NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Frist Art Museum is set to present María Magdalena Campos-Pons: Behold, an extensive exhibition of works by the Cuban-born artist María Magdalena Campos-Pons, who now resides in Nashville. The exhibition, organized by the Brooklyn Museum and the J. Paul Getty Museum, will be on display in the Frist’s Ingram Gallery from September 27, 2024, to January 5, 2025. This marks the first survey of Campos-Pons’s work since 2007 and will feature over 50 artworks, including photography, installation, video, painting, and performance.
Campos-Pons’s art draws on her personal memories and familial history to explore themes such as enslavement, indentured labor, motherhood, migration, and race. The exhibition will also include an audio guide with Campos-Pons discussing selected works.
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Born in Matanzas, Cuba, in 1959, Campos-Pons incorporates Yoruba-derived Santería symbolism in her work. She has lived in various places, including Boston, Italy, and Nashville, where she holds the Cornelius Vanderbilt Endowed Chair Professor of Fine Arts at Vanderbilt University. The Frist previously showcased her work in the 2011 exhibition Journeys.
Campos-Pons has significantly contributed to the art world and Tennessee’s cultural landscape. She founded and leads the Engine for Art, Democracy, and Justice, a collaborative initiative between Vanderbilt University, the Frist, Millions of Conversations, and Fisk University. This initiative brings together scholars, critics, and artists for various programs. In 2023, Campos-Pons was named a MacArthur Fellow for her innovative approach to art as a healing force for individuals and society.
One of the exhibition’s highlights is the monumental triptych Secrets of the Magnolia Tree (2021), a self-portrait of Campos-Pons expressing sorrow over the conditions she observes. Other notable works include the immersive video installation Spoken Softly with Mama (1998, co-created with Neil Leonard) and De Las Dos Aguas (Of the Two Waters) (2007), a multipart Polaroid work reflecting Santería religious themes.
The exhibition will also feature rarely seen works such as Umbilical Cord (1991), a photographic assemblage created in collaboration with her mother and sisters, and Baño Sagrado (Rite of Initiation, Sacred Bath) (1991, co-created with Neil Leonard), an autobiographical video. New works created during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as Miasma (2020) and Rise of the Butterflies (2021), will also be on display.
Campos-Pons’s influence extends globally, with her work featured in major exhibitions such as the Sharjah Biennial, Documenta 14, and the Venice Biennale. The exhibition will be accompanied by a richly illustrated publication documenting her career with essays from various scholars and an introduction by artist and cultural theorist Amalia Mesa-Bains.
Programs related to the exhibition include a performance titled A Mother’s River of Tears on September 26, and a conversation between María Magdalena Campos-Pons and Carmen Hermo on September 27.
The exhibition is curated by Carmen Hermo from the Brooklyn Museum and Mazie Harris from the J. Paul Getty Museum, with contributions from Jenée-Daria Strand.
For more information, visit the Frist Art Museum’s website here.
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