Pérez Art Museum Miami and Scope Art Show Announce Selection For Annual Acquisition Prize
Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) and SCOPE Art show announce the 2024 selection for the SCOPE Acquisition Prize for PAMM, an acquisition selected from SCOPE Art Show for the museum's permanent collection. The premier showcase and incubator for contemporary art, SCOPE Art Show takes place December 3–8, 2024, on Miami Beach.
Jahlil Nzinga, Watch The Lights Go Out, 2023. Courtesy Good Mother and SCOPE Art Show.
PAMM Chief Curator Gilbert Vicario selected Jahlil Nzinga's Watch The Lights Go Out (2023) from Good Mother, a gallery based in Los Angeles and Oakland, California.
Watch the Lights Go Out by Los-Angeles based Nzinga captures the transformation of a city on the brink of reinvention. In the painting, Nzinga reflects on the displacement of communities and the arrival of new wealth and big tech, a duality that redefines the urban landscape. The painting resonates with the melancholy of change, likening it to the quiet moment when lights fade and leave behind shadows.
The SCOPE Acquisition Prize for PAMM provides funding for the museum's curators to acquire an artwork for the permanent collection, which features international modern and contemporary art from the US Latino experience, the African diaspora, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
The annual Acquisition Prize—funded by Alexis Hubshman, founder of SCOPE—builds on the long-standing relationship between the museum and the fair and reflects SCOPE's dedication to supporting Miami's cultural ecosystem.
“I am delighted to be able to support the work of an up-and-coming artist such as Jahlil Nzinga. I was impressed by his unique style and deft handling of a wide range of materials. His subject matter resonates with the energy and enthusiasm of an artist of his generation and I look forward to following his nascent career. The work will engage with an aesthetic and cultural conversation deeply rooted in the PAMM DNA. I am deeply grateful for SCOPE Art Show's commitment to our institution in allowing us to build a singular, world-class collection,” said Gilbert Vicario, PAMM Chief Curator .
“We are honored to partner with Pérez Art Museum on this significant prize, which allows the work of today's most dynamic contemporary artists to enter the collection of one of Miami's preeminent cultural institutions. Jahlil Nzinga's painting speaks to the power of art, and invites us to reflect, to express, and to wonder, and we are thrilled that this work will continue to inspire and captivate audiences in Miami as part of PAMM's permanent collection,” said Hayley River Smith , SCOPE Art Show Director .
An image of Watch The Lights Go Out is available HERE .
ABOUT JAHLIL NZINGAJahlil Nzinga (b. 1987, Oakland, California) is a Los Angeles based artist. Nzinga embarks on a quest to reshape the essence of art, his every stroke a testament to raw emotion. Defying convention with avant-garde techniques, he melds mediums into a harmonious symphony incorporating oil acrylic, spray paint, charcoal and enamel. Since his debut in 2015, Nzinga's canvas has become a tapestry of dreams, pushing the boundaries of artistic expression.
In his work, darkness transforms into beauty, and burdens are expelled with explosive passion. His art, untethered by constraints, invites viewers to wonder and interpret freely. Nzinga's pieces are not literal but rather stir the soul, reflecting his belief that true artistic liberation demands complete mastery and ownership.
Nzinga aspires to create a community of emancipated artists each basking in the fruits of their labor. His art transcends the canvas, redefining the very essence of artistic expression and the art world itself.
ABOUT GOOD MOTHERGood Mother Gallery was founded in 2014, and has thrived as one of the most popular contemporary art galleries in the Bay Area, California. The gallery's mission is to advance public interest in local and international emerging artists. By hosting monthly art exhibitions and community events, Good Mother offers a welcoming space for artists and creates community engagement through art. Our Los Angeles space opened in November 2022.
ABOUT PAMMPérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), led by Director Franklin Sirmans, promotes artistic expression and the exchange of ideas, advancing public knowledge and appreciation of art, architecture, and design, and reflecting the diverse community of its pivotal geographic location at the crossroads of the Americas. The 40-year-old South Florida institution, formerly known as Miami Art Museum (MAM), opened a new building, designed by world-renowned architects Herzog & de Meuron, on December 4, 2013 in Downtown Miami's Maurice A. Ferré Park. The facility is a state-of-the-art model for sustainable museum design and progressive programming and features 200,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor program space with flexible galleries; shaded outdoor verandas; a waterfront restaurant and bar; a museum shop; and an education center with a library, media lab, and classroom spaces.