• 770 NE 125th street, Miami, FL
To What Lengths
2022
Yarn, fabric, metal earrings, string, metal brackets
Proposal
On view from Oct. 14 through Jan. 20, 2023, as part of MOCA’s Art on the Plaza series, VantaBlack’s To What Lengths, showcased a key component to her artistic practice by reflecting on legacy building and preservation as foundational to Black culture and other diasporic peoples. VantaBlack explored how ideas about legacy are woven into everyday actions by activating five palm trees on the MOCA Plaza with large-scale braids, adorned with beads, metal, and artificial sunflowers and gardenias. The braids of each tree followed stylings representative of the women in VantaBlack’s family. At the base of each tree was a round mat with cushions for seating, inviting viewers to engage with the work while looking up. (Photo Credit Daniel Bock)
Biography
VantaBlack (Chire Reagans) was born in Saint Louis, Missouri. Lives/works in Miami, FL. Received a BS from Florida A&M University. Artist Chire “VantaBlack” Regans’ art practice exists at the intersection of social justice and storytelling. Her work responds to urgent societal concerns and functions as a critical platform to amplify the voices of community members who are often silenced. Over the past decade, Chire has focused primarily on community advocacy and depicting social narratives without distortion in various mediums. As a Saint Louis native, the birth of the Black Lives Matter movement triggered a sense of urgency in her art practice. Her work continues to evolve, allowing for broader social accessibility and creative scale. In South Florida, Chire continues to merge her artistic practice with community-led activism, emphasizing the art of storytelling as a means of engaging with communities with radical empathy and transparency.