Lauren Shapiro

For its 2024 Contemporary Arts Program Exhibition, Vizcaya presents Pastiche, featuring site-specific work by Miami-based artist Lauren Shapiro. The exhibition explores the enduring legacy of Vizcaya’s artistic advisor, Paul Chalfin (1874 – 1959), whose 150th anniversary we celebrate this year. Interpreting Vizcaya’s architecture, history, and environment through this lens, Shapiro will debut a series of sculptures in response to three spaces decorated by Chalfin: the Breakfast Room, Enclosed Loggia, and Reception Room.

Shapiro’s approach to studying Chalfin parallels her methods of studying nature. Whereas she typically explores the Everglades and the ocean to gather her source material, for this project Shapiro turned to Chalfin’s contributions at Vizcaya, particularly the use of pastiche – the blending of styles and influences to create a cohesive whole – to inform her own work. The resulting ceramic, glass and technology-infused vessels, in decidedly artificial and yet quintessentially Miami neon pinks, blues and greens, create a visual language that evokes the past while resonating with the present.

Lauren Shapiro (b.1984) is an artist and explorer who lives and works in Miami, Florida. She integrates ceramics and technology to uncover and communicate insights from the natural world, often collaborating with scientists to influence projects that highlight the diverse ecosystems of South Florida and beyond. Shapiro earned an MFA from the University of Miami in 2016 and is recipient of awards and commissions from the New York Foundation for the Arts (2023), Knight Foundation (2021), Andy Warhol Foundation (2019), Miami Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs (2020–2023), and Art in Public Places (2021–2022). Her artwork is part of the Soho House Art Collection and Jorge M. Perez Collection in Miami, and has been part of group exhibitions in South Carolina, Brazil and Switzerland. Recent projects include solo exhibitions “Garden Portals” at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in 2021 and “Future Pacific” at Bakehouse Art Complex in 2020. Visit her website to learn more about Lauren Shapiro’s work.