Firelei Báez: Sueño De La Madrugada
(A Midnight’s Dream)
28 June — 8 September 2024
★★★★ Guardian
Photo: Above Ground Studio
Sueño De la Madrugada was Firelei Báez’s first solo exhibition in the UK. Known for her visually striking and exuberant work, this exhibition marked a pivotal moment in her career, continuing her exploration of sculpture and installation alongside her paintings and drawings.
Spanning both sites of the South London Gallery, the show continues Báez’s exploration of the legacies of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora, mythologies, ecologies, and resilience.
The fellows honed their writing skills by drafting the press release and wall texts across the exhibition, as well as each writing a contributing essay to the exhibition catalogue.
While visiting Firelei's temporary studio in Bruton, Somerset, the team shot, recorded and produced the short film you see above, documenting the artists’ practice.
Over the course of the year-long programme the fellows conducted research, devised the exhibition layout, and helped produce many of the artworks. This included working with new elements to the artist, such as neon and aluminium.
This exhibition was curated by the inaugural cohort of New Curators; Carol Bedoy (Mexico/USA), Courtney Brown (USA), Felix Choong (UK), Lemeeze Davids (South Africa), Rosie Fitter (UK), Lucia Jurikova (Slovakia), Aditi Kapoor (India), Makella Ama Ketedzi (Ghana/UK), Rey Londres (USA/Cuba), Nikita Sena Quarshie (UK/Ghana), and Amandine Vabre Chau (Hong Kong/France)
They learned how to manage budgets, timelines, and the implementation of an extensive public programme. This programme ranged from community cinema nights to somatic workshops.
