‘Art of Transformation’ transforms Opa-locka into a hub of eclectic exhibitions | Opinion
In preparing the 2023 installment of the Art of Transformation, Ten North Group’s Art Basel Miami Beach 2023 program happening in the heart of Opa-locka, Dec. 2-10, we gave a lot of thought to the city’s significance in the global context.
We concluded that Opa-locka positively contributes to the stunning diversity and cultural radiance that makes Miami-Dade County and South Florida a focal point for the world. Opa-locka is a kaleidoscopic, often a cacophonous representation of the African Diaspora. This undeniable reality guided our curation of the “Art of Transformation 2023,” an eclectic collection of exhibitions featured under the theme “Africa Global” — free and open to the public — hard to miss.
The first exhibition, “Required Reading,” our banned-book public art installation, launched Saturday. Many have lamented the Florida Legislature and governor’s accommodation of book banning, which has resulted in the removal of more than 1,400 titles in the past year – many of which address the global Black experience.
“Required Reading” flips the script by creating a stunning garden maze of book covers, where kids can explore titles by authors who look like them and speak to their life experiences. The installation includes readings by South Florida children and local personalities and book giveaways via QR codes. Recognizing that the written word, too, is art, we position reading as the antidote to banning.
On Dec. 4, we will unveil plans for City Terrace. This transformative mixed-use neo-Moorish development will feature approximately 1,000 units of mixed-income housing, up to 70,000 square feet of commercial/retail space and community green spaces, spanning six city blocks in the heart of Downtown Opa-locka, steps away from the only Tri-Rail station in the North Miami-Dade. Imagine living in a diverse, walkable neighborhood, just a 20-minute train ride from Downtown Miami.
What does this have to do with the arts and culture? Everything. Conscious and intentional urban planning, attention to the aesthetic value of our built environment and placemaking without displacement all are transformative. The “Art of Transformation” is about creating spaces where people can co-exist with their higher selves, where art, culture, and quotidian life become inseparable.
We will also present three exhibitions showcasing works from some of the most innovative artists from the African continent and the African Diaspora, together with art talks, dance, workshops, voguing performances, film screenings and walking tours of historic Opa-locka. On Dec. 3, we will unveil the sculptural works of Juan Roberto Diago Durruthy “Diago” (Cuba), and Jems Robert Kokobi (Ivory Coast), as curated by James Brazil, of Australia, in a site-specific installation titled “Garden of Humanity,” followed by a performance by the Afro-Cuban IFE-ILE Dance Company.
An exhibit featuring the work of Puerto Rican artists living on the Island, “Cartographies of Displacement,” curated by Helen Ceballos and Abdiel D. Segarra Ríos, explores displacement, the repercussions of historical narratives and the right to remember. In addition, “I’ve Known Rivers” is an exhibition curated by Abdoulaye Konaté, of Mali, an homage to the poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” by Langston Hughes, showcasing the works from the Ségou Art collection, which Ten North Group acquired in 2022, comprising works by African artist finalists in the Ségou Art Fair on the banks of the Niger River.
Last, “Fragmented Worlds/Coherent Lives,” curated by Tumelo Mosaka, of South Africa, draws on concepts informed by fragmentation, mobility and adaptation. The exhibition will be showcased on Dec. 9 starting at 9:30 a.m., during the Africa Global Panel Discussion: A Curator/Artists Conversation, which is an official Art Basel event.
“Africa Global,” at The ARC, 675 Ali Baba Ave., demonstrates that by tapping into the richness and complexity of the continent and the diaspora, and building an identity singular and unique to South Florida, Opa-locka’s place in the world is more than secure.
Dr. Willie Logan is the president and CEO of the Ten North Group (formerly, Opa-locka Community Development Corporation, Inc. OLCDC)), an affordable housing developer and community builder.
