Pepe Mar: Parco dei Mostri

For Pepe Mar’s project at DiverseWorks, his first major institutional commission in the United States, the Miami-based artist will create a large-scale, immersive installation that brings his sculptures to life. Personal collections—including art and fashion—and issues related to identity, mass media influence, excess consumption, and simulation form the core of his investigation in this new body of work, which was initially inspired by research on Houston’s Menil Collection and artsdoyenne Dominique de Menil. As part of his residency, Mar is collaborating with participants in the after-school programs at Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts (MECA). Together they will conceive, produce, and perform a series of live events that fuse Mexican folk traditions with contemporary urban life in an exploration of personal narrative and collective immigrant identity.