In 1912, Andr茅 Breton published his聽Surrealist Manifesto.聽The work described Surrealism as 鈥減ure psychic automatism, by which one proposes to express, either verbally, in writing, or by any other manner, the real functioning of thought. Dictation of thought in the absence of all control exercised by reason, outside of all aesthetic and moral preoccupation.鈥 It was a statement that came to define a moment that, one hundred years later, continues to play a defining role in contemporary art. To consider Surrealism is to conjure up names like Breton, Salvador Sal铆 or Ren茅 Magritte, but many female artists pushed the artform forward in ways that have long been overlooked.聽VISU Contemporary, in Miami Beach, presents聽My Silence is Made of Explosions,聽a group exhibition of contemporary women artists who extends Surrealism into the psychological, political and aesthetic urgencies of the present moment.聽
The show features 28 works by A茂da Muluneh, Dora Maar, Elena Dorfman, Jen DeNike, Patricia Voulgaris, Pixy Liao, Tania Franco Klein, Zanele Muholi and two collaborative works by Jen DeNike and Barbara von Portatius. Curator David Raymond says: 鈥淪urrealism was never about escape. It was about confrontation 鈥 about accessing truths that rational systems cannot contain. These artists demonstrate that Surrealism remains one of the most effective tools we have for engaging with contemporary life. What looks factual becomes fictional; what appears staged feels emotionally precise. The result is work that feels both deeply personal and politically resonant 鈥 images that linger because they refuse to explain themselves.鈥澛犅
My Silence is Made of Explosions聽rejects fixed narratives in favour of images that are unresolved, intimate and psychologically charged. Here, photography is not associated with truth, as has historically been the case, instead becoming a site of deliberate destabilisation. This concept has always been central to Surrealism, but in an era where AI-generated content has prompted people to question everything they see, it has never been more relevant. Patricia Voulgaris examines these questions from a fascinating perspective: ghost stories. Her work occupies a liminal space, challenging our societal desire to find an objective or absolute truth. The daughter of a paranormal investigator, her works veer into the uncanny to reveal something that slips between fantasy and reality. She often journeys with her father to ghost hunting spots. In an interview with聽Walker Magazine,聽she explained: 鈥淲hen you come home and look at the images, something shifts. The descriptions slips away, and your mind starts to play tricks. You have to separate yourself from the location and its history, but when you return to the images later, everything comes rushing back. You start asking: what is that in the photo? Could it be haunted?鈥澛
Elsewhere, Pixy Liao鈥檚 irreverent staged photographs make her boyfriend the subject.聽Experimental Relationship, an ongoing series that was first started in 2006, welcome viewers into their world. The shots are intimate, at times almost to the point of discomfort. They鈥檙e also absurd, playful and often funny, turning gender stereotypes on their heads and operating outside of heteronormative conventions. A茂da Muluneh also employs staged works, situating painted figures in surreal settings that draw on African iconography, architecture and textiles. She creates visual narratives that blur the boundaries between photography, painting and performance. Meanwhile, Zanele Muholi鈥檚聽ongoing series of black-and-white self-portraits harness the visual languages of classical portraiture and fashion, as well as ethnographic tropes, to challenge stereotypes and historic representations of Black bodies in visual culture.聽
Dora Maar鈥檚 inclusion brings attentions back to the movement鈥檚 origins. The artist photography and photomontages explores surrealist themes such as eroticism, sleep, the unconscious and the relationship between art and reality. Her work pioneered the idea that photography does not need to be a factual record, creating scenes that disorientate the viewer. Cropped frames, dramatic angles, unexpected juxtapositions and extreme close-ups are all hallmarks of her work. For many decades, Maar was largely remembered as the muse for聽The Weeping Woman聽in Picasso鈥檚 famous painting, but in recent years, her place in the canon has rightfully come to light. Exhibitions like聽My Silence is Made of Explosions聽play an important role in recognising her influence on both the movement and the generations that followed.
More than a century after the publication of聽Manifesto of Surrealism, the movement鈥檚 insistence on ambiguity, subconscious experience and instability feels newly urgent. Today, we鈥檙e constantly confronted by image saturation, technological uncertainty and political volatility, and the artists featured in聽My Silence is Made of Explosions聽address these topics with unflinching honesty. Each of the women featured are decisive voices shaping Surrealism鈥檚 contemporary evolution – as vital today as it was in 1924.聽
My Silence Is Made of Explosions is at VISU Contemporary, Miami Beach until 31 May:
Words: Emma Jacob
Image Credits:
1. A茂da Muluneh, Ye Buda Eyne, 2017. Archival pigment print, 31.5 x 31.5 in. Edition of 7. Courtesy of the artist and David Krut Gallery, New York.
2. Tania Franco Klein, Positive Disintegration (Self-Portrait), from Positive Disintegration, 2016. Archival pigment print, 28录 x 42录 in. 漏 Tania Franco Klein. Courtesy of the artist and Yancey Richardson.
3. Patricia Voulgaris, Magic Hands, 2023. 20 x 30 in. Edition of 10. Courtesy of the artist.
4. Patricia Voulgaris, Spoons, 2021. 20 x 30 in. Edition of 10. Courtesy of the artist.
5. Pixy Liao, Shadows on the Wardrobe, 2020. Digital C-print, 15 x 20 in. Courtesy of the artist and Alisan Fine Arts, New York.
6. Zanele Muholi, Bakhululekile, Bloemfontein, 2019. Gelatin silver print, 23鈪 x 18录 in. Edition 5 of 8. 漏 Zanele Muholi. Courtesy of the artist and Yancey Richardson, New York.
7. Zanele Muholi, Thabile, Parktown, 2015. Gelatin silver print, 39陆 x 26录 in. Edition 3 of 8. 漏 Zanele Muholi. Courtesy of the artist and Yancey Richardson, New York.
8. Pixy Liao, Day Dreaming, 2022. Digital C-print, 15 x 20 in. Courtesy of the artist and Alisan Fine Arts.
