Power in all its forms—individual, social, political, environmental—drives this year’s selection of video and digital art at Play Miami Beach, the new media platform of Pulse Contemporary Art Fair. The second edition of the showcase, curated this year by Jasmine Wahi and Rebecca Pauline Jampol, cofounders of the Newark, New Jersey, gallery Project for Empty Space, features nine videos offering a diverse set of responses to the theme. “There are some videos that look at self-actualization and the power within, and others that look at imposed or oppressive power,” Wahi says. “They span the gamut of the type of power relationships that people could have—individually or on a wider scale.”
One of the featured artists, Adama Delphine Fawundu, emphasizes individual empowerment in her short film the cleanse (2017). The video’s stark symbolism—of Fawundu’s hair being transformed by water, milk, and blood—explores how her African ancestry and identity have played out in her personal narrative, and in turn, sounds a call for self-affirmation. “At a time when we have a president who believes in silencing and erasing history, it’s important for people to understand who they are and be firm in their power,” she says.
The selection of works will be on view for a month beginning Oct. 10 at Project for Empty Space, before an on-site exhibition during Pulse Contemporary Art Fair in Miami from Dec. 7–10. Below, preview an exclusive clip from Fawundu’s powerful piece.
