Articles about Art in Antarctica The Arts: "The Longitudinal Installation: Representing those affected by climate change." Xavier Cortada. Resurgence, edition 243, page 32-33 (July/August 2007) Kunsthaus Miami exhibit. Review by Milagros Bello.  Published in  arte al día (International Magazine of Contemporary Latin American Art), edition 119, (July 2007). Bold as Ice: Miami artist Xavier Cortada finds fresh air at the South Pole. By Carlos Suarez De Jesus.  Published in the Miami New Times on March 29, 2007. Cortada reinvents style during Antarctic visit:  Art brings awareness to environmental issues Written by Peter Rejcek. Published in the Antarctic Sun (Antarctica) on January 21, 2006. Cold Reality:  Artist Xavier Cortada takes environmental awareness to the South Pole By Deseraè E. Del Campo Pubished in Miami Monthly Magazine, April 2007. The Worth of Water WorldChanging - Mar 15, 2007 by Katie Kurtz. Standing in Miami heat picturing the subzero Antarctic seems unimaginable - but this is the premise Xavier Cortada uses to show the neighborly aspect of global warming. The End Of The Earth Is Closer Than You Might Think, by Julia Yarbough.  Aired on NBC - 6, Miami on March 9, 2007. Wynwood District - Second Saturday Art Gallery Walk by Manola Blablablani. Published in Miami Beach 411 on March 12, 2007. Xavier Cortada: ANTARCTICA Blue Print Directory, Volume 10, March 2007. Planting for Life: CultureSurge - Artburst.  by Anne Tschida.  Published in category305 on Thursday, November 9, 2006.
Xavier Cortada to create eco-art in the South Pole
Miami artist Xavier Cortada will travel to Antarctica from December 28, 2006  to January 9, 2007 to implement a series of art projects sponsored through the National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs.  In exploring Antarctica, Cortada addresses our interconnectedness to one another and to our planet.   "This is an exciting project that will result in a positive and meaningful body of work,” says Kim Silverman, Program Director for the National Science Foundation's Antarctic Artists and Writer's Program. "Xavier's project represents a new and progressive dimension in artistic expression, adding breadth to the Program. I am particularly delighted with the acknowledgement and support that the project brings to the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008 movement. Mr. Cortada’s success in reaching large and diverse audiences is significant and will likely inspire people to learn more about IPY and Antarctica---the science, the history, and the importance of the continent." It is envisioned that IPY will create long-standing legacies of international research collaborations; capture the world’s imagination in science and exploration; and inspire future generations of scientists and engineers. For more information about the U.S. role in IPY visit: www.ipy.gov.)

 

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Xavier Cortada was born in Albany, New York and was raised and lives in Miami. The Cuban-American artist holds three degrees from the University of Miami. His work has been shown across four continents and is in the permanent collection of The World Bank.  Major collaborative art projects include International AIDS murals in Switzerland and South Africa, peace murals in Northern Ireland and Cyprus and child welfare murals in Bolivia and Panama.

Through his art, he attempts to reclaim Florida's fertile past. The concrete columns that hold up I-95 through downtown Miami now bear Cortada's mark: in 2004, he led volunteers in painting colorful mangrove seedlings on columns across four neighborhoods, a metaphoric re-foresting of Miami. He has elaborated on the mangrove metaphor in murals he created for Miami City Hall, the Miami-Dade County Commission Chambers, the Florida Capitol, and the Museum of Florida History.

For more information, please visit www.cortada.com/profile.