The Bass is proud to announce a new gift of a major installation to the museum’s permanent collection of contemporary art: assume vivid astro focus: XI, gifted to the museum by internationally renowned contemporary art collectors Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz. Opening fall 2024, XI will become the next iteration of The Bass’ ongoing exhibition platform called Social Assembly.  

 “In 2004, Eli Sudbrack sent us a proposal for these works to be installed in our home, inspired by our collection of Felix Gonzalez-Torres’ work. For the past 20 years it has been on view in our home, until it was gifted to The Bass. It was created during a pivotal moment in Miami’s art history; at a time in which Art Basel had settled in Miami as its winter destination. With it came international recognition and a wave of energy into our local arts community,” said Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz, describing the history of the works.  

 “We always consult with the artist to ensure that we are placing works within a context they would agree with,” they continued. “In speaking with Eli Sudbrack, he immediately suggested that the works be donated to The Bass. It was important to us that in gifting this work it would be enjoyed by the public far into the future, just as we had shared it in our home for so many years. In speaking with the museums’ Executive Director Silvia Karman Cubiñá, we knew that The Bass would be the perfect museum to celebrate this installation. Carlos and I are delighted this major installation will now have a second life and a new home.”  

 The international visual and performance art collective assume vivid astro focus (avaf) fuses drawing, sculpture, video and performance into enveloping large-scale installations and performances where gender, politics, and cultural codes float freely. Inhabiting the social forms of discos and other kinds of dance parties, the works invite audiences to engage with the environments, their lived experiences contributing to the continually evolving social dynamics inherent in the work. Avaf reimagines artistic conventions and challenges the idea of the artist’s persona, co-creating their pieces alongside viewers and artist collaborators while fluidly traversing diverse themes and media. Often recycling imagery and objects from previous projects into new installations, avaf fosters an ongoing dialogue between past works and the associated narratives they generate. 

 That will be the case at The Bass when the 2004 work XI will be reimagined for its next iteration as part of Social Assembly. XI will take the form of a kaleidoscopic environment teeming with vibrant, intricately patterned graphics that will engulf the room from top to bottom. Organized around a sculptural theater and a modular stage—that will be used for screenings, performances, and other activations—the space will incorporate work by more than thirty artists including existing works by Marco Boggio-Sella, Justin Samson and artist collective General Idea.  

The Bass Executive Director & Chief Curator Silvia Karman Cubiñá added, “The Bass is immensely grateful to Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz for their generous donation and for their vision. With this gift, avaf’s work will take on a second life within the Miami Beach community. This artist project will be a highlight of our 2024 exhibition season, with museum visitors and guests completing these vibrant works by dancing, performing, and living amongst the numerous elements of this immersive installation.”    

 The installation will be unveiled as part of the fall 2024 iteration of Social Assembly at The Bass. Social Assembly is a multi-year, multipronged exhibition and flexible program staged in The Bass’ Harrison Gallery, seeking to provide audiences with greater opportunities to gather informally and more frequently with art. Whether meeting friends, reading books, watching videos, drinking coffee, or listening to music—all ways for visitors to relax, refresh and regroup—these re-envisioned museum activities are now underway as part of one exhibition experience.  

  Social Assembly melds art, design, and architecture, combining the functions and aesthetics of a lounge, coffee bar, café, domestic interior and art gallery to explore the many possibilities for coming together around contemporary art and the ideas it inspires.  

 The Bass is proud to continue its 60-year tradition of sharing powerful international contemporary art that excites, challenges, and educates audiences, bringing new perspectives to Miami Beach’s diverse cultural context.  For more information, please visit www.thebass.org/ or follow us on social media @TheBassMoA. 

 

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ABOUT AVAF
Founded in New York in 2001, assume vivid astro focus is an ongoing collaboration between Eli Sudbrack (b. 1968, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and a diverse group of international visual and performance artists. Christophe Hamaide-Piercon (b. 1973, Paris, France) is one of Sudbrack’s primary collaborators within avaf. The collective’s works are held in the collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami; Museum of Modern Art, New York; São Paulo Museum of Modern Art, Brazil; and the de La Cruz Collection, Miami, among others. 

SPONSORSHIP TEXT
Social Assembly: assume vivid astro focus: XI is curated by James Voorhies. The Bass is generously funded by the City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council; the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and The Bass membership.