Perez Art Museum Visitation

The Most Beautiful Object in the Museum

For me, the most impressive object in Perez Art Museum, Miami, is the painting “Oráculo” created by Tomás Esson. This artist comes from Cuba. This work of art attracted me because of its bright colors and interesting elements. The artist has depicted a field of flowers. The green, red, and yellow hues are dominating in this picture. However, it was not only colors that attracted my attention. Each of the flowers seems to be so determined as if it is a human being with some solemn purpose in life. A particular emphasis is made in several places with the help of black color. None of the flowers is broken or even bent. All of them are straight and likely to accept any hardships life can bring to them. While watching the painting, I thought of the following questions:

1. Did the artist mean the central parts of flowers to remind of people’s eyes?
2. If so, where are these “eyes” looking?
3. Do black flowers represent some loss or did Esson just use them for emphasis?

The Most Interesting Non-European/Non-North American Work of Art

The most interesting piece created by non-European/non-North American artists at Perez Art Museum is called “See Through.” This work was done in 2016 by the Nigerian-born artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby. The piece is in the form of a collage. In the piece, several techniques are used: acrylic paint, colored pencil, transfers, charcoal, and others. The first things that catch the eye are the bars on the window and the old-fashioned TV. The table is also worth paying attention to. Its surface is so smooth that it reflects the image on the TV screen. After watching the image for some time, I started doubting whether it was a window or just some picture behind bars.

While watching the work of art, I thought of the following questions:

1. Why is the person on the TV screen so sad and the one on the repeated pattern happy? What does this contrast mean?
2. Do holes in the bars represent the hope for freedom or the pain from trying to escape?

The Most Disturbing Work of Art

There was one work in the permanent exhibition of Perez Art Museum at which I could not look without some strange feeling of uneasiness or even fear. It was Kevin Beasley’s figurative work called “Untitled (Parade),” created in 2016. Beasley is a young American artist who creates in such genres as a sound installation, sculpture, and performance art. The work “Untitled (Parade)” is represented by several house dresses and kaftans that look as though some women are wearing them. However, there are no bodies under these clothes ─ the garments are entirely empty. The look of these kaftans made me think of the emptiness of some people’s souls or the lack of freedom of speech in the countries where women wear clothes like these. The questions I thought of when I looked at this installation were:

1. What would the age of the women wearing these clothes be?
2. Are these women praying?
3. If their faces were displayed, would they look happy or sad?

A Special Exhibition

One of the special exhibits currently displayed in Perez Art Museum is called “For Those in Peril on the Sea.” The creator of this installation is the British artist Hew Locke. The purpose of the exhibition was to present the sea life as it is: the variety of boats ate as if floating near the ceiling, copying the movement of ships in sea waters. All pieces of the artwork in the exhibit are wooden boats. However, each piece has different colors. Some boats have sails, and others do not. Most of them are decorated with flowers.

In my opinion, the object that is the most significant in the exhibit is the green-and-yellow boat with a red cabin on the top. As well as all the other pieces, this one was created by Hew Locke, the British artist. The work I selected does not have a title, like all the other works in the exhibit. However, I would call in “Serenity.” I find it the most important in the whole exhibition because it looks very comfortable and seems very livable. Since the entire exhibit is dedicated to boats, this one seems the most generic among them: simple but at the same time cozy and able to last through harsh weather conditions.

What I Would Take Home

If I could take one work home, it would be “Hand of God” by the American artist Hank Willis Thomas. This glass structure, created in 2017, demonstrates one of the most famous moments in the football history of all times. I would take this work to present it to my uncle, who is a huge football admirer. These weeks, he is watching all matches of FIFA. My uncle is Diego Maradona’s fan, and I am sure he would be thrilled to receive such a present from me. The sculpture is very bright, and it would fit in almost any interior.