syz·y·gy

ˈsizijē/
noun
• a conjunction or opposition, especially of the moon with the sun.
• a pair of connected or corresponding things.

Curated by Tiffany Madera in October 2016 to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, SYZYGY united “10 Miami-based Hispanic women artists in an exhibition of works exploring themes of identity, sexuality, power and spirituality. The exhibition linked directly to, and formed a visual representation of, the multidisciplinary activity work Madera does in her exploration of female empowerment, healing, contemporary art and dance.

In response to the exhibition held at MOCA in Miami, journalist Daisy Cabrera wrote, “Several pieces highlight the symbolic duality, harmony, and correlation between masculine and feminine energy. Others share unobstructed truths about the aligned and opposing views surrounding spirituality and religion. The element of water – a deliberate force of nature – was central to various artworks that interpreted resistance, fluidity, movement and cleansing.” (Miami Art Zine, October 2016)

Artists

Barbara Bollini, Nereida Garcia Ferraz, Griselle Gaudnik, Laura Luna, Charo Oquet, Natasha Perdomo, Sandra Ramos, Beatriz Ricco, Alessandra Santos, Nina Surel

As part of the exhibition, Madera invited poet Mia Leonin to write responses to the visual artworks presented; what followed were ekphrastic responses to the exhibition. Leonin created a literary collage constructed from prose, poetry, narrative, and dream to accompany and pay homage to the women’s art.

One example of the writings is below, in response to the Laura Luna work, Oya.

Oya
Laura Luna

She tore.

Black threads and bare feet. She ripped through the world, making
and remaking.

She tore
until black cloth
became nine colors.

(Mia Leonin)

You can read the full collection of 10 ekphrastic sketches here.

The exhibition also featured a performative work by artist Charo Oquet (last image in gallery above). You can see many more images from the opening and Oquet’s performance on Facebook here.

Finally, in support of the exhibition and Madera’s work as a curator, activist, and arts organizer, The Betsy Writer’s Room on Miami Beach, FL hosted a conversation with Madera and Leonin in March 2017. The community was invited to hear more about the exhibition and the writings developed in response.

CURATORIAL STATEMENT

To understand syzygy is to gain a new way of seeing, not with the eyes, but through a conscious awareness of hidden relationships. A Greek word describing a union or pairing, in astronomy, syzygy describes a conjunction or opposition of celestial bodies such as the sun and moon, or an alignment of three celestial bodies such as sun, moon, earth. Carl Jung expands the concept by personifying syzygy as the archetypes of the Anima and Animus; the female and male expressions within the conscious and unconscious mind. ||| Drawing from Jungian psychology, Syzygy unites 10 Miami-based Latina artists whose work explores themes of identity, sexuality, power and spirituality. Each artwork embodies a different manifestation of syzygy and articulates a confrontation or engagement with the collective unconscious. By performing different aspects of syzygy, the works offer a new way to experience correlation, opposition, unity and duality. ||| Seeing Syzygy ||| Syzygy develops an inner vision, beyond ego and traverses the undiscovered aspects of the metonymic universal self. Where Jung may correlate this with the shadow, he offers the concept of syzygy as a space of interrogation around the duality of identity. Richard Schechner in his book Between Theater and Anthropology, describes this process as the “transformation of Being and/or consciousness” or what he describes as twice behaved behavior. ||| Both Jung and Schechner seek to locate identity as both a projection and a process and consciousness as the path for revelation. Syzygy, then, can be seen as the liminal waters of the unarticulated self in what Deleuze and Gautarri describe as a “becoming.” For our purposes, syzygy allows for a new economy with which to experience a work of art. Beyond surplus value, syzygy asks the question, what do these works perform? With the syzygy of this exhibition in three locations, I invite you to seek new spaces of alignment and correlation within yourself, your creativity and your community. ||| Tiffany Madera, curator

To learn more about the exhibition and MOCA, visit the exhibition’s page online HERE.