Deering Contemporary: Miami Art Exhibition
Maria Theresa Barbist
Babylonischer Turm I-V (Deering Estate)
2026
2 minutes 29 seconds
Courtesy of the artist
Photo of artist Maria Theresa Barbist as she performs Babylonischer Turm I-V
Photo by Zaire Aranguren
DEERING CONTEMPORARY 2026: Here We Gather... What We Need, We Already Have
The Deering Contemporary “Here We Gather… What We Need, We Already Have” curated by Dainy Tapia is an exhibition featuring sculptural and installation works that celebrate community, ecology, and the act of gathering. Rooted in sustainability and connection, the exhibition invites reflection on our shared resources and the interdependence between people, place, and nature.
This exhibition invites artists to create works using materials, both physical and intangible, found and gathered at the Deering Estate. The exhibition explores resourcefulness, preservation, and ecological mindfulness, encouraging creative use of what the site already provides. Artists may incorporate in their work natural and found elements such as leaves, branches, and other materials from the landscape, as well as stories, archives, sounds, and memories rooted in the place. Acknowledging the impermanence of natural materials, the exhibition welcomes ephemerality, allowing works to shift, fade, or weather naturally over time.
“Gathering” here means both collecting and coming together: artists, visitors, and the environment in shared reflection. The exhibition becomes a gesture of gratitude and conservation, revealing the abundance already present within the landscape and within ourselves.
Participating artists include Maria Theresa Barbist, Robert Chambers, Jessica (Yessica) Gispert, Mark Herrera, Karla Kantorovich, Yusimy Lara, Evelyn Politzer, David Valiente, and Rebecca White.
Exhibit is on display daily, January 25 – March 22, 2026.
Enjoy Highlights from the Opening Reception on January 25, 2026
About the exhibiting artists:
Maria Theresa Barbist
Maria Theresa Barbist (born 1979 in Schwaz, Austria) is a Miami-based contemporary artist whose work bridges sculpture, performance, and psychological exploration. In her
latest project, Babylonischer Turm, she creates tower structures that serve as metaphors for the development of inner psychological landscapes. Each piece combines reclaimed materials—such as wood and milk crates—with layers of her own paintings, forming self-portrait-like structures. Accompanied by a performance video, this body of work explores how trauma and personal history shape the layers of our inner architecture.
Robert Chambers
Robert Chambers is a Miami-born sculptor whose work merges scientific research, engineering, and material experimentation to create immersive objects and environments. Over a career spanning more than four decades, Chambers has developed a practice defined by curiosity, precision, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. His sculptures and large-scale installations have been exhibited internationally, and his work is included in major public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami, the
Miami Art Museum, the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, and Laumeier Sculpture Park. He has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Louis Comfort
Tiffany Award, the Nancy Graves Foundation Award, and the USA Nimoy Fellowship.
In addition to his studio practice, Chambers is a devoted mentor, dedicated to shaping emerging artistic voices. He has served as Visiting Assistant Professor of Sculpture at Florida International University and the University of Miami and taught for nearly a decade at New York University. Chambers has mentored hundreds of young artists through his long-standing relationship with the National YoungArts Foundation, where he has served as a visiting artist, mentor, juror, curator, and panelist since 2013. His approach emphasizes rigorous experimentation, critical inquiry, and the development of a unique artistic vocabulary, guiding students to refine their craft while encouraging risk-taking and conceptual depth.
Chambers gives lectures, critiques, and workshops at institutions including RISD, Bard College, Moore College of Art, Hunter College, Washington University in St. Louis, the Kansas City Art Institute, and the School of Visual Arts. He is also active as a curator and community collaborator, helping shape artist-driven exhibitions and cross-disciplinary cultural initiatives.
Through both his artwork and mentorship, Chambers continues to promote a culture of discovery, generosity, and creative ambition, contributing significantly to the evolution of contemporary sculpture and to the growth of the artistic communities he serves.
Jessica (Yessica) Gispert
Jessica (Yessica) Gispert is a multidisciplinary artist living and working in Miami, FL. Her work explores mythology and mysticism, layering personal and collective histories in her work to investigate the boundaries between reality and the unseen.
Gispert earned an MFA from NYU Steinhardt in 2012 and a postgraduate degree in Media Art from the Academy of Media Arts Cologne in 2020. She is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor in Photography at Florida International University.
