Circular Reflections

Miguel Rodez works in figuration and abstraction as distinct, parallel and independent systems. His figurative paintings employ restrained compositions in which narrative and sensual presence emerge through clarity and control. His abstract works abandon reference in favor of rhythm, spatial tension, and visual cadence.

Across both practices, curved textured patterning functions as a recurring signature, linking the works through continuity of surface language rather than conceptual synthesis. Figuration and abstraction remain deliberately separate, sustained as autonomous fields within a unified artistic identity grounded in recurrence and formal consistency.

Academic Foundations: Born in Havana, Cuba, on November 12, 1956, the artist developed his earliest visual fluency as a largely self-taught draftsman. Following relocation to the United States, he briefly attended the High School of Art and Design in New York City for approximately six weeks before relocating with his family to New Jersey, then Florida, and completing secondary education at three additional high schools, graduating in 1975. He earned an Associate of Arts in Business Administration from Miami-Dade Community College (1979), followed by a Bachelor of Arts in History with minors in English and Philosophy from the University of Miami (1981), including coursework in art history and studio drawing. He later obtained a Juris Doctor from Indiana University Bloomington (1985).

Institutional Service, Curatorial Practice & Parallel Disciplines: The artist maintained a parallel career in law and civil service while developing a sustained and active curatorial practice in contemporary art. His curatorial work spans independent exhibition programming, institutional collaboration, and the organization of large-scale group exhibitions and solo presentations across South Florida cultural venues.

In this capacity, he has developed and directed thematic exhibitions, coordinated multi-artist projects, and contributed to the shaping of regional contemporary art discourse through both curatorial authorship and exhibition design. This curatorial activity operates in direct dialogue with his studio practice, reflecting an integrated approach to production, selection, and presentation within the visual arts ecosystem.

Alongside his curatorial work, he has continued to engage in cultural writing, commentary, and arts administration, incorporating analytical frameworks drawn from legal training and institutional governance into his artistic and organizational methodologies.

Exile, Translocation & Relocation: He left Cuba in 1969 under the Freedom Flights program at age thirteen, with formative years spent in New York and New Jersey before establishing long-term residence in Miami in the early 1970s.

Current Status: He lives and works in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he continues studio production as well as independent curatorial and critical work within contemporary art contexts.

The Masters Series / 20th Century Subversions: Reinterpretations of canonical imagery through material transformation and painterly intervention, preserving recognizable structures while altering surface and spatial logic.

Luminescent Landscapes & Sensual Abstraction: Abstract works defined by rhythm, atmospheric layering, and chromatic cadence rather than narrative reference.

Kinetic and Inflatable Sculpture: Large-scale sculptural and environmental works extending pictorial concerns into public space.

Botanical Forms / Flora Series: Botanical imagery used to interrogate cultural contradictions surrounding sexuality, visibility, and censorship, employing floral forms as a coded visual language of sensuality, representation, and institutional tension.

• 2025: Ocean Poetry, Northwood Art and Music Warehouse, West Palm Beach, FL.
• 2019: Orgullo Festival, Pridelines Gallery, Miami, FL.
• 2019: Painting Provