At PAMM, Exploring Caribbean Identity and Resistance through ‘Beyond Representation’

Performance by Danish Trinidadian artist Jeannette Ehlers’ “We’re Magic. We’re Real #3 (These Walls)” on the terrace of the Pérez Art Museum Miami, part of the “Beyond Representation” series at PAMM. (Photo by Diana Espin and Pedro Wazzan/Courtesy of PAMM)

The Pérez Art Museum Miami’s Caribbean Cultural Institute has introduced a new series titled “Beyond Representation,” which highlights the diverse performative practices of Caribbean artists and those of Caribbean descent.

“Beyond Representation” is presented through a series of live art events. It also includes a series of video performances and documentation of performances by artists from the Caribbean or of Caribbean heritage, showcased on PAMM TV, a free streaming service featuring the museum’s video art and film collection, launched last year. It is accessible on web browsers, mobile devices, and through Apple TV.

Iberia Pérez González, the project’s curator, describes it as ongoing research “because I am not only interested in organizing live art events (the live art is the artwork itself), but underlying these events is a deep interest in performance art in/from the Caribbean as a field of research.”

“Beyond Representation” is curated by Iberia Pérez González who describes the programming of “Beyond Representation” as an ongoing research. (Photo by Eliz Perez/courtesy of PAMM)

The project draws on the history of Caribbean performance art, which often blends various art forms. The series began during Miami Art Week in 2023 with a program focused on pioneer Puerto Rican performance artists. Pérez González recalls presenting “¡Fenomenal! Rompeforma 1989–1996,” a documentary about the Rompeforma festival in Puerto Rico, directed by Merián Soto and Viveca Vázquez, who received the Jury’s Prize at the International Festival of Cinematographic Arts in San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico.

This year’s series started on Saturday, Sept. 21, with Danish Trinidadian artist Jeannette Ehlers’ performance titled “We’re Magic. We’re Real #3 (These Walls),” which invited Miami’s Afro-Caribbean diaspora to engage in a communal braiding circle. This act symbolizes cultural connections that span generations and geographical boundaries. Ehlers later expanded on this performance on Thursday, Sept. 26, connecting the braids to the PAMM terrace. She emphasizes that the act of braiding fosters “a feeling of interconnectedness,” linking participants both physically and symbolically to the performance space.

“By extending these braids to PAMM’s terrace, I aimed to highlight the unbroken connection between modernity and coloniality, the natural world and the ancestral past as well as contemporary cultural practices. This gesture emphasizes how history and heritage are living forces that continue to shape us,” says Ehlers.

Danish-Trinidadian artist Jeannette Ehlers performance invited Miami’s Afro-Caribbean diaspora to engage in a communal braiding circle during as part of her performance “We’re Magic. We’re Real #3 (These Walls)” at PAMM in September. (Photo by Diana Espin and Pedro Wazzan/courtesy of PAMM)

Ehlers highlights the significance of hair in her work, framing it as a political statement: “For centuries, hair has been a battleground for identity, self-worth, and autonomy within African diasporic communities. It carries the weight of colonial legacies, systemic racism, and cultural erasure, while simultaneously being a powerful tool of resistance, empowerment, connectivity and pride.”

Through the collaborative act of braiding, participants reclaim cultural heritage and resist the erasure of their histories. The sound of the Atlantic Ocean during the performance at PAMM, situated by the sea, further evokes the trauma of the transatlantic slave trade while also alluding to the ocean’s healing power.

Also part of the project are Caribbean artists such as Puerto Ricans Viveca Vazquez, Merian Soto, and Awilda Sterling, Trinidadian Shannon Alonzo, Cuban Carlos Martiel, and Curaçaoan Tirzo Martha. “Collectively, says the curator, these artists in varying degrees expose and/or refuse oppressive colonial ideologies while creating multiple narratives of freedom, healing, solidarity, and joy.”

Martha’s Captain Caribbean persona in the video performance “I Wonder If They’ll Laugh When I’m Dead” explores themes of colonialism and daily survival in the Caribbean. His upcoming workshop, “Act of Valor,”  with an upcoming date to be announced, will focus on designing superhero costumes from everyday materials, highlighting the resourcefulness and resilience of Caribbean communities.

