Oolite Arts Conversations: Cuauhtémoc Medina

Oolite Arts Conversations: Cuauhtémoc Medina
When: November 12th, 2026
7:00 – 9:00 PM
Where: Proscenium Theatre, Little Haiti Cultural Complex
212 NE 59th Terrace, Miami, FL 33137
Admission: Free
Free On-Site Parking
For more information, updates and full series schedule, please visit https://oolitearts.org/oolite-arts-conversations/

Oolite Arts is pleased to present the final installment of this year’s Oolite Arts Conversations with a public talk by Cuauhtémoc Medina, curator, art critic, historian, and one of the most influential contemporary art figures of his generation.

Cuauhtémoc Medina has combined rigorous scholarship with ambitious curatorial practice for more than three decades, working with art institutions and major international exhibition platforms across the globe. Taking place on November 12, 2026, Medina’s talk at Oolite Arts will present an opportunity for the Mexican curator to share his wide-ranging outlook on the current state of international contemporary art with the Miami public.

As curator, Medina has established a reputation for creating open-ended dialogues across generations, geographies, time frames and social projects through innovative shows that often rethink reigning art world conventions. Medina consistently positions art as a site of historical inquiry and civic debate, tracing the intersections, convergences and fusions driving contemporary art on a global scale.

In addition to his wide-reaching curatorial practice, Medina has written extensively as a critic and historian of contemporary art, with a particular engagement with artistic practices and critical perspectives emerging from Latin America and the Global South. He is also known for his sustained collaborations with artists, making him a vital interlocutor for artists and institutions navigating the intersection of aesthetics and politics today.

“Cuauhtémoc brings an extraordinary breadth of experience to contemporary art,” said Rina Carvajal, Vice President of Programs and Artistic Director at Oolite Arts and organizer of Oolite Arts Conversations. “Through his work with artists, institutions, and academia, and as a curator of major biennials, he has brought attention to histories and perspectives outside the Euro-American canon that have too often been overlooked. We look forward to hearing what he sees as the most pressing questions in contemporary art today and to sharing that conversation with Miami.”

Across his various roles in the international art world, Medina’s approach to contemporary art holds particular relevance to Miami’s own artistic and institutional ecosystem. His talk also reflects the interdisciplinary, socially engaged, and internationally oriented approach that Oolite Arts seeks to foster.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Born in Mexico City in 1965, Cuauhtémoc Medina is an art critic, curator and historian. He holds a PhD in Art History and Theory from the University of Essex and a bachelor’s degree in History from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). He served as the first Associate Curator of Latin American Art at Tate Modern (2002–2008) and later as Chief Curator of Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo (MUAC) from 2013 to 2024, and has been a full-time researcher at the Instituto de Investigaciones Estéticas of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México since 1993. Medina has curated major international art exhibitions such as Manifesta 9 (2012) and the 12th Shanghai Biennale (2018), and he was recently named curator for the 25th Bienal de Arte Paiz in Guatemala (2027). He also curated the Mexican Pavilion at the 53rd Venice Biennial (2009), and in 2012 he was awarded the Walter Hopps Award for Curatorial Achievement by The Menil Collection in Houston. Medina has been a board member of the Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation (CIFO) in Miami since 2007.

ABOUT OOLITE ARTS CONVERSATIONS

Conceived as a platform for critical exchange, Oolite Arts Conversations reflects Oolite Arts’ commitment to supporting artists while advancing the knowledge and practice of contemporary visual arts.

Locally grounded and internationally engaged, Oolite Arts Conversations, under the direction of Oolite Arts Vice President of Programs and Artistic Director Rina Carvajal, creates a forum in Miami where artistic ideas and perspectives can be presented, debated, and shared.

Oolite Arts Conversations is organized by Rina Carvajal, Vice President of Programs and Artistic Director at Oolite Arts. It is made possible with the support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council; the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture; and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.

ABOUT OOLITE ARTS

The mission of Oolite Arts is to support artists and advance the knowledge and practice of contemporary visual arts and culture in South Florida. Oolite Arts creates opportunities for experimentation and innovation and encourages the exchange of ideas across cultures through residencies, exhibitions, public programs, education and outreach.

For more information, updates and full series schedule, please visit http://oolitearts.org

Oolite Arts Media-Only Contacts: Claudia DoCampo, VP of Communications and Marketing, cdocampo@oolitearts.org, (305) 746-2250