Miami, FL. Marco Caridad’s solo exhibition “Sans Stereotypes” presented his contemporary practice in contemplating the invisibility of queer history. Caridad began his research in self-identity and has extensively studied male sexuality, both in art history and currently represented.
By looking into the meaning of the abstraction of “machismo,” Caridad, applies it to his exploration of self-identity as a gay man. Growing up in a devoutly religious Latin American culture, Caridad’s “coming out” process was tumultuous, to say the least. The artist began to question his identity as a man and what it meant to bear the extra layers of queerness in a society still learning to accept people for who they indeed are. “First and foremost, we are human beings. That’s the baseline.”
Caridad’s new series of works surround the idea of being a unique individual and the steadfast refusal of being placed in any specific gender stereotype. The visual rhetoric in Caridad’s sculptures, paintings, installations, and prints eventually revealed themselves to become an abstract confrontation of identity. His works endeavor to discover self through shapes, lines, and vivid colors, inviting the audience to reconsider and redefine what it means to be “oneself.”
“Sans Stereotypes” ran from August 6 to September 3rd at MIFA (Miami International Fine Arts) from Monday to Saturday, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.
Acquire the exhibition publication here.
About The Artist
Marco Caridad (he/him/his) was born in Venezuela and lives and works in Miami. Caridad has exhibited throughout South Florida in places such as the Historic Miami Post Office Museum, Miramar Cultural Center, Koubek Center, Wynwood Walls, Miami International Fine Arts, ArtServe, Centro Cultural Español, and Artefactus Cultural Project. Caridad’s work has been featured in the books: Latin American Artists and Artists in the Top; he is also the co-author of “Syllabaries: Images and Words” and “Desarrolla Tu Creatividad con Ejercicios Teatrales.” Caridad holds an MFA from The Art Institutes, Miami International University of Art & Design, and a BFA from The University of Zulia. Caridad has been an adjunct professor at Istituto Marangoni and the Catholic University Andres Bello.
About MIFA
MIFA opened its doors in September 2019 as a collaboration between Teresa Jessurum Uribe, Elkin Canas, Milixa Morón, and Carlos Martínez León with the support of Gilberto Uribe, president of CTP Costex, intending to contribute to the development of culture through the launch of a space that promotes Latin American art in South Florida. This art space’s opening represents a starting point for the penetration of art trends in the Miami market, fostering an understanding of influential Latin American art of our time through excellence, awareness, exploration, and stimulation of thought criticism and dialogue in our community. For more information, contact MIFA at (305) 470-0009 | 5900 NW 74th Ave, Miami, FL 33166