Her work has been exhibited at galleries and institutions such as MoMA PS1, Ringling Museum of Art, Museum Abteiberg, Dortmunder Kunstverein, Bonner Kunstverein, A.I.R Gallery in Brooklyn, NY and in her hometown at The Patiricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Art, Tunnel Projects Miami & Emerson Dorsch Gallery. She has received Art in Public Places commissions and awards such as three Miami Individual Artist Grants, an Ellies Creator Award, Rauschenberg Grant and Coral & Cathers Award. Gispert is currently an artist in residence at The Deering Estate in Miami, FL.
Mark Herrera
Mark Herrera is an artist who works in sculpture and multimedia. His work captures the beauty and hope inherent in the human spirit—our struggle for harmony within ourselves, our community, and our planet.
Born in Queens, NY, as a first-generation American with Colombian parents and raised in Hialeah, Florida, Herrera’s multifaceted lens of identities has deeply influenced his practice as an artist.
His history as a worker in various blue-collar jobs, such as lawn service, construction, mechanics, and disaster relief, and his current work as an enlisted member of the military and past work as pastor leaves visible traces in his choice of materials, compositions, and subject matter. With poetic combinations of ordinary objects, Herrera centers the lives of everyday people whose contributions to humanity are rarely noticed or celebrated.
Herrera attended Harding University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Fine Arts degree in 2000. He is a graduate of Florida International University, holding a Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts, and a Fellow of the Ratcliffe Art + Design Incubator. Mark is a resident at Laundromat Art Space, in Miami.
Karla Kantorovich
Karla Kantorovich is a mixed media artist from Mexico City, based in Miami, FL. She works with paintings, textiles, hand-made paper, and assemblages, leaning into the importance of texture and dimensionality to explore renewal. Karla’s art is a testament to the transformative power of nature. She brings the outside world into our realms through her work, allowing us to explore the profound togetherness that binds us to the natural environment. By deconstructing and reassembling sustainably sourced materials, Karla creates a visual language that speaks to the ephemeral nature of life, the beauty of decay, and the intricate layers that compose our collective story.
Kantorovich is a Green Space Awardee. She received the Ellies Creator Award 2021 from Oolite Arts, leading to her immersive art installation AMATE at Piero Atchugarry Gallery in 2022. She also received an Honorable Mention at the XIX Bienal Rufino Tamayo in Mexico City, exhibiting at the Museo Rufino Tamayo and the MACO Museum of Arte Contemporaneo in Oaxaca, Mexico. She has showcased her work nationally and internationally, including at the XIX International Biennial of Contemporary Art in Florence, the MFA Exhibition at the Frost Art Museum, the Mexican Consulate in Miami, and the Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach.
Kantorovich holds a Master of Fine Arts from Florida International University. Actively engaging with the community is of utmost importance to her; she works as a teaching artist, aiming to inspire, connect, and spark meaningful dialogue, embodying the potential for regeneration and growth. She is a resident artist at Dimension Variable in Miami.
Yusimy Lara
Yusimy Lara is a Miami-based visual artist born in Havana, Cuba. Lara spent several years living in Rome, Italy, where she had the opportunity to experience European culture, traditions, and history. After relocating to Miami, her fascination with the power of expression in the visual arts motivated her to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in sculpture at New World School of the Arts.
Deeply inspired by nature, Lara’s creations are made from a variety of materials, from bronze to sawdust, and usually include an element of danger. Her current body of work explores subjects related to human origins and the unique beauty present in the interactions between living things and built environments.
Her work has been exhibited at venues across the Miami area, including Mindy Solomon Gallery, Kampong Botanical Garden, and Fredric Snitzer Gallery. She has been the recipient of several artists’ grants and awards, including the Miami Individual Artists (MIA) from the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Corral & Cathers Grant from the Coral Gables Foundation. Lara continues to develop her artistic practice as a current associate artist at the Bakehouse Art Complex and a resident at the Miami International Fine Arts Center, while also maintaining her ongoing collaboration with Miami-Dade Art in Public Places.
Evelyn Politzer
Originally from Montevideo, Uruguay, Evelyn Politzer now lives and works in Miami, Florida. Her practice has roots in her native land, as she primarily works with hand-dyed soft wool from Uruguay.
