Bio:

Yusimy Lara is a Miami based visual artist born in Havana, Cuba. Lara spent several years living in Italy where she had the opportunity to experience European cultures and history. After relocating to Miami, her fascination with the power of expression in the visual arts motivated her to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts, with emphasis in sculpture, at New World School of the Arts.

Deeply inspired by nature, Lara’ creations are made from a variety of materials from bronze to sawdust, and usually include an element of danger. Her current artistic practice explores subjects related to human origins, and the unique beauty present in the interactions between living things and built environments.

Her work has been exhibited in different venues of the Miami area, including Mindy Solomon Gallery, Kampong Botanical Garden, and Fredric Snitzer Gallery. Her sculptures are part of several art collections, and she is currently coordinating special projects for the Art in Public Places program throughout Miami Dade County.

Artist Statement:

I make sculptures visually influenced by natural processes and research on the history of life. My personal origins also inform my artistic practice since I find inspiration in Afro-Cuban unconventional symbolisms and their rudimental aesthetic appeal. I create using several approaches from hand modelling and carving to the lost wax method for casting. Materials such as rocks, plants and animal remnants suit well my selection for visual expression with their intrinsic meaningful beauty. The art path leads my personal search for a deeper sense of belonging. I'm committed to developing a creative practice that draws attention to the subject of provenance in a visually poetic way.

Education:

2019 BFA (Valedictorian) New World School of the Arts, Miami, FL

2016 AA (with distinction), Associate in Arts, Miami Dade College, Miami, FL

2010 Italian Degree, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.

Exhibition Record:

2025 Memory that Germinates, Miami International Fine Arts, FL

2025 ArtLab Agency: Artist & Craftsperson, The Lowe Art Museum, Miami, FL

2025 The Unusual Suspects, Miami Beach Visual Arts Gallery, FL

2025 Coral Gables State of the Arts, Sanctuary of the Arts, Miami, FL

2023 Between Landscapes and Constellations, Calle Ocho Festival, Miami FL

2022 Beats Link Miami, Sandrell Rivers Theater, Miami FL

2022 The State of the Arts, Sanctuary of the Arts, Miami, FL

2022 littleSCULPTURE, Gardenship, Kearny, NJ

2022 Reimagine the Neighborhood, Sandrell Rivers Theater, Miami FL

2021 The New Age of Bronze, Fredric Snitzer Gallery, Miami FL

2020 Everyone has a Story to Tell, Sagamore Hotel, Miami FL

2019 Objects, Rising Stars Annual Exhibition, NWSA, Miami FL

2019 Gravity Hustle, Mindy Solomon Gallery, Miami FL

2019 Etcetera, NWSA BFA Show, Mana Contemporary Downtown, Miami FL

2018 Visual Arts, Rising Stars Annual Exhibition, NWSA, Miami FL

2018 Us, Them, and the Rest, Alumni Exhibition, MDC Arts and Letters Day, Miami FL

2018 No Rule, Rule, New World Gallery, Downtown Miami FL

2018 Diaspora 1 & 2, Kampong Botanical Garden (listed as Art Basel Miami events), Miami FL

2017 Disruptions in Paradise, CasaLin (listed as Art Basel Miami events), Wynwood, Miami FL

2016 Emerging Artist, Annual Exhibition, Miami Dade College, Miami FL

2015 Quest for Peace, Martin and Pat Fine Center for the Arts, Miami, FL

2014 Unestablished, Wynwood Warehouse, Miami, FL

2014 Emerging Artist, Annual Exhibition, Miami Dade College, Miami FL

Commissions and Collections:

2021 Walid Wahab Art Collection, Miami FL

2020 Ravit Kraus Art Collection, Long Island NY

2019 Paul Berg Art Collection, Miami FL

2019 MDC President Eduardo J. Padron, Miami FL

Awards/Grants:

2024 Miami Individual Artist (MIA) Grant.

2024 Corral and Cathers Artist Fund, Coral Gables Community Foundation.

2022 Miami Individual Artist (MIA) Grant.

2019 Valedictorian, New World School of the Arts.

2017 I Douglas Turner Grant.

2016 New World School of the Arts Scholarship.

2016 Academic Award, Outstanding Art Student, Miami Dade College.

2015 Honorable Mention, Quest for Peace, Martin and Pat Fine Center for the Arts.

Residencies / Art Events / Work Experience

Studio Residency. (2025) MIFA, Miami, FL.

Special Projects Coordinator (2023 - present) Miami Dade County, Art in Public Places program. Miami, FL.

Internship. (2022) Miami Dade Cultural Affairs, Art in Public Places program. Miami, FL.

Residency. (2022) Atlantic Center for the Arts - Home Away Oolite Arts, New Smyrna Beach, FL.

Artists Open Event. (2021) Fountainhead Residency. Miami, Florida.

Service-Learning Program. (2016) Bakehouse Art Complex. Miami, Florida.

Bibliography:

2021 Fredric Snitzer https://www.snitzer.com/exhibitions#/the-new-age-of-bronze

2019 Mindy Solomon https://mindysolomon.com/exhibition/gravity-hustle-select-2019-new-world-school-of-the-arts-graduates/

2019 VoyageMIA, http://voyagemia.com/interview/meet-yusimy-lara-kendall/