In the vibrant heart of Miami, where the colors of culture blend with the rhythms of history, visual artist Alexandra Fields O’Neale has embarked on a daring quest. Fueled by determination to unearth the narratives of our ancestors, North Miami native O’Neale offers exploration and revelation through her art.
Within the depths of her creative foxhole, O’Neale orchestrates a simulated odyssey, beckoning visitors to traverse the corridors of time and space. With sound, each grain of sand, nets and meticulously braided rope, her multimedia creation becomes a portal that transports visitors to realms where echoes of the past intertwine with the pulse of the present.
(Courtesy of Alexandra Fields O’Neale)
Alexandra Fields O’Neale, Miami-based Visual Artist
At the heart of O’Neale’s tableau, “Welcome to Paradise, Bound//Unbound” is a profound exploration of Black identity – a journey both personal and universal.
“My greatest inspiration behind ‘Bound//Unbound’ are the ancestors,” she said. “As an artist, I want to tell the hidden histories. I’m African American but I’m also from the Caribbean … their stories relate to all of our stories.”
Through photography, video and audio, O’Neale invites audiences to join her on a journey through the trans-Atlantic slave route and toward freedom through saltwater railroads en route to the Bahamas. She confronts the ghosts of history, illuminating forgotten tales and silenced voices with a brilliance that is both evocative and haunting.
Exposing the buried truths of our collective past and forging a path toward healing the wounds of ancestral trauma, “Bound//Unbound” is not to be confined in a limited gallery space. As one approaches the threshold of this immersive art installation in the courtyard of the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami (MOCA), a beacon of light pierces through the darkness, illuminating a vast expanse.
(Daniel Bock)
Alexandra Fields O’Neale’s multimedia installation represents the slave trade through two structures, one representing enslavement, and one liberation.
A neon sign flickers with promise: “PARADISE.” But what does this seemingly innocuous word truly signify within the context of O’Neale’s enigmatic creation? For the enslaved souls who dared to dream of liberation, paradise embodied more than mere escapism; it embodied the promise of a life unshackled by the chains of bondage. It was hope in a world cloaked in darkness, a whispered prayer for deliverance amid the brutal realities of oppression.
Yet, paradise is not merely a destination, it is a state of being, a testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unspeakable adversity. Through the interplay of light and shadow, sound and silence, guests are carried to a realm where the boundaries between reality and illusion blur, and the echoes of history reverberate with timeless urgency.
The beach is typically a place for fun, sunbathing, meditation and more, but for the enslaved it symbolized freedom, especially the shores of the Bahamas. In “Bound//Unbound,” O’Neale has reincarnated this period through two structures, one representing enslavement and one, liberation. As guests’ feet are planted in the sand, navigating both structures, they experience a snippet of a very tangible journey.
(Daniel Bock)
Braided ropes surround one of the two structures comprising “Bound//Unbound.”
“I think it’s very important for visitors to experience the two bound structures … because it allows individuals to understand the story in a different way, which is the point and power of art,” O’Neale told the Biscayne Times.
Corresponding sounds flowing within the structures heighten the experience, making it clear that this isn’t an ordinary beach visit. The persistent rhythm of cooing and roaring interlaced with the crashing of waves and a loud silence becomes the exhibition’s narration.
“There is that story about slaves lost at sea and their spirits still living in the water. When you hear the sound in ‘Bound//Unbound’ you hear their stories being told,” O’Neale said.
Through her installation, we are reminded that the pursuit of freedom is not merely a destination, but a journey, fraught with peril and possibility yet imbued with the transformative power of hope. And in the hushed whispers of O’Neale’s creation, we find ourselves poised on the brink of revelation, ready to embark on a transcendent odyssey toward a brighter, more just tomorrow.
Step into the realm of O’Neale’s imagination at MOCA, where the whispers of the ancestors beckon. In the pulsating heart of North Miami, a new narrative unfolds, one that challenges, inspires and ultimately transforms.