After an intentionally nomadic past, homework gallery settles in Little River

Roving Miami gallerists Aurelio Aguilo and Mayra Mejia of homework have settled into a permanent space in Little River. The gallery’s inaugural exhibition is “Mujeres. (Photo courtesy of homework)

When homework cofounders Aurelio Aguilo and Mayra Mejia began their idea of a gallery in 2021, they wanted to buck the norms. They wouldn’t have a permanent gallery space but take more of a nomadic approach. Their first temporary pop-up was at The Knoxon, a mid-century roadside motel on a strip of Biscayne Boulevard and the following year inside a Biscayne Boulevard fashion agency’s headquarters where art held sway with fashion shoots at skep360.

The setting up shop in all types of quarters was a direct assault on white-walled commercial gallery spaces and establishment art fairs.

Manuela Corji, Femme Fatale, 2024, Oil on MDF panel, featured in homework gallery’s exhibition “Mujeres.” (Photo courtesy of the artist and homework)

But after consciously moving from place to place, homework has settled in at its first permanent gallery space in Little River.

Aguilo says he did love the “in-the-moment” and “what’s-coming-next” heartbeat of homework. “We enjoyed the challenge of finding different spaces and imagining what curatorial proposals we could execute in each.”

But it was an offer the duo couldn’t refuse when the Little River space became available.

“We thought about the multitude of exhibitions we could do without having to move in and move out all the time,” says Aguilo, adding that it allows for “more control over programming and . . . more time to focus solely on producing exhibitions.” There’s also the freedom of not having to search for spaces or deal with realtors-developers.

Homework cofounders Aurelio Aguilo and Mayra Mejia began their idea of a gallery in 2021. (Photo courtesy of Yuval Ofir)

While no longer wandering, their mission remains the same, however: to foster inclusivity and accessibility within the art world.

For its inaugural show, “Mujeres,” which opened in mid-October through Saturday, Dec. 14 with a party, Augilo says showcasing the work of nine female artists was intentional.

“We wanted to curate and produce an exhibition solely by women artists from around the globe,” he says about the group show which features the works of Elisa Bergel Melo, Patricia Encarnacion, Dana Haim, Manuela Corji, Diana Eusebio, Julia Zurilla, Beth Rhodes, Gabriela Garcia D’Alta, Brigette Hoffman, Ilsse Peredo, and Nara Winston.

“The goal is to shine a light on their immense significance, embracing the very real possibility that these contemporary artists can serve as catalysts for a radical reimagining of our cultural narrative.”

It was successes that led to the permanent gallery space — pop-up exhibition during the 2024 Miami Art Week, participation at MECA Art Fair in their hometown of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and Brigette Hoffman’s online show ‘Übermensch’ in partnership with Artsy in July.

At the 2024 Untitled Art Fair, homework had a solo booth featuring the work of Peredo, one of the artists featured in “Mujeres.”

Ilsse Peredo, “Sangre de mi Sangre,” 2024, single-channel video. Peredo was the featured artist in homework’s Untitled Art booth at this year’s Miami Art Week. (Photo courtesy of the artist and homework)

One of the draws to the places where homework would touch down for a bit was curated talks as a way to activate the spaces it occupied. And those, Augilo promises, aren’t going away. In fact, homework wants to expand this part of its practice.

“We believe it’s incredibly important to have people come in and interact with the works, participate in panels, take in a performance or screening throughout the exhibitions, not just at an opening or closing event. Activating the spaces we occupy as a way to engage the community is a huge part of what homework has evolved into.”

Diana Eusebio, “Matriarca,” 2024, photograph digitally printed on cotton fabric naturally dyed with the Cochinilla insect and quilted by hand. (Photo courtesy of the artist and homework)

Aguilo and Mejia aren’t apt to stay still within the permanent space. After all, the full title of homework includes the description: “experimental art space[s]” and they will continue to leave their footprint on exhibitions outside of their gallery.

An exhibition curated by homework is at the Westchester Regional branch of the Miami-Dade Public Library System and features works from the system’s permanent art collection through Jan. 9, 2025 at 9445 Coral Way.  “¿buscando visa para naufragar?”, which spotlights artworks by immigrant artists from the Americas.

WHAT: homework presents “mujeres”

WHERE: 7338 NW Miami Court, Miami

WHEN: Closing exhibition reception from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec 14

COST: Free

INFO: homework.gallery/home