Adventum Floridana: Witnessing the Layers of a Vanishing Horizon

a solo exhibition by Andrés Cabrera-Garcia

Curated by Sophie Bonet

Exhibition Dates: March 13–June 7, 2025

Opening Reception: March 13, 6–9 PM

The Frank C. Ortis Art Gallery is proud to announce Adventum Floridana: Witnessing the Layers of a Vanishing Horizon, a solo exhibition by Andrés Cabrera-Garcia curated by Sophie Bonet. This evocative exhibition examines the fragile beauty of South Florida’s landscapes in a state of flux, offering viewers an opportunity to engage with the region’s shifting horizons through Cabrera-Garcia’s compelling works.

Cabrera-Garcia’s practice captures the tensions between nature and human intervention, translating ephemeral moments of light, texture, and urban transformation into dynamic visual narratives. His expressive brushstrokes evoke the sensory experience of South Florida—dense humidity, fading light, and the ever-present hum of development—immersing viewers in the visceral realities of a landscape in transition.

Central to the exhibition is a monumental polyptych, a “Platonic Ridge,” embodying the fragmentation and cohesion of South Florida’s evolving terrain. Complemented by an array of found objects and construction debris, the gallery becomes an archaeological site, immersing visitors in the dual forces of destruction and renewal.

Curator Sophie Bonet approaches Adventum Floridana through the lens of Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology, emphasizing the active, embodied nature of perception. “This exhibition is not just about observing Cabrera-Garcia’s work,” Bonet explains. “It is about experiencing these landscapes as extensions of ourselves—an entanglement of memory, materiality, and transformation.”

The result is an exhibition that challenges viewers to witness and reflect upon the tenuous beauty of South Florida’s environment and its precarious future. Cabrera-Garcia’s works are not merely representations but invitations to participate in the ongoing dialogue between nature and humanity.