(Black PR Wire) MIAMI – Behind South Florida’s cloudless sky and golden light exists a fragile community that is facing issues of class, race, climate change and gentrification. Starting on November 20, Oolite Arts kicks off Feels Like 97°, a lens-based exhibition where artists look beyond the city’s dreamlike imagery and into the area’s diversity and socio-economic divide.

Curated by renowned visual artist Michelle Lisa Polissaint, Feels Like 97° features the work of 10 artists who provide their perspective on South Florida’s way of life and ecosystems by analyzing varied regions of South Florida including the murky swamps of the Everglades. The participating artists include Jerry Carnation, Angel Lauren Garcia, Phillip Karp, Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan, Terence Price II, Monica Sorelle, Esdras Thelusma, Monica Uszerowicz and Sofia Valiente.

Several highlights from the exhibition include Garcia’s video work, Self-Titled, where she discusses her relationship to her given name as a Cuban-American woman. Sorelle’s work, Miami Hues, features an Instagram project from 2016 that focused on the aesthetics of Miami coupled with sight specific assemblage.  Similarly, Valiente’s long-term photography series called Foreverglades, documents how the beltway region has been affected by socio-economic issues.

“While working as a studio assistant, someone told me that people in South Florida are spoiled because of our access to natural golden light,” Polissaint said. “This made me think about how aesthetics like light contribute to conversations about the area’s socioeconomic status. This conversation is also what helped plant the seed for Feels Like 97°.”

To visit Feels Like 97°, the public can make an appointment between the hours of noon and 5 p.m., November 20, 2021 – January 23, 2022 and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. during Miami Art Week. It will be presented at 928 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach. For updates, visit oolitearts.org.

ABOUT THE CURATOR

Florida born, Haitian-American visual artist and arts organizer, Michelle Lisa Polissaint’s practice  explores the nature of human interaction through textiles and photographs while focusing on the overlap among art, community, and activism. Prior to her current role as Education and Community Engagement Manager at Oolite Arts, she produced public programs and engagement initiatives at cultural organizations like Locust Projects and the now-defunct Miami Rail. Polissaint, who is represented by Spinello Projects, is also a current resident artist at Bakehouse Art Complex in Miami.

ABOUT OOLITE ARTS

Oolite Arts helps Miami-based artists advance their careers and inspires the cultural community to engage with their work. Established in 1984, Oolite Arts is both a community and a resource, providing visual artists with the studio space, exhibition opportunities and financial support they need to experiment, grow and enrich the city. Through its educational programming, Oolite Arts helps Miamians learn about contemporary art and develop their own artistic skills.