• 21st Street, Biscayne, Blvd, Miami, FL
From a World Beyond Here
2021
Plaster casting of grandmother and artist, blue tarp, collected sand from Key Biscayne, coconuts, snail shells, ceramics, tropical plants, rainwater
Proposal
Sculpture has an intuitive nature of channeling ideas to life bringing primordial material into recognizable form, the body a vessel for the worlds we bring. With my background in archaeology, I use sculpture to retrace ideas around the afterlife, pre-Columbian cosmology, and the interplay of cultures from the Global South. My local upbringing informs my understanding of the Miami landscape. During the Covid pandemic, I created an immersive installation on 21st Street and Biscayne. Inspired by the immediate need to connect with the world, I gathered my inspiration from dreams and stories shared by friends and family. Citing the ocean as a connective tissue, joining materials that have both personal and historic resonance that are collected from regions throughout the Americas and Caribbean. I highlight and conceal content with color, tropical plant materials from around the world, and personal relics. At the core of this work is the preservation of memory. Equating the practice of thoughtful assemblage with care and ritual, connecting the physical and sacred realms.
Biography
Priscilla Aleman is a visual artist based in New York/Miami. Received an MFA from Columbia University. She continued her studio practice, upon graduation, in Miami. Working with various archaeologists in conducting intimate investigations of South Florida’s relationship to the tropics and the Latin American landscape. Her most recent solo exhibition at the Baxter St. Residency Program featured new works created during her fellowship. She also received a public work commission by New York Botanical Garden and is a current Mellon Fellow researching narratives around tropical plant resources at NYBG.