Martha explains, “The conditions of the daily lives of the people living in the Caribbean is the foundation for both my autonomous work as for my Captain Caribbean performances. The urgencies dominating their daily survival mode and shortcomings create a great longing for a better life.”

Curaçaoan artist Tirzo Martha’s will present a workshop, with a date to be announced, called “Act of Valor,” which focuses on designing superhero costumes from everyday materials, reflecting the resourcefulness and resilience of Caribbean communities. (Photo by Luidspreker/Courtesy of PAMM)

Martha’s work addresses the nuances of postcolonial life in Curaçao, where colonial legacies persist in more subtle forms. “As a native of the island of Curaçao we are still part of the Dutch Kingdom. So, this means that challenging and confronting the colonial ideologies are very complicated,” he acknowledges. Through his work, Martha sheds light on these complexities, prompting audiences to rethink Caribbean identity and its ties to colonial histories.

“Beyond Representation”’s digital component displays the video performances of Ehlers, Martha, Vázquez, Soto, and Martiel.

In “Whip it Good,” Ehlers reenacts the brutal punishment of whipping, once inflicted on enslaved people. In “I Wonder If They’ll Laugh When I’m Dead,” Martha blends performance, animation, and archival footage to explore the lasting impact of slavery and colonialism in contemporary Curaçao. Vázquez’s “Las Playas Son Nuestras” reflects on the toxic legacy of US Navy military operations in Puerto Rico. Soto’s “Pachanga en Dos Medios” examines the Puerto Rican experience of adapting to contrasting landscapes on the island and the US mainland. In “Cuerpo,” Martiel uses his body to confront the complex legacies of colonialism on race, labor, and migration.

The series is organized as a three-part series that explores the intersection between performance art and video from the mid-1980s to today. The first installment was launched September 26 on PAMM TV and will be on view through Jan. 26, 2025.

Pérez González notes that the opportunity of developing part of the project through the PAMM TV platform has opened up possibilities for expanding the project in other directions and sharing some of this work with broader audiences that are not able to visit the live events at the museum. “Exploring performance in relation to digital media enables a broader understanding of the multifaceted and rich array of performative practices that have emerged in the Caribbean and its diasporas in recent decades.”

In her live performance “We’re Magic. We’re Real #3 (These Walls)” and video performance “Whip It Good”, Jeannette Ehlers addresses issues of memory, race, and colonialism (Photo by ROAR Studio, Milan/Courtesy of PAMM)

Pérez González believes that the performance series challenges narrow perceptions of Caribbean art. She states, “At the core of most of the curatorial work that I do within the context of the Caribbean Cultural Institute is to engage in projects that will expand the traditional understanding of what Caribbean art is.” She emphasizes that by highlighting experimental and often underrepresented artists, the series confronts stereotypes of Caribbean art as solely representational, instead emphasizing its vibrancy and relevance in contemporary discussions.

While “Beyond Representation” is rooted in the Caribbean, it resonates on a global scale. Ehlers, whose Caribbean heritage contrasts with her upbringing in Denmark, articulates the universal struggle of navigating diasporic identity. “My Caribbean roots often felt distant, yet they have always been a source of strength,” she says. Her performances encapsulate the tension of living between cultures, bridging Caribbean legacies with contemporary European life.

The overarching goal of the initiative is to provide a platform for Caribbean artists and their diasporas to reclaim their histories. Pérez González summarizes this vision: “I see a project like this contributing to expanding the horizon of possibility of what Caribbean art can be, helping to shed light on an art form that is constantly left out of many exhibitions of contemporary Caribbean art.”

She envisions a future where Caribbean art is not just acknowledged but celebrated as a vibrant force of change.

WHAT: “Beyond Representation”
WHERE: The Pérez Art Museum Miami, 1103 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, and PAMM TV
WHEN: Live performances will be announced through December 2026
COST: Free (registration required for live performance and free account for PAMM TV)
INFORMATION: (305) 375-3000 or pamm.org

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