Firelei Báez Releases her First Comprehensive Monograph
Firelei Báez: to breathe full and free brings together more than a decade of exhibitions and installations by the fast-rising artist. Blending fantasy with diasporic histories, the New York–based talent creates vibrant and imaginative realms within her multi-disciplinary practice, often featuring strong female protagonists. Drawing on folklore, Caribbean culture, and self-identity, Báez often paints directly onto historical materials such as found maps to comment on the politics of place. The new monograph from publisher Gregory R. Miller & Co. is the first to bring together the complete works of Báez to date. Fully illustrated with images of her immersive installations, sculptures, paintings and more than 150 works on paper, the book features everything from her acclaimed 2016 exhibition at the Perez Art Museum Miami to her 2021 commission for the ICA Boston. In addition, the monograph features texts by curator Mark Godfrey, MCA Chicago curator Carla Acevedo-Yates, ICA Boston curator Eva Respini and a conversation with Studio Museum Director Thelma Golden.
—Stefanie Li
