Miami Setting

Miami Setting turns up the heat of a Miami sunset behind South Beach’s Art Deco architecture. Folding walls reminiscent of Art Basel, with paintings that are simultaneously windows, are located in the middle ground of the painting. The ominous shadow of a tree encroaches from the right, and a shadow on the floor is also a puddle, relating to the flooded houses on the left side of the painting. A yellow rectangle appears to be a box or moving crate awaiting art handlers to rescue the work.

Living in Miami as a working artist for seven years brought climate change to the forefront. Fleeing hurricanes and driving through a foot of water regularly just from heavy rain led me to create artwork about climate change and its impact on housing. In my paintings, imagery such as houses, cardboard boxes, and shifting landscapes communicates the feeling of displacement. Home ownership is often tied to the idea of the American Dream. “Home” encompasses environmental and socioeconomic factors that influence where we live. These factors include climate change, climate gentrification, industrial pollution, and failure to adhere to building codes and routine maintenance. Circumstances that appear to be chance, even environmental disasters, can be the result of tactical exertions of power that become systemic. Although many of these factors are beyond the control of individuals living in a region, such as wildfires and hurricanes, as a society, there are opportunities to be proactive by planning, finding new solutions, and prioritizing the environment when creating policy.