Artist Rafa Esparza wins annual prize from the Pérez Art Museum in Miami

Miami, 14 Mar The Perez Prize, organized in Miami by the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) foundation, went to Mexican-American artist Rafa Esparza, who lives and works in Los Angeles and is known for his performances that “explore memory, family and colonial history”. This was announced this Monday in a statement by the PAMM, a cultural entity that according to its description “promotes artistic expression, the exchange of ideas” and (...) the appreciation of art, architecture and design.” “PAMM is pleased to honor Rafa Esparza as the winner of the fourth annual Perez Prize, an artist whose foundations are based on the same values as our institution, whose insightful artistic practice connects personal narrative with historical explorations of art and society,” the statement said. The Perez Prize, in its fourth edition, was announced by the director of the PAMM, Franklin Sirmans. According to the Commonwealth and Council Gallery in Los Angeles, California, the recent projects of Esparza, a multidisciplinary artist, “are based on the work of the land and the elaboration of adobe, a skill learned from his father, Ramón Esparza.” “In doing so,” adds the art gallery, “the artist invites Brown and Queer cultural producers to carry out large-scale collective projects, bringing people together to build support networks outside traditional art spaces.” The annual Perez Prize event, which took place last weekend in Miami, included a Chef's Table celebration dinner and a Remix dance party that raised more than $800,000 “for PAMM's robust arts education programs that have served more than 300,000 children since opening in December 2013,” according to the statement. The 2022 Pérez Prize is “an unrestricted prize” endowed with $50,000 that “honors artistic achievements”, according to the institution. “Our institution's mission is to encourage everyone to see art as an incentive for the exchange of ideas, and we couldn't imagine a better way to implement this belief than by supporting education,” Sirmans said. Last year's prize was given to Cuban artist María Magdalena Campos-Pons, whose work explores gender, religion, memory and Afro-Cuban identity. In previous years, the Perez Prize honored sculptor Daniel Lind-Ramos and painter Christina Quarles. CHIEF jip/cpy