Spinello Projects presents Florida Beauty, the debut solo exhibition at the gallery by Argentine-American artist, Nina Surel (b. 1971, Buenos Aires), showcasing Surel’s exploration of the feminine, Florida’s flora and fauna, and the connection between bodies and earth, through a monumental ceramic wall relief, her iconic Core Vessel sculptures, and ceramic tablets and vases.
At the heart of Florida Beauty lies a monumental stoneware ceramic bas-relief mural, kiln-fired to 2160°F for over 20 hours. In this mural, 3000 pounds of heavy grog stoneware ceramic convey the thriving spirit of the people who have settled and flourished in Florida, reflecting the enduring community that emerges from artistic expression. This artwork is a testament to the richness of Florida, featuring forms and living organisms native to the state, such as Coontie, Florida Beauty berry, Seagrape, and Cocoplum. Fostering relations of solidarity and interdependence among diverse beings, it symbolically connects the dots between human, animal, myth, the organic and cyborg, bridging historical, ecological, and anatomical dimensions.
Surel uses collage to sketch out the imagery in her mural and ceramic tablets and vases. Her use of collage as a creative method helps her structure her visuals. Sgraffito is the technique she uses in her tables and vases of scratching through a colored glaze to reveal the clay body beneath. The sgraffito technique employed in the tablets and vessels adds a layer of storytelling, chronicling women’s experiences, including sex, abortion, pregnancy, and childbirth. Made with the same intention, Surel’s Core Vessel series is an immersive installation that celebrates the female body as a vessel. Each vessel, cast from anonymous women’s pelvises, houses a rare Florida Beauty Philodendron. These sculptures embody the strength and resilience of the human body and the possibility of reinvention. The installation is flanked by two-dimensional terracotta on canvas abstractions which were created in the process of casting the vessels.
Nina Surel’s art explores life’s rituals, drawing from art history and her personal journey. She captures transformation, aging, resilience, and fragility in mediums like clay, plants, and raw canvas. Florida Beauty narrates a journey through time, blending past, present, and future. Within Surel’s work lies an esoteric realm, where nature morphs into magic, belief trumps knowledge, and ritual transcends reason. Circular time challenges conventional history.
Inspired by the “cyborg manifesto,” Surel’s art envisions a world beyond stereotypes, exploring identity, transformation, and our profound connection to the Earth. The exhibition echoes Donna Haraway’s “staying with the trouble,” celebrating women’s role in nurturing a sustainable world and embracing a diverse, non-binary reality. It reconnects with matriarchal legacies, honoring the timeless, feminine earth.
Nina Surel (b.1971) is a Miami-based multidisciplinary artist from Argentina. Her work investigates the relationship between earthly matter and the human body. She is inspired by rites of passage and themes related to fertility. Her practice incorporates techniques such as video, photography, painting, sculpture, performance, and installation. Surel’s belief in the power of community and collaboration motivated her to found The Collective 62, the first feminine collective in Miami. The Collective 62 is an Art Complex with studios and exhibition space.
Surel studied Fashion Design at the University of Buenos Aires and Stage and Costume Design at the Arts Institute of Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in galleries and institutions in the United States, Europe, and Latin America. Some venues where her art has been displayed are the Church of San Matteo in Lucca, Italy, the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) in Long Beach, California, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Miami, Florida, the Boca Ratón Museum of Art in Florida, and Miami International Airport. Her work is part of private collections across the globe.
Spinello Projects is a Miami-based contemporary art program founded in 2005. It is a gallery, creative space, and an innovative platform for nomadic site-specific and curatorial projects.