Mead Art Museum Trópico es Político: Caribbean Art Under the Visitor Economy Regime

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Yiyo Tirado, Caribe Hostil, 2020. Blue glass neon. Dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist and Km 0.2, San Juan.

Trópico es Político: Caribbean Art Under the Visitor Economy Regime is a group exhibition that considers notions of natural and fiscal paradise through the work of artists living in the Caribbean and its diaspora. Curated by Marina Reyes Franco, the exhibition explores artists’ responses to the “visitor economy regime” that is defined by the confluence of tourism and finance in the region. Featured works in mediums such as video, painting, and installation center fiscal and cultural exchange, bodies, and territories, as part of a critical investigation of how the tropical is political. 

Participating artists: 
Allora & Calzadilla
Dionne Benjamin-Smith
Ricardo Cabret
Carolina Caycedo
Blue Curry
Sofía Gallisá Muriente
Gwladys Gambie
Dalton Gata 
Abigail Hadeed
Donna Conlon & Jonathan Harker
Darién Montañez
Joiri Minaya
José Morbán
nibia pastrana santiago
Oneika Russell
Dave Smith
Yiyo Tirado
Viveca Vázquez
Averia Wright

This exhibition was initiated as a collaboration between the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico in San Juan and the Americas Society in New York City. It is curated by Marina Reyes Franco, curator at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico, where it was on view in Spring 2023. The installation of this exhibition at Amherst College is organized by Lisa Crossman, Director of Curatorial Affairs, Mead Art Museum.

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Left: Joiri Minaya, The Upkeepers, 2021. Archival pigment print, 17 x 11 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

Right: Dave Smith, Night and Day-O, 2012. Acrylic and glitter on canvas, 96 x 60 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

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Joiri Minaya, Labadee, 2017. HD video installation, 7:10 minutes, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist.