Meet Maritza Caneca: visual artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maritza Caneca and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maritza, what do you attribute your success to?
First, I believe that passion is key, and second, it is also important to have focus and dedication. That being said, it is definitely not easy––each project presents a new challenge. It’s not possible to predict and know in advance if a project will end up working in the way you imagined it to or not. Although, this is also what makes creating a new work of art so interesing. No matter the outcome, it’s always possible to learn something new from each project. In the end, if it doesn’t work out, it’s almost certain that you won’t be repeating that same mistake.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I currently have two solo exhibitions in Miami––Maritza Caneca: Pools located at Miami International Airport, and Arts + Recreation at the Bakehouse Art Complex (BAC) in the Wynwood area. The exhibition at the airport can be seen at gates D22 and D25 at the American Airlines terminal and will be on view through the end of summer 2021. The featured photographs are part of a series centered on swimming pools as nostalgic sites, full of memories with both personal and universal resonance. The exhibition at the BAC, which runs through March 31, 2021, is a large-scale photographic mural on the north-facing wall along NW 33rd Street that measures 220 square feet and is covered in wheatpaste posters. The images on the posters are from photographs I took during the pandemic at three different public pools that are freely accessible to residents in the neighborhood near my studio at the BAC. The work focuses on art and community, and highlights the connection between the BAC and the larger network of community-serving cultural and recreational resources located throughout Miami’s urban core.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
As an artist and an art lover, I would recommend going to the major local art institutions to see their current exhibitions: Pérez Art Museum Miami, Institute of Contemporary Art, Rubell Museum, The Bass, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens for its beauty, The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse, and definitely the Bakehouse Art Complex to visit the artists working at their studios in the space.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have to shoutout my husband, Henrique Pinheiro, who has always supported and encouraged me. My daughters, Manuela and Antonia, with whom I share my creative process. And finally, a shoutout to all artists who are a constant source of inspiration for me.

Website: www.maritzacaneca.carbonmade.com
Instagram: maritzacaneca
Linkedin: Maritza Caneca
Facebook: Maritza Caneca
Youtube: Maritza Caneca
Other: www.maritzacaneca.com.br