Miami artist Nina Surel puts women first.
BY SEBASTIAN PHILLIPS
When the Miami Design District recently unveiled part of Nina Surel’s Allegory of Florida, a bas relief-type mural that envisions Florida as a goddess of feminine fertility, the occasion marked a most poignant moment for the artist. The Argentina–born creative has been living in Miami and putting out work that celebrates women since 2001, but this was the first time one of her pieces has received such a public and high-profile platform. We spoke to Surrel about her projects, their inspirations, and her future trajectory.
WHAT ARE THE INSPIRATIONS THAT INFORM YOUR WORK?
Women empowerment groups, movements, and events in Miami have not just been my main inspiration, but also the backbone of my art. The city’s history, diversity, and location serve as a constant reminder of the issues we face, inspiring my work to address immigration, income inequality, racism, women’s rights issues, and climate change.
YOU’VE ALSO CITED THE ESSAY “A CYBORG MANIFESTO” AS A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION. CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT?
In that essay, Donna Haraway uses the cyborg as a model to present her vision of a world that transcends sexual differences. She expresses her rejection of patriarchal ideas based on such differences. In my murals, I create alter egos as a collection of stories merging the boundaries between human and animal, mythical, organic, and cyborg.
SPEAKING OF YOUR MURALS, TELL US ABOUT THE ALLEGORY OF FLORIDA. WHAT IGNITED THE IDEA BEHIND IT?
Allegory is an effort to pay homage to and immortalize Florida’s diverse ecosystem and multinational inhabitants. In it, I portrayed Florida as a young and fertile place, home to animals, plants, and people who come from all over the world to settle and make the land their own.
WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO COLLAGE FOR THIS PARTICULAR WORK?
I used collage to sketch the imagery because it allowed me to work more intuitively. I just cut and printed different ideas and made a ton of sketches. Then, I tried to find the answers to what I was trying to say.
I let my subconscious speak in a way it doesn’t when working with other media.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR WORK WITH VESSELS. WHAT DO THEY REPRESENT?
The ceramics, uniquely molded on the pelvises of anonymous women, are not only a symbol of resistance and appreciation towards womanhood, but also a profound recognition of the legacy of our female ancestors, the mothers and grandmothers who preceded us.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU?
I’ve embarked on a thrilling journey, a series of murals, vessels, and sculptures, made of terracotta with vibrant underglazes. It’s a return to color that fills me with excitement. I ninasurel.com
