MARK HERRERA | SPECIAL PROJECTS | LIBRARY

Plastisphere

This exhibition explores themes of materiality and liminality through a series of hanging sculptures composed of oolite, concrete, wood, and other found objects, wrapped in crudely sewn cotton textiles. These textiles are stitched together with sinew and connected to rebar or other objects, such as a machete, using thin strips of various materials, including traffic cones, clothing, wire, tar paper, yarn, and plastic, among others.

This installation invites viewers to consider the narratives embedded in materials and how these stories resonate with personal experiences of growth, loss, fragility, and resilience.

The way the materials are assembled reflects the tension between fortitude and vulnerability, resourcefulness and powerlessness, as well as optimism and despair. The origins of these materials further evoke ideas of permanence and ephemerality.

About

Mark Herrera is an artist who works in painting, 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 received a BA in Fine Arts in 2000. He is currently an MFA candidate and Fellow of the Ratcliffe Art + Design Incubator at Florida International University in Miami, where he bases his practice.

@markherreraartist