Visual Art

Enma Saiz’s ‘Deering Tiles’: Where Tradition, Identity, and Resilience Meet

Written By Miguel Sirgado
October 11, 2024 at 11:08 AM

Enma Saiz’s, Deering Estate’s artist in residence, created the “Deering Tiles” site-specific installation, on exhibition in the Richmond Cottage Garden Room, the Deering Estate, Miami, through Thursday, Oct. 31. (Photo courtesy of Deering Estate)

The rise of modern architecture in the 1920s and 1930s brought with it a wave of minimalist ideals, rejecting decorative elements in favor of clean lines and geometric precision. Ceramics, once cherished for their ornamental beauty, were confined to functional spaces, excluded from the modernist vision.

Yet, by the 1940s, cracks began to show in this rigid approach, as architects sought to create more humanized, art-infused spaces. Brazil was at the forefront of this shift, integrating traditional tiles into contemporary buildings without abandoning local customs.

Iconic projects like Lucio Costa’s Ministry of Education and Health in Rio de Janeiro and Oscar Niemeyer’s Church of St. Francis Xavier in Pampulha, stand as enduring symbols of this harmonious blend of old and new. In Cuba, renowned artists Amelia Peláez and René Portocarrero left their marks on iconic buildings in the island’s capital, Havana.

This integration of art and architecture forms the backbone of Enma Saiz’s exhibition, “Deering Tiles.”

Artist Enma Saiz re-grouts seam lines in situ. The tiles were installed in components for easy transport. Saiz had to chisel the components and grout them apart in order to separate them for transportation and installation. She then re-grouted the cracks in the seams on site. (Photo by Lilliam Domingues/courtesy of the artist)

As a 2024 artist-in-residence at the Deering Estate, Saiz has drawn deeply from the estate’s rich archaeological, cultural, and botanical history. The result is an intricate tile mural installation that not only beautifies the estate’s Richmond Cottage Garden Room but also provokes reflection on themes of identity, heritage, and modernity.

On display through Thursday, Oct. 31, the exhibition invites viewers to explore Saiz’s unique take on the interplay between tradition and contemporary expression.

“I began working with tiles in 2019 to explore my identity as a Cuban refugee,” says Saiz, who’s now 58. Having arrived in the United States at the age of 3 1/2 years old—on a Freedom Flight from Cuba in 1969—her memories of Havana’s architectural splendor were hazy, if not entirely absent. To reconnect with her heritage, Saiz began creating Havana-style tiles, using them in performances titled “Colonial Kaleidoscopes.”

“I was fascinated by how different orientations of simple tile designs could form complex patterns that reflect the tension between traditional craftsmanship and modern expression.”

Saiz’s work in “Deering Tiles” extends beyond her personal journey. The mural also draws on Deering Estate’s historical connections to its sister estate, Maricel, in Sitges, Spain.

The Iberian influence, particularly the intricate azulejos (decorative tiles) of the region, plays a crucial role in her designs.

“I used the Maricel shield to frame the edges of my murals, connecting the Deering Estate to its Spanish counterpart,” she says. But more than just aesthetic choices, Saiz’s work is layered with historical references, including tributes to the indigenous Tequesta people who once inhabited the land.

“I incorporated the ‘coontie’ plant, a vital resource for the Tequesta, who ingeniously processed it to make starch despite its natural toxins. Their resilience is a key theme in my work.”

A view of the “Deering Tiles” installation shows the other components of the exhibition, which include a case containing the plaster molds used to pour the porcelain slip for the tiles and reference books used in creating the tiles. (Photo by Francesco Casale/courtesy of Deering Estate)

For Saiz, ceramics represent more than just a medium; they are a subversive tool.

“Traditional crafts like tile-making, often considered ‘women’s work,’ are powerful vehicles for social commentary,” she says. Drawing inspiration from movements like “The Subversive Stitch” (Rozsika Parker’s book that re-evaluates the reciprocal relationship between women and embroidery), Saiz uses her art to encode messages that challenge established norms. This is particularly evident in her engagement with migration, colonization, and social justice.

“I’ve seen firsthand the effects of ongoing colonization in the Global South, where systemic injustices drive migration to the U.S.,” says Saiz.

