By Shawn Macomber
PAST EVENT
A 2022 study in the journal Cognition found that exposure to random stimuli empowered subjects to “unlock problem-solving abilities and creativity,” helping them to “see problems differently and imagine new possibilities.”
Despite all our collective endless scrolling across multiple social media accounts, however, this random exposure is absurdly difficult to come by. The algorithmic troll under the bridge might be invisible, but he’s always throwing the same rocks at our heads. (Most of the projectiles I field are, not coincidentally, capybara-shaped.)
Enter Homework—a revolutionary Miami-based “nomadic gallery” utilizing temporary pop-up experimental art spaces and activations to reintroduce random acts of artistry and the joy of discovery into shuttered distilleries, unrenovated retail spaces, and unadorned corners of hotels—and, more importantly, back into our lives.
“We definitely enjoy working outside of the white cube gallery,” Aurelio Aguiló, who founded Homework alongside his wife Mayra Mejia in 2021, says—a counterbalance to what he describes as the sometimes “chilly wall of exclusivity” of traditional art spaces. “It’s curatorially more interesting—and there are a lot more happy accidents and unique, unusual opportunities—setting up an exhibition in a space that’s not designed for it. We almost couldn’t be predictable or stale if we wanted to be. Which is good because we want everything we do to be…alive.”
“Retreat Volume I,” the eighth iteration of these activations, is currently running at the famed Sagamore Hotel South Beach and is designed to “explore the intrinsic connection between rest and leisure, and their pivotal roles in human growth and evolution.” (The event included a screening, in partnership with Coral Gables Art Cinema’s On the Move program, of Albert Brooks’ on-topic post-life masterpiece Defending Your Life.)
Turns out, exhibits with lectures and pool parties and DJs and live mural paintings and film screenings and panel discussions draw a more diverse crowd than more permanent galleries. No shade on brick and mortar—these establishments clearly serve a purpose as well—but when multiple streams of interest (stimuli) feed into a single river, the current is going to be more powerful and persuasive.
“The original idea has been evolving a bit,” Aguiló says. “As a nomadic gallery, we get these spaces for such short amounts of time. So, we like to make things as interactive and multidisciplinary as possible—give people good, exciting reasons to come out; to participate; to enjoy the art and get a sense of the theme we’re trying to communicate; and to tell us what they think.”
Real exchange leading to real community, in other words.
Somewhat ironically for a series of temporary exhibitions, there is a legitimate—and legitimately profound—preservational aspect to what Homework by drawing individuals back into a communal setting.
In a world of instant digital access that keeps us closely tethered to home or personal devices, how do we ensure that the tactile and communal are diluted into little more than footnotes of a pre-“ones and zeroes” culture?
“It’s great to have all these digital tools at our disposal, but none of it is a replacement for the real, the physical,” Aguiló says. “Watching a movie on Netflix is not the same as seeing it in a theater. Listening to a song on Spotify isn’t the same as listening to it on vinyl, never mind experiencing it live. And going to a gallery or museum Instagram page is not the same as getting into a physical space and seeing the texture of a painting or a sculpture; it’s true
size; the layers. There’s a tactility and realness there that is irreplaceable.”
For Aguiló who was born in the Dominican Republic to very culturally-engaged parents—his mother a classically trained harpist, his father an architect—Homework is as much homage to heritage as anything else.
“There was art and music around my house all the time,” Aguiló says. “And when we would travel, we would always go to museums—say, Museo del Prado in Spain or the Met in New York—and we wouldn’t be, like, running around while my parents looked at the exhibits. They would guide us; they’d ask us about the art and how it made us feel.”
Back in Santo Domingo, Aguiló would go on the hunt for contemporary musicians and VHS copies of films such as Basquiat.
“To this day, I still watch it at least once a year,” Aguiló says of the latter. “It’s not just visually stunning and full of incredible music, it’s also such an inspirational story. Watching that movie is probably a big part of why we’re talking about Homework at all right now: Seeing the world that guy was living in and creating sparked my interest in art.”
None of this was easily accessible in that moment or place, but the quest became part of the magic.
And his experience in Miami—the Magic City—has in many ways reminded Aguiló of that spark of life.
“Miami is just so rich with undiscovered and emerging talent,” he says. “There’s also an outlaw spirit here that makes what we do possible. Could I sneak in an get an art show up in an old distillery in New York City before a condo or club developer did? Probably not. So, Miami is still a place where you can try very different things and find support and enthusiasm. I hope that doesn’t change as the city grows. I don’t know what form, but I believe it won’t be lost—it’ll live on somehow.”
“I’ve tried doing other things,” Aguiló continues. “I’ve tried getting into business, doing agriculture and stuff. But none of it is as satisfying as being involved in the arts. And I’m grateful my wife feels the same way. If someone who attended a show or activation passes by that space and feels like they saw something special and beautiful—that they had some sort of out of the ordinary experience that enriched their lives—that would be the greatest
compliment. That would make all of the effort more than worth it.”
To learn more about Homework, visit the official website.
Made possible by generous funding from PNC Arts Alive, Gables on the Move aims to take the arts into the communities Coral Gables Art Cinema serves, bringing celebrated art house films to unorthodox venues for screenings, discussions, and to intellectual exchange. The goal:
create synergy and visibility for both the cinema and host organization while bringing an edifying, unique entertainment experience to new audiences. For more information on this and other programs, please visit the cinema website.
Gables Cinema on the Move Blog 
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