the Arts: A Florida center of excellence in the visual and performing arts, NWSA provides a comprehensive program of artistic, creative, and academic development through a curriculum that reflects the rich multicultural state of Florida. With programs accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art, Dance, Music and Theater, NWSA offers four-year BFA and BM college degrees, as well as the high school diploma. Through its rigorous curriculum and conservatory-style teaching NWSA empowers its students to become leaders in the arts. New World School of the Arts was created by the Florida Legislature as a center of excellence in the performing and visual arts. It is an educational partnership of Miami Dade County Public Schools, Miami Dade College, and the University of Florida.