Curator | Exhibition Concept & Design | Producer
THE WORLD TODAY
2022
Curator | Exhibition Concept & Design | Producer
MAD Arts, Dania Beach, FL
2022
Curator | Exhibition Concept & Design | Producer
MAD Arts, Dania Beach, FL
After learning about The World Today blockchain project, I conceived and proposed a physical exhibition of the collection, encompassing 13,800 images by 138 photographers across six continents, 39 countries, and more than 90 cities. Over seven months, I developed the exhibition at MAD Arts, creating the curatorial framework, exhibition design, and immersive experience through which the digital collection would inhabit physical space.
The exhibition presented two central curatorial and design questions: How do we exhibit digital-native photographs in a physical space without simply turning them into traditional photographic prints? And how do we present such an enormous collection without overwhelming the viewer? The photographs existed as JPEGs on the blockchain, and my intention was to honor the digital medium while creating an experience that allowed audiences to meaningfully engage with a collection of this scale.
Because the original collection was inspired by Edward Steichen’s landmark 1955 MoMA exhibition The Family of Man, I studied his unconventional approach to photographic display. Steichen suspended photographs from ceilings, positioned them near the floor, enlarged them, and presented them on freestanding structures. His departure from the traditionally framed photograph became an important point of reference for my own exhibition design.
Drawing from this research, I developed a projection-based environment in which the JPEG remained the exhibited photographic object while being liberated from a fixed physical format. Each gallery presented the images differently across screens, surfaces, scales, and architectural space. In the main gallery, I designed suspended double-sided screens referencing Steichen’s floating photographic displays. For the entrance, I conceived a camera-obscura-inspired passage, where imagery from The Family of Man was projected onto the floor before visitors passed through black curtains into the digital galleries.
My curatorial process began with all 13,800 photographs. From each photographer’s 100-image collection, I selected approximately ten works, creating small thematic curations based on relationships and narratives within their work. From there, I organized these individual curations into broader themes across the gallery spaces, including themes of war, community, and Indigenous cultures.
To address the challenge of presenting approximately 1,380 selected images without overwhelming the viewer, the exhibition was structured as a continuously changing sequence of one-minute presentations, with each photographer temporarily occupying an entire gallery environment as a miniature solo exhibition. Across four primary gallery spaces, artists and thematic groupings rotated on independent cycles, continually altering the relationships between rooms so that no two visits offered exactly the same experience.
To keep the physical and blockchain experiences connected, I created a digital catalog for all 138 photographers, including artist bios, countries, exhibited works, and links to their blockchain profiles. Individual QR codes allowed visitors to move directly from the physical exhibition into the digital collection to learn about the artists, explore their work, and collect directly from them, while introducing audiences to blockchain as a new model for experiencing and collecting photography.
Throughout the development and production of the exhibition, I directed five teams across exhibition design, technology, fabrication, installation, digital content, artist coordination, and programming. I also worked directly with projection-mapping technology to program imagery for one of the gallery environments.
Education and access to the artists’ voices were also integral to the exhibition. As part of this educational component, I conceived The Talking Space, featuring interviews with 26 participating photographers from 15 countries about their practices and creative processes, and developed artist conversations, panels, tours, and educational programming around the project.
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS
138 photographers representing 39 countries
138 photographers representing 39 countries
Aaron Huey, Aghogho Otega, Ahndraya Parlato, Alan Carranza, Alejandro Cartagena, Alessandra Sanguinetti, Alex Majoli, Alicia Araís Fernandez Castañeda, Alvaro Laiz, Amy Woodward, Ana Maria Arevalo Gosen, Ana Sofia Ayarzagoitia, Andres Cardona Cruz, Andressa Cruz Zumpano, Anita Pouchard Serra, Antero Escandón, Barbara Davidson, Behnam Sadighi, Benedicte Kurzen, Benson Ibeabuchi, Bernard Kalu, Bieke & Dries Depoorter, Bruno Morais, Carlos Loret de Mola, Caroline Gutman, Charlotte Schmitz, Christina Martinez, Christopher Anderson, Clara de Tezanos, Cooper Ray, Cris Veit, Cristina De Middel, Cristobal Olivares, Damilola Onafuwa, Daro Sulakauri, Deepit Asthana, Derrick Carr, Donaldo Barros, Eduardo Giralt - Comandante Vagancia, Elena Subach, Eman Ali, Emin Özmen, Enri Canaj, Eric Gottesman, Eric Ruby, Eunice Adorno, Eva Verbeeck, Fabiola Cedillo, Fernando Gallegos, Girma Berta, Gisela Volá, Gregory Halpern, Gui Christ, Hugo Faz, Igor Chekachkov, Irina Rozovsky, Jack Simpson, Jacqui Kenny, Jake Versoza, Javier Leon Cuevas, Jim Goldberg, JJ Estrada, Joe Matty, Johanna Alarcón, Jorge Panchoaga, José Luis Cuevas, Joshua Irwandi, Julia Gaisbacher, Juliana Gomez, Juri Koll, Kamau Kamau, Karla Leyva, Kevin Cooley, Koral Carballo, Kristyna Archer, Lauren Hermele, Lily Hatten, Lindokuhle Sobekwa, Linn Phyllis Seeger, Lorenzo Meloni, Luciana Demichelis, Luján Agusti & Nicolás Deluca, Lynne Brouwer, Mariela Sancari, Marion Durand, Mark Steinmetz, Mayumi Suzuki, Melba Arellano, Mia Forrest, Michael Schmelling, Mishka Henner, Murillo Neves Dias, Musuk Nolte, Mykhaylo Palinchak, Nani Gutierrez, Neec Nonso, Nengi Nelson, Nguveren Ahua, Nicolas Combarro, Nicolas Janowski, Nyimas Laula, Oksana Parafeniuk, Olivia Arthur, Ore Huiying, Othón Briones, Pablo Lerma, Paz Olivares Droguett, Pelle Cass, Rachel Seidu, Rafael Vilela, Rami el-Sabban, Raymond Meeks, River Claure, Riya Panwar, Roberto Tondopó, Rochelle Marie Adam, Roger Job, Ronald Pizzoferrato, Sara Aliaga, Sarah Basheer, Sarah Pabst, Shaldrian Gomez, Showkat Nanda, STILLZ, Su Cassiano, Taiwo Aina, Tamara Merino, Thomas Dworzak, Ugochukwu Emebiriodo, Victor Adewale, Victor Zea, Walker Bankson, Wara Vargas Lara, Wesley Verhoeve, Wim Van Cappellen, Wyatt Gallery, Yael Martinez Velázquez, Yen Duong.
Countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Palestine, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, Vietnam.
