Bronx Calling: The Fourth AIM Biennial

FOURTH EDITION OF ARTIST IN THE MARKETPLACE (AIM) BIENNIAL OPENS AT THE BRONX MUSEUM OF THE ARTS
Exhibition showcases work by 72 New York-based emerging artists

The Bronx Museum of the Arts presents, Bronx Calling: The Fourth AIM Biennial on view from July 22 to October 22, 2017. The fourth iteration of Bronx Calling showcases the work of 72 emerging artists from the 2016 and 2017 cycles of the Bronx Museum’s Artist in the Marketplace (AIM) professional development program. Organized by co-curators Christine Licata, director of community and public programs, The Bronx Museum of the Arts; Aylet Ojeda, associate curator of contemporary art, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Havana; and Heather Reyes, independent curator; Bronx Calling will feature sculptures, works on paper, multimedia installations, photographs, and other works, that explore new directions for art making and touch on urgent social issues from gender inequality, racism and xenophobia, to disease, economic disparity, and the Anthropocene.

Participating artists reside in the New York area and were born in the U.S., as well as countries around the world, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Dominican Republic, Hong Kong, Russia, South Korea, and Switzerland, among others. The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue featuring the work of the 72 participants, as well as essays by co-curators Christine Licata, Aylet Ojeda Jequín, and Heather Reyes; and, AIM Critic in Residence, Brian Boucher.

Launched in 1980, AIM is the Bronx Museum’s career management program for emerging artists residing in the New York metropolitan region. Structured as a series of 13 expert-led seminars, AIM provides professional guidance by addressing areas of practical concern to artists; among them are gallery representation, grant writing, financial planning, copyright law, and marketing. The program’s curriculum fosters collaboration among participants through hands-on workshops and provides opportunities to engage intimately with art world professionals as well as the larger New York arts community. The AIM program culminates in a public exhibition of work created by participating artists.

Fourth AIM Biennial Curatorial Team

Christine Licata is the director of community and public programs at the Bronx Museum of the Arts. Her past positions include director of performing and visual arts at Casita Maria Center for Art and Education, associate director of visual arts at the Boston Center for the Arts, and associate curator at Taller Boricua in El Barrio, Spanish Harlem. She also was a guest curator for the 2012 Art in Odd Places (AiOP) performance festival. Her writings on art and artists have been published in exhibition and artist catalogs as well as in Artlog, Degree Critical, PERFORMA 07, and Art on Paper. Licata has a BFA from the Parsons School of Design and an MFA in Art Criticism and Writing from the School of Visual Arts.

Aylet Ojeda Jequín is associate curator of contemporary Cuban art at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Havana. She has curated numerous group and solo exhibitions, including Wilfredo Prieto’s Ping pong, cuadrícula during the 2015 Havana Biennial. She is a frequent contributor to ArteCubano and La Jiriblla among other leading Cuban art and culture periodicals. Aylet Ojeda Jequín holds an MA in Art History from the University of Miami.

Heather Reyes is an independent curator specializing in Latin American modern and contemporary art. She was manager of exhibitions and collections at The Bronx Museum of the Arts where she coordinated shows by local and international artists including a survey of work by painter Valeri Larko. Reyes oversaw the Bronx Museum’s AIM program from 2014-2016 and has assisted in programming initiatives at Friends of the High Line, Art21, and the Studio Museum in Harlem. Her work on Ecuadorian painter Camilo Egas will be published by The New School in a forthcoming volume of essays on the artist’s site specific works at the New School. A Queens native, Reyes is an MA candidate in Art History at Hunter College; she holds a BA in Art History and Spanish from Fordham University.

The Bronx Museum of the Arts is an internationally recognized cultural destination that presents innovative contemporary art exhibitions and education programs and is committed to promoting cross-cultural dialogues for diverse audiences. Since its founding in 1971, the Museum has played a vital role in the Bronx by helping to make art accessible to the entire community and connecting with local schools, artists, teens, and families through its robust public programming and education initiatives. In celebration of its 40th anniversary, the Museum implemented a universal free admission policy, supporting its mission to make arts experiences available to all audiences. The Museum’s collection comprises over 1,000 modern and contemporary works of art in all media with a focus on works by artists of African, Asian, and Latin-American ancestry, as well as artists for whom the Bronx
has been critical to their development.

Media Contact
Ayesha Akhtar, aakhtar@bronxmuseum.org, 718-681-6000 ext. 111