During a turbulent moment of political transition, where the hypotheses in Joshua Citarella’s research-based art practice are playing out in real time, BFI premieres Left Futures, as part of the series “Waterproof Miami”, a curatorial partnership between BFI and Bridge Initiative. Two large-scale, life-size and hyper-detailed photographs are in part inspired by Peter Frase in his book “Four Futures: Life After Capitalism”.
In Citarella’s own words, “Building on my previous research 20 Interviews, an in-depth survey of Gen Z online political spaces commissioned by Rhizome, these scenes visualize the futures that young political posters imagine for themselves (for better or worse). These hi-res visualizations of labor, leisure and infrastructure, itemize the material and ideological systems of speculative near future societies. They tell narratives of imminently unfolding dystopias; a collapsing empire turns its military inward, a pod-dweller is visited by his hologram fantasy, precarious gig-workers in dense cities commute through extreme weather, or --in a rare glimpse of optimism-- the skyscrapers of finance capitalism are repurposed as vertical farms.”
Left Futures is a part of Waterproof Miami, a series of site-specific artists’ projects presented by BFI and Bridge Initiative developed in direct response to the environmental issues facing South Florida, planned through 2021. Each project presents an opportunity for outreach, engagement, and action.
Joshua Citarella
Joshua Citarella was born in 1987 in New York and currently lives and works in New York City. He is an adjunct professor at the Rhode Island School of Design and the School of Visual Arts. Citarella has held solo exhibitions at Higher Pictures in New York and Corcoran School of the Arts and Design in D.C. His work is included in the collections of the Stedelijk Museum, Netherlands and the Hood Museum of Art in the U.S.
Bridge Initiative
By bringing artists and scientists together, Bridge curates public art that draws attention to the impacts of climate change in unique and engaging ways. As such, artists become cultural ambassadors and environmental advocates, inspiring a new generation to take action, while strengthening their own relationship to the natural world.
Bas Fisher Invitational (BFI)
BFI is an artist-run presenting organization dedicated to creativity, experimentation, and discourse in contemporary art. BFI creates a bridge between Miami and the international art world by curating programs featuring both local and global artists at sites throughout Miami-Dade County, and in collaboration with national and international partnering organizations.
