A Study on Interspirituality and Art at MoMA
The two-year research project "Bridging the Sacred: Spiritual Streams in 20th-Century Latin American and Caribbean Art, 1920–1970" explored the spiritual and religious intersections that shaped modern artistic languages and visual cultures across the region. It included Afro-diasporic, Indigenous, Catholic, and occult belief systems as central sites of art historical inquiry.
As a Research Fellow at the Museum of Modern Art's Cisneros Institute working alongside curator Inés Katzenstein, I conceptualized and developed this initiative, bringing together dozens of scholars, curators, artists, and cultural practitioners from Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States. Through academic gatherings and aesthetic experiences, Bridging the Sacred explored human and non-human spiritual entanglements as sources of creativity and resilience.
In 2025, the conference "The Sacred and the Modern: Exploring Spiritual Streams in Latin American and Caribbean Art" presented the project's findings to a broader public, encouraging dialogue between historical and contemporary artistic perspectives.
An edited volume, The Sacred and the Modern, is scheduled for publication by MoMA in 2028. Featuring contributions from leading scholars and curators, the anthology will serve as a significant resource for the study of spirituality, religion, and artistic practice in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Photo: Bernardo Zabalaga's ritual tea ceremony, 2022.
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Research
Study Sessions
Study Sessions
Conducted extensive archival research on Latin American and Caribbean art across museums, libraries, and universities in New York City. Built a network of researchers, scholars, artists, and institutional partners whose collaboration and expertise supported the project throughout the region.
Image: Roberto Matta's Les étoiles tarot card in André Breton's Arcane 17, 1944.
Study Sessions
Study Sessions
Study Sessions
Curated four study sessions with an international roster of leading scholars, curators, and artists. Combining collection viewings with academic presentations, these gatherings convened MoMA staff, fellows, and invited guests, fostering a community invested in the intersection of spirituality and modern art.
Image: Curatorial and academic viewing of Wilfredo Lam's La Jungla, 1943, at MoMA.
Publications
Public Outreach
Public Outreach
Published six interviews with leading artists and scholars from Latin America and the Caribbean in MoMA Magazine. Edited five scholarly essays by colleagues in the field for MoMA post, the International Program’s platform for global modern and contemporary art.
Image: Delcy Morelos, Rojos por naturaleza, 1995.
Public Outreach
Public Outreach
Public Outreach
Conceptualized and facilitated international public conferences, studio visits, and workshops that engaged hundreds of participants in person and online. Highlights include "post Presents: Unsettled Dust—Archives, Epistemologies, Images" at MoMA and "El canto de la Yerba Bruja" in Mexico.
Image: Artist Jorge González leading a community activation in Valle de Bravo.