RAY AZCUY’S PATTERN / ABSTRACTION / IDENTITY EXHIBITION OPENS AT MIA
Pattern/Abstraction/Identify, a series of mixed media monochromatic collages by South Florida-based artist Ray Azcuy is on view at Miami International Airport, near Gate F9.
Azcuy’s work is reminiscent of the Pattern-and-Decoration (P&D) art movement of the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, which sought to restore visual pleasure and beauty by examining traditions that typically employ pattern in their art. The themes and compositions in Ray’s work are more than alluring images, but are documents of family traditions, gender roles and elements of cultural practices. In this body of work, Azcuy explores pattern, abstraction and symbol through a palette of black, white, and gray, emphasizing the graphic qualities found in paper and fabric design.
Taking found patterns out of their usual settings and re-contextualizing them, Azcuy brings new meaning to familiar shapes and forms, inviting the viewer to engage and interpret the compositions in a myriad of ways.
Ray Azcuy was born in Havana, Cuba, and lives and works in South Florida. He is a recipient of the South Florida Cultural Consortium Fellowship for Visual and Media Artists and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Summer Fellowship. Azcuy’s work has been in various solo and group exhibitions including: New Art South Florida, MOCA at Goldman, Miami; Cintas Foundation Fellowship Finalists, Miami Dade College’s Museum of Art + Design; Big Juicy Painting (and More), Miami Art Museum; PUSH PLAY Redefining POP, Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art; Salvador Dali Museum, St. Petersburg, FL; St. Petersburg Art Center; Aesthetics & Values, Frost Art Museum; Miami Dade College, Kendall Campus; and now, the mia Galleries at Miami International Airport. He received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from the University of South Florida in Tampa. Additionally, he has taught at the secondary and college levels and was visual arts supervisor and director of museum magnet programs for Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
The Pattern/Abstraction/Identity exhibition continues the primary mission of the Aviation Department’s Fine Arts and Cultural Affairs Division to humanize and enrich the airport environment through the commission of contemporary artwork and the presentation of exhibitions in various media that communicate culture, environment and art resources of an international scope. To learn more about other exhibits in the MIA Galleries, visit http://www.miami-airport.com/mia_galleries.asp.
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