This fall, YoungArts will present Sunshine, an exhibition featuring works by visual artist Mark Fleuridor (2015 YoungArts Winner in Visual Arts & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts), which will open on September 29, 2022 at the YoungArts Gallery. The exhibition marks the first time the space has been specifically dedicated to a solo show by an emerging artist and will spotlight Fleuridor’s mixed media works, which use photographs depicting generations of family, friends, interior home spaces and exterior tropical plant life to create multidisciplinary reconstructions and interpretations of those moments. Influenced by his upbringing in subtropical Miami and ties to his motherland, Haiti, the works featured in this exhibition are abstracted environments with a focus on the sun, cycles of life, destruction and rebirth. Fleuridor’s art draws on meticulously and thoughtfully placed images from his extensive personal archive of photographs.
The cycles of life are an underlying theme shared in Fleuridor’s figurative portraits and his abstracted natural environments. Throughout his quilt making, collages and watercolors, he investigates lineage, heritage and depictions of generations of loved ones’ experiences. Across mediums, Fleuridor’s works are connected by the narrative of cycles of nature to ultimately create pieces that emerge out of the juxtaposition of figuration and abstraction. Co-curated by Derrick Adams & Luisa Múnera, the show will remain on view through December 10, 2022, with special accompanied programming during Miami Art Week.
“Dedicating the YoungArts gallery space to a solo artist is a conscious shift we have made to better serve emerging artists. We could not be happier that Mark took this bold step with us,” said YoungArts artistic director Lauren Snelling. “We first got to know Mark as a YoungArts award winner and U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts in 2015, and have watched his work evolve and mature. Mark is an exceptional artist, and we are delighted to welcome him back to the YoungArts Campus.”
“Mark has continued to define his artistic voice, created series of works across diverse mediums and developed new techniques while always remaining consistent with his thematic explorations on community. It is truly an honor to work with him,” said co-curator Luisa Múnera.
About Mark Fleuridor
Mark Fleuridor was born and raised in Miami. Working with painting, quilting and collage, the artist explores his personal and familial experiences. It is important for Fleuridor to understand his family by dissecting his own memories and family narratives through the labor of his art process. Working physically and digitally with materials that reference Fleuridor’s family helps him understand his community. Fleuridor has completed artist residencies such as Vermont Studio Center in Vermont and the Oxbow Artist Residency in Michigan, and is currently attending Oolite Arts Studio Residency Program in Miami Beach, FL.
