Art Basel is a day away and Miami’s art scene is already buzzing. A new public art exhibit has just opened beneath the Metrorail, paying tribute to the immigrant experience in the city.
The new installation, titled, “Is Blue The Color of the Ocean?,” by artist Bony Ramírez, was unveiled on Tuesday at The Underline. The exhibit, open to the public, also featured a panel discussion about the sculpture’s significance.
The artwork consists of silver fiberglass coconuts and a single golden conch shell, symbolizing the connection many Caribbean immigrants, including Ramírez, feel to the ocean.
Ramírez, who immigrated to New York from the Dominican Republic in 2009, created the piece as a tribute to the feeling of “home” for immigrants.
“This work is almost like a portal that can mentally transport people back home to wherever you feel like home,” Ramírez said. “What is that one thing that, no matter where you are, reminds you of home? For me, it’s the ocean.”
The piece is the ninth installation in The Underline’s public art program.
The program’s founder, Meg Daly, explained, “One of the special features of this art installation is the addition of augmented reality,”
A QR code at the exhibit allows visitors to see Ramírez explaining his work in both English and Spanish. This is the first time The Underline incorporates augmented reality into an art installation.
The AR component was made in Florida International University’s Lee Caplin iSTAR Studio.
“Being able to tap talent from the community, particularly the schools in the case of the student work, really brings a lot of resources to us we don’t have,” Daly added.
The exhibit is free to visit and open to the public. It can be found in the Underline Urban Gym area, just beneath the Metrorail.