After graduating with a B.A. in Law in Uruguay and moving to the United States, Politzer saw a chance to pursue her passion for art. After attending Parsons School of Design in NYC, Evelyn received an MFA in Visual Arts (2021) from Miami International University of Art and Design. She is a 2020 recipient of the Ellies Creator Award by Oolite Arts. Solo exhibitions include “Felt Dreamscapes,” 2024, at the Ft Lauderdale Airport, Terminal 2; “Nature and History,” 2023, at the Hidden Garden in Pinecrest Gardens, FL; “Tree Huggers and Nests. The art of Evelyn Politzer,” 2022, at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden.
Selected 2025 group exhibitions include “What’s in Your Container?” at Barry University; ”Ancestral Lines” at the Coral Springs Museum of Art”; “idas y vueltas. From Here and There” at the Collective 62.
Working in fiber art allows her to foster community, bringing people together. In 2020, Evelyn felt compelled to create a platform for others to share their textile art journey. Together with two other local artists, FAMA - Fiber Artists Miami Association was born, with the mission to educate and advance contemporary fiber arts and textiles. As of 2026, this collective has grown to include over 300 members.
David Valiente
David Valiente, PhD, emerges as a distinctive voice in the realm of mixed-media sculpture, carving his path through self-discovery and apprenticeships with renowned sculptors. Originally hailing from the vibrant streets of Havana, Cuba, he has embraced the eclectic spirit of Miami, Florida, his home, from an early age. With a doctorate degree in clinical psychology, Valiente’s profound understanding of the human psyche resonates throughout his work. This is clearly evident in his public sculpture, “A Grandmother’s Love,” at the Riviera Health Resort building in Coral Gables, Florida. This sculpture is a tribute to the enduring love and dedication of family.
As an Ecosystem artist and a fervent advocate for environmental preservation, Valiente channels his deep love for nature into every piece he creates. His active engagement with local environmental organizations infuses his art with a sense of urgency and purpose, urging viewers to contemplate their role in safeguarding our planet. And in his role as a conceptual artist, Valiente aspires to transcend the boundaries of mere aesthetics, crafting powerful narratives that resonate on a profound level. Through his work, he invites us to engage, reflect, and ultimately, to awaken our collective consciousness.
Rebecca White
Rebecca White is an artist based in Miami, Florida. Relating in body and spirit to the earth via tactile ritual, she conducts an alchemy that generates healing possibilities for the self as well as the collective. Her practice often speaks to social issues, centering the impact these occurrences have on the human spirit, while creating space for people to process their lived experiences.
She works in diverse media, including painting, fiber, and participatory / interactive works; the conceptual underpinnings of her practice frequently connect to mythology, energy, and esoteric notions such as alchemy and imagined languages. She incorporates found natural materials, such as bones, wild clay, and tree branches, into her projects and installations.
Recent exhibitions include Garden of Essence, a temporary public art installation in North Bay Village, FL (September 2025); Transitions group show at the Coral Springs Museum of Art (October 2025), and Mother Tongue, a solo presentation at the Intercontinental Miami with collaboARTive (March 2025). She is a 2025—2026 recipient of the Miami Individual Artist Award (Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs).
About the Guest Curator
Dainy Tapia is a cultural practitioner based in Miami, Florida. She is the founder and curator of ArtSeen365. Tapia holds a master’s degree in Arts in Communications and a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. Through her independent curatorial practice, she has organized exhibitions in Miami, New York, and São Paulo, Brazil, with a focus on women artists and their roles in the art world, environmental discourse, and human communication.
Selected curated exhibitions include The Women at Large series: South Florida Women Artists at Large at the Doral Contemporary Art Museum (2021); In the Company of Women: At Large at LnS Gallery, Miami (2022); and Women at Large at Piero Atchugarry Gallery, Miami (2024). Other projects include DO write [right] to me for Uncool Artist (Miami, New York, and São Paulo, 2021-2022). Tapia also collaborates with selected artists to support specific projects and their professional development.
ArtSeen365 (@art.seen.365) is a platform dedicated to promoting the visual arts and artists in Miami and South Florida year-round. Its mission is to foster greater appreciation for the visual arts, support local artists, and broaden public engagement with contemporary art.
Cultural Arts Programming at the Deering Estate is made possible with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, and The Deering Estate Foundation, Inc. Programming in the Deering Estate theater is also possible thanks to The Jorge M. Perez Family Foundation at The Miami Foundation.