Her art, whether through ceramics or other forms, seeks to dismantle those colonial narratives, shedding light on issues of migration, medical ethics, and women’s rights. Saiz studied art at several schools, but interestingly, her first professional endeavors were as a medical doctor.

“My undergraduate studies took place at the University of Miami; then I was a middle school science teacher for two years before going to medical school at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine,” explains Saiz.

She then did her residency in pathology at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, completed a fellowship in Cytopathology in Houston, and worked in Seattle for four years before returning to Miami in 2004.

She retired from medicine and is now a full-time artist.

“I made the decision to leave medicine after surviving breast cancer and to raise my children,” says Saiz.

Artist Enma Saiz glazing part of the “Deering Tiles” installation. (Photo by Sofia Yaziji/courtesy of the artist)

She decided to go back to school in 2020 and received an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

“(During medical school) I studied the stark disparities in medical care between white and non-white communities,” she shares. The intersection of art and medicine fuels Saiz’s drive to address the inequities that persist in healthcare and society at large.

In recent years, Saiz’s focus has evolved from documenting social injustices to celebrating the resilience and triumphs of marginalized communities. “While my work acknowledges painful histories, it also honors the strength of women, Black people, Indigenous peoples, and other communities of color,” she says.

The Latinx, multidisciplinary Cuban American artist was selected by Oolite Arts to join a group of Miami-based artists at the prestigious Anderson Ranch Arts Center in 2022, and in 2024 she became one of the artists-in-residence (AIRs) at the Deering Estate.

She explains the process at Deering. “There is a yearly application and selection process for Deering Estate AIRs for which local artists apply, and around 10 artists are selected per year. The artist chooses at the time of the application whether they want to be project-based or studio-based. There are a limited number of studios at the Estate, and I chose to do a project,” says the artist.

The artist says that AIRs go on “field trips” throughout the Deering grounds with naturalists and other experts to learn more about the rich natural, cultural, and archeological history of the estate. “We have also gone kayaking. We support each other at our respective openings and exhibitions. The curators are also very knowledgeable and supportive of our projects and provide exhibition opportunities for the AIRs through a juried process,” she says.

Artist Enma Saiz’s “Deering Tiles” installation at the Deering Estate. Saiz created holes in the coontie plant cones and left out the grout so that the glow of LED lights would come through the tiles at the level of the fire in a fireplace. (Photo by Francesco Casale/courtesy of Deering Estate)

Her work has been shaped by a variety of influences, including contemporary artists like Nick Cave, Doris Salcedo, Yinka Shonibare, and Teresita Fernández. “Nick Cave’s maximalist installations, in particular, resonate with me because he uses found objects to highlight social justice issues,” according to Saiz.

Ultimately, “Deering Tiless” is not just a showcase of ceramics but a celebration of the ways in which art can bridge the past and present, honoring cultural heritage while engaging with pressing contemporary issues. Through her innovative work with tiles, she reminds us that art has the power to tell stories of resilience, resistance, and renewal.

WHAT:  “Deering Tiles” by Enma Saiz

WHERE: Deering Estate, Richmond Cottage Garden Room, 16701 SW 72 Ave., Miami.

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Through Thursday, Oct. 31.

COST: Exhibition included with general admission, $15 for adults (ages 15 and older) and $7 for children (ages 4 to 14). Admission is free for Deering Estate Foundation members and children under 4 years old.

INFORMATION: 305-680-5219 or deeringestate.org

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don’t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com.

latest posts

Miami Artists’ Book Fair Tropic Bound Speaks Volu...

Written By Douglas Markowitz,

Tropic Bound, an artists' book fair, has 90 exhibitors this year from more than a 12 countries who will descend on Miami's Design District.

‘Celia Cruz: Work’ At MDC’s Museum of...

Written By Miguel Sirgado,

'Celia Cruz: Work' at MDC's Hialeah Campus Art Gallery recognizes the legend's tireless commitment to her audiences who she loved to make “dance until dawn.”

Rarely Seen Works Shine in Purvis Young Exhibition at P...

Written By Miguel Sirgado,

Purvis Young is to Overtown what Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring were to Lower Manhattan.