For as long as he can remember, Sean Black had always wanted to visit Mexico City. And this past Christmas, he finally made his dream come true.
“Traveling on Christmas Day from Miami, a simple three-hour flight, I immediately set off on my adventure hailing an airport cab and taking a scenic, half-hour drive into one of the many breathtaking neighborhoods of one of North America’s oldest cities,” said Black, a photography lecturer at the University of Miami College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Art and Art History.
His experience touring the vibrant and colorful cosmopolitan city has become the latest online photo exhibition—“Mexico City: An Enchanting Trip Through Time”—at the University’s Wynwood Gallery.
“I’m really honored to be able to get this opportunity. This online exhibition is the perfect chance to move with the time of technology during this pandemic,” he said. “I find my work is something that allows me to connect with people, even if it’s at a glance or through the lens of my camera.”
The photography exhibition takes a viewer through Paseo de la Reforma, a magnificent central boulevard; Jardin Botanico; the National Zoo; Chapultepec Castle; and museums such as Museo Nacional de Antropologia and the Museo de Arte Moderno—which houses the iconic masterpiece Las dos Fridas (The Two Fridas) by Frida Kahlo. Black said that a highlight of the trip was a personally guided tour by his good friend and fellow lecturer in the Department of Art and Art History, Gerardo Olhovich, a painter and native of Mexico City.
Black, who also is an alumnus of the University, is a Miami-based artist, educator, and journalist working in the fields of social justice and sexual health.
“I want to create work that hopefully adds elements that allow people who are marginalized to be seen in a different light,” he said. “We have this tendency of being really plural in our judgments of people. I just want people to consider individuality in our humanity, so that we’re kinder and maybe more gentle to one another.”
Black hopes his latest exhibit is a learning experience for the students that he teaches at the University.
“The message that I have for all my students is that you always have the opportunity to fulfill your dreams, but you have to work really hard,” said Black. “Be vigilant for opportunities and constantly keep your finger on the pulse of what is happening in the vocation you have your sights set on, because that’s a big part of keeping up with the evolution of our culture.”
Visit https://art.as.miami.edu/gallery/online-gallery/sean-black/index.html to experience the exhibit.
