I feel very lucky indeed to have seen an iteration of this exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art [Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (MAC)] in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Now, curated by Lisa Crossman, “Trópico es Político: Caribbean Art Under the Visitor Economy Regime,” is on view through May 5, 2024, at the Mead Art Museum, Amherst College, 220 South Pleasant Street, Amherst, Massachusetts. [Many thanks to Peter Jordens for bringing this item to our attention. Shown above, one of my favs, Yiyo Tirado’s “Caribe Hostil,” 2020.]

Decsription: Trópico es Político: Caribbean Art Under the Visitor Economy Regime is a group exhibition that considers notions of natural and fiscal paradise through the work of artists living in the Caribbean and its diaspora. Curated by Marina Reyes Franco, the exhibition explores artists’ responses to the “visitor economy regime” that is defined by the confluence of tourism and finance in the region. Featured works in mediums such as video, painting, and installation center fiscal and cultural exchange, bodies, and territories, as part of a critical investigation of how the tropical is political. 

Participating artists: 
Allora & Calzadilla
Dionne Benjamin-Smith
Ricardo Cabret
Carolina Caycedo
Blue Curry
Sofía Gallisá Muriente
Gwladys Gambie
Dalton Gata 
Abigail Hadeed
Donna Conlon & Jonathan Harker
Darién Montañez
Joiri Minaya
José Morbán
nibia pastrana santiago
Oneika Russell
Dave Smith
Yiyo Tirado
Viveca Vázquez
Averia Wright

This exhibition was initiated as a collaboration between Americas Society and the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico. This exhibition has been possible thanks to support from Teiger Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation, and Mellon Foundation. 

Prior installations of this exhibition were shown at: Americas Society, New York (September 7 – December 22, 2022) and Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (San Juan, February 13 – July 30, 2023)

The installation of this exhibition at Amherst College is organized by Lisa Crossman, Director of Curatorial Affairs, Mead Art Museum.

For more information, see https://www.amherst.edu/museums/mead/exhibitions/2024/tropico-es-politico-caribbean-art-under-the-visitor-economy-regime-

[Shown above: Yiyo Tirado’s “Caribe Hostil,” 2020. Blue glass neon. Dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist and Km 0.2, San Juan.]