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Pérez Art Museum Miami

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1/3 Introduction
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Narratives in Focus

Introduction

Camila Falquez. Samantha Siagama, Trans – Indigenous Leader , 2023 . Digital chromogenic print with red silk spacers . 43 x 33 x 2 inches . Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, museum purchase with funds provided by The New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) Acquisition Gift to PAMM 2023 . © Camila Falquez

Narratives in Focus is an exhibition comprised of photographs from PAMM’s permanent collection, many of which are on view for the first time. The exhibition will be on view from February 6th to October 5th.  

The exhibition features primarily female artists who explore identity through photography.  

Artists in the exhibition include Widline Cadet, Patty Chang, Sarah Charlesworth, River Claure, Camila Falquez, Anna Bella Geiger, Joiri Minaya, Njaimeh Njie, Athi-Patra Ruga, and Mary Sibande. 

2/3 Photography and Identity
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Narratives in Focus

Photography and Identity

Nicéphore Niépce’s “point de vue” heliograph, the oldest surviving photograph, 1827. Courtesy of the Gernsheim Collection, Henry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin.

The inception of photography is usually traced to the first surviving photograph made in 1826 by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. A photograph of a landscape in black and white. While at the same time, the daguerreotype was being developed by Louis Daguerre. Photography quickly became popular as a means to preserve one’s identity and place within history. Since its infancy, debates have been held about photography and its place in art, history, and science. Many dismissed it as an art form by claiming it only presented reality in a scientific way. Many counter this by stating that images can be staged.  

This debate around photography has continued since the 1830s. First with the introduction of digital cameras, then the creation of software like photoshop, and more recently with the advancement of AI generated or enhanced images.  

Widline Cadet. Sé Sou Ou Mwen Mété Espwa m #1, 2021. Archival inkjet print and inkjet print in artist frame. 50 x 40 inches. Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, museum purchase with funds provided by Joseph Wemple. ©Widline Cadet

However, by embracing the uncertainty of photography and whether or not it depicts truth, artists are able to tackle complicated ideas about identity and history, like the artists in Narratives in Focus. By placing figures in elaborate costumes, in specific locations, by pairing one photograph with another, or by even laying an image over another, the artists in this exhibition can take the preconceptions we might have about photography and use them to reinforce the stories they attempt to tell.  

3/3 Feedback
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Narratives in Focus

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Narratives in Focus is one of three exhibitions exploring photography drawn from PAMM’s collection. Featuring a diverse range of artists from the Caribbean, United States, Latin America, and Africa, this exhibition delves into nuanced expressions of individual and collective identities, prompting viewers to critically engage with themes of race, gender,…
Through Sunday, October 5, 2025