Ximena Caminos

Ximena Caminos

Ximena Caminos is an Argentine art curator,visual artist cultural entrepreneur, and environmental activist recognised for integrating public art with marine conservation and sustainable urban development.Founder of the ocean-centric nonprofit BlueLab Preservation Society, and founder of The ReefLinea 7-mile underwater sculpture park and marine sanctuary in Miami Beach, and played pivotal roles in establishing cultural districts in Buenos Aires and Miami through Faena Art and The Underline. She is a regular collaborator of the Cultural Affairs Management of the City of Miami, for whom she has curated several exhibitions and art installations.

Quotes

• The ReefLine is a seven-mile underwater eco-sculpture park in Miami that’s free and open to the public. It serves as an artificial reef, which is needed right now for several reasons. One reason is coastal resiliency, but another is that we need something to serve as a marine sanctuary — there is a need for this type of underwater civic infrastructure to protect marine life after the reef heads previously in that area were smothered.
  • Let’s start off talking about the ReefLine. What is it, and what was the inspiration behind it?
• The beauty of it is that it’s visible from the shore — it’s only 900 feet away — so people can see it too. This idea was born in my living room from a conversation with my cofounder, Colin Ford. He was telling me a story about how the city passed an ordinance in 2020 declaring that this was an area where an artificial reef can be deployed. We got to talking about doing really cool art there, an underwater sculpture park with the best artists of the world that could present an artistic solution for helping to address challenges associated with climate change.
  • Let’s start off talking about the ReefLine. What is it, and what was the inspiration behind it?

• That’s an amazing question. I am not a scientist, and have always been a patron to the arts. Art is such a universal language – and emotional – while science can be very cerebral. Art makes science broader, and it also tells a more compelling story. It makes it sexier; it makes it fun. All of a sudden, a very complicated problem that feels inaccessible becomes more accessible and understandable without such a strong need for an explanation.
  • Why do you think combining art in Florida with conservation efforts is important? In what way does art position nature differently than other forms of education?
• I started using the power of art as a tool for a change on topics that are very important and urgent. But that wasn’t enough.
  • Why do you think combining art in Florida with conservation efforts is important? In what way does art position nature differently than other forms of education?
• As a curator and as an artist, I want to see how art can actually be the artifact. In the ReefLine’s case, the artwork itself is doing the work — and not just by raising awareness, but by performing what needs to be done. That is something I find very special, and something that is rare. I think that’s what makes the ReefLine so unique — it’s the combination of art, tech and science.
  • Why do you think combining art in Florida with conservation efforts is important? In what way does art position nature differently than other forms of education?
• I think one of the biggest barriers people have in caring for our environment is that it can feel so big – and you don’t know what to do, even though we know there’s so much to be done, and we all have to take action. I find a paradox in an era where we are all so connected through technology, yet we don’t have a common plan for how to save our Mother Earth. I think about that a lot, and hopefully the art helps bring people together towards that goal.
  • Do you think art helps people see Florida nature – and their role in protecting it – differently? How do you hope to shape the opinions of others through your art?
• If we do a good job and tell the story properly, people really bond with it. If you can tap into the public sentiment with a good story, further explanation can add but it isn’t necessary. That is the type of art that I try to create: It’s high art but it’s super pop too, something a grandmother and her grandson can both “get” and enjoy. If it’s too conceptual, people can get lost, so I try to use art that is immersive, participatory, accessible, equalitarian — something that everybody can connect too. Otherwise, we add a layer of complexity to something that is already complex.
  • Do you think art helps people see Florida nature – and their role in protecting it – differently? How do you hope to shape the opinions of others through your art?

• Growing up on a ranch in Argentina, I was lucky — nature was all around us and always such an inspiration. Nature is such a master and teacher. In that way, Florida is so blessed. Nature weaves across the state — nature is very strong here.
  • So igniting the imagination is very important. It starts because people are curious, and they engage when something entices their mind in a fun way. We’re all wonderers, and if you create something that has this aspect that is intriguing or beautiful, you just naturally tend to gravitate towards that. As humans, we’re curious and we love beauty, and so with art we work with that to engage people so much easier.

• As I continued to grow up and became conscious, I found a purpose in being a connection, a bridge between us and our civic responsibilities and nature, showing how we can all do something about it.
  • So igniting the imagination is very important. It starts because people are curious, and they engage when something entices their mind in a fun way. We’re all wonderers, and if you create something that has this aspect that is intriguing or beautiful, you just naturally tend to gravitate towards that. As humans, we’re curious and we love beauty, and so with art we work with that to engage people so much easier.

• In the Corridor itself, I go on walks and am in awe of the amount of wildlife that’s there. It really feels wild. On walks, I watch for whatever appears there and feel that energy.
  • What do you want people to know about the Florida Wildlife Corridor? What does it mean to you?
• What the organizations supporting the Florida Wildlife Corridor have been able to achieve is so impressive and important. I really take my hat off to them to see how much they have managed to protect, and how to lead by example — and to show that it’s doable. A 501(c)3 can’t do it alone: We all need to come together to protect the Corridor, and it’s a mix of government, corporate and individuals. This convergence of what they’ve been able to bring together is the scale and pace that we all need.
  • What do you want people to know about the Florida Wildlife Corridor? What does it mean to you?
• I think that the Florida Wildlife Corridor is our sister above ground, with the ReefLine being underwater. The Wildlife Corridor is the green veins that will keep our planet and its environment connected. These are the types of projects that ground us.
  • What do you want people to know about the Florida Wildlife Corridor? What does it mean to you?