Street Shrines

November 28, 2022–August 27, 2023
The Wolfsonian–FIU @ 1001 Washington Avenue

For artist and activist Roberto Lugo, the past is always present. He mines the history of ceramics to create artwork with contemporary urgency, turning luxurious porcelain forms—often used to mark major events or memorialize monarchies and political leaders—into agents of change and disruption. At The Wolfsonian, Lugo looked to the museum's significant collection of 19th- and 20th-century European and American ceramics, producing new work inspired by these objects but depicting the histories, experiences, and heroes of Black and Brown communities so often ignored by the historical record.

On the exterior of the museum, Lugo brought his characteristic style and approach to Miami's own underexplored stories, designing a mural that commemorated the city's Caribbean roots while weaving in his own family history. Connecting the gallery installation to the street, and the Wolfsonian collection to the lives of present-day Miamians, Lugo invited visitors to consider the intersection of race, politics, and memory in the built world around them.

Street Shrines was made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and Funding Arts Network. Additional support from Dr. David and Linda Frankel and Brown Harris Stevens.