Celebrated Cuban-American artist, Xavier Cortada will travel to Antarctica to create his ANTARCTICArt Message Mural project. The artist plans a three-part series of site-specific work. The first project is a message mural, which will be created from messages written on paper by researchers and staff about their work and personal feelings toward their work in Antarctica. These messages will be and affixed to a canvas, which will become part of the overall mural painted by Cortada. The motivation of the mural is to capture the voices of those who work in Antarctica and help tell their story. The second part of the project is a Longitudinal Message Mural installation. The artist will bring small flag-like replicas of message murals that he has previously created from around the world and arrange them in a circle as a temporary installation at the South Pole. "In this space with no borders, the artist aims to convey the artistic messages of the global community more clearly." For the third part of the project, the artist will travel to the South Pole to plant an artistic replica of a Mangrove seed. The seed would be planted at the earth's geographic center to begin its 150,000-mile journey toward the sea (the artist estimates that the seed would travel 9.9 meters per year). The artist uses the concept of the Mangrove seed to represent migration and belonging. The Antarctic art project is linked to societal themes addressed in the artists' existing body of work and to individuals across the globe that have collaborated with him on pro-social murals. Upon his return to Miami, the artist will use all the materials developed in Antarctica to create an exhibit that will travel to venues throughout America and perhaps the world. The artist will also work with cultural organizations and museums as part of the traveling tour. Cortada is often asked to speak at conferences and cultural events and will create a presentation based on his Antarctic experiences. Notably, the Miami artist has received numerous awards for his volunteer work with various underrepresented groups of the population. For more information about the artist and his work, visit: www.cortada.com.
