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Miami Design District’s latest public artwork was designed by one of the world’s most prominent and coveted muralists, Criola. This addition to the neighborhood was commissioned by Miami Design District’s new Director of Cultural Programming, Karen Grimson. Drawing from her Afro-Brazilian heritage, Criola creates art that explores the protagonism of Black women and the importance of their role in the world.
Her largest work to date, Interdimensional Portal, is now on display, scaling a massive 39 x 137 feet, in the Miami Design District. Towering over Jungle Plaza, and woven with neon pops of color and bold prints, this mural has electrified the visual landscape of the neighborhood.
INTERDIMENSIONAL PORTAL | Miami Design District | JULY 2022
Acclaimed muralist, Criola, has significant mural paintings in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Paris, and now right here in the Miami Design District. The artist’s display in Jungle Plaza will be her largest mural to date, and her second public work in the US, following “Black Girl Magic” done in Las Vegas last year. Her mural, Interdimensional Portal, portrays Afro-Brazilian ancestors in ritualistic performance, accessing ancient forest wisdom for medicinal purposes, and transcending thresholds of knowledge.
On behalf of all female artists of color worldwide, Miami Design District is proud to provide the canvas for a trailblazer in the world of social justice and public art.
ABOUT CRIOLA
Criola, born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil in 1990, is an Afro-Brazilian creative whose work addresses issues of social justice through her characteristic Black female protagonists. Her large format paintings and murals refer to ancestral archetypes in order to question contemporary issues, and the role of women in society, actively confronting racism and state repression. Criola’s figurative style combines dense patterns and color-block surfaces, in which Brazilian fauna and flora mix with African matrixes.
ABOUT MIAMI DESIGN DISTRICT
The Miami Design District is a neighborhood dedicated to innovative fashion, design, art, architecture and dining experiences. The once-overlooked area of Miami has been transformed into a vibrant destination for residents and visitors by presenting the best shopping, cultural and culinary experiences within an architecturally significant context.
The Miami Design District embodies a singular dedication to the unity of design, fashion, art and architecture and a commitment to encourage a neighborhood comprised of creative experiences including public art installations by Buckminster Fuller, Zaha Hadid, John Baldessari, Marc Newson, Konstantin Grcic, Xavier Veilhan, 2×4 and others.
The Miami Design District’s landscape master plan by Island Planning Corporation comprises lush green spaces, rooftop gardens, an impressive Palm collection, and streets lined with indigenous canopy trees, offering shade and a lowered ambient climate as a relief from the South Florida sun. In 2021, the Miami Design District earned prestigious LEED Certification for neighborhood development, making it the first in the world to achieve Gold Status and the third to be Level 4 Certified.
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