Description

ICA Boston is organizing the first career-spanning retrospective of the Dominican-born artist Firelei Báez, who centers women of color in paintings and installations that probe historical narratives of the Atlantic Basin and the African diaspora, and the legacy of colonialism in the United States and Caribbean. Raised in the Dominican Republic and Haiti before emigrating to Miami at the age of 10, the Brooklyn-based artist draws her imagery from history, geography, folklore, and fantasy, to unsettle categories of race, nationality and gender. Her complex works also tap disparate artistic traditions and techniques, including Persian miniatures, historical toile and silhouettes, and West African indigo printing. The exhibition will chart the evolution of Báez’s subjects and imagery, culminating with her recent map-based works, in which the forms of colonial maps provide the ground onto which she asserts corrective and recuperative alternatives to colonial histories. 
This grant aligns with the AAP strategic goal 1a: To advance innovative museum projects that prioritize representation and equity through the preservation, study, and presentation of work by under-represented artists of color, collaborations with diverse external partners, and outreach to underserved communities.