His work was displayed in the Vatican. Now see this artist’s sculptures in Miami for free
It’s not everyday when you can view striking bronze and marble sculptures made by a master artist whose work has been recognized by the Vatican. Starting this week, you can see 14 of them for free at a downtown Miami park.
“A Bridge of Light,” or “Un Puente de Luz,” is an outdoor exhibition at Maurice A. Ferré Park by renowned Costa Rican sculptor Jorge Jiménez Deredia, an artist who is held in such high regard for his skill, he’s usually introduced with just one word: maestro. The free exhibition opened Wednesday and will be on view until March 31.
Miami is the first American city Deredia has displayed an outdoor exhibition. The project was presented by the City of Miami, Bayfront Park Management Trust and the Museum of the Cuban Diaspora. Deredia and his team provided the sculptures at no cost to the city.
“Here we have 10 years of work,” Deredia said of the sculptures. “We offer the city of Miami 10 years of sacrifice.”
Deredia and his team had been thinking about doing an exhibition in Miami about a year ago when they were introduced to city commissioner Joe Carollo, who suggested bringing the works to Ferré Park. Carollo has been adamant about bringing art to the park in previous years, including a controversial menagerie of aluminum dog and cat sculptures.
“The 14 sculptures that we have here today are world renowned,” Carollo said during the exhibition’s opening night event. “They have been exposed in some of the top cities in Europe and Latin America and now they’re here in Miami for all of us -- natives, tourists, visitors -- to be able to enjoy them free.”
Transporting marble and bronze statues that weigh several tons from Costa Rica and Italy to Miami was no easy feat, said Esteban Jiménez, Deredia’s son. The logistics were tricky, the delays were frequent and the cost of shipping shot up over the last year. Now that the sculptures made it safely to Miami, Jiménez said he and his father are happy that his work is accessible to everyone.
“Art is not something that [should] be visible only for collectors, museums or people that actually pay a ticket,” Jiménez said. “Art should be something that is for everybody, because art feeds your soul. Through art, you can see yourself.”
“A Bridge of Light” is a collection of works that focus on the journey of life, Deredia told the Herald.
The sculptures are mostly spherical, round and perfectly smooth. If it weren’t for the strong bronze and marble material, you’d think the works would be soft to the touch.
While many of the sculptures had been exhibited around the world, some were made specifically to debut in Miami, like “El Alquimista,” a large marble circle with a human emerging from it. The sculptures reference themes of evolution, pregnancy, spirituality, anthropology and the story of humans on Earth.
“We are all on a voyage, the voyage of life. With our minds, we can’t entirely understand this voyage, so we needs symbols,” Deredia said. “Art, quintessentially, is what helps us create archetypes and symbols so we can understand the entirety of this voyage.”
Deredia was born in 1954 in Heredia, Costa Rica. He was inspired by the Boruca spheres, perfectly round sculptures made by pre-Columbian Native Americans almost 2,000 years ago. After deciding to pursue art, he earned a scholarship to study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Carrara, Italy, where he opened his studio.
In 2000, Pope John Paul II commissioned Deredia to create a sculpture of Saint Marcellino Champagnat to be displayed in St. Peter’s Basilica in a niche designed by Renaissance artist Michelangelo. The sculpture was the first work by a Latin American and non-European artist to join the Vatican’s collection.
Now that his work is in Miami, Deredia said he is excited for people of all walks of life to experience his work and connect to its positive message.
“My art, my sculptures, what I know how to make, I hope it becomes a bridge of light,” he said. “It conjures images from our spirituality and places them in the experience that we are living, which is life.”
A Bridge of Light
Where: Maurice A. Ferré Park, 1075 Biscayne Blvd, Miami
When: Open now, on view until March 31, 2023
Info: Free and open to the public
This story was produced with financial support from The Pérez Family Foundation, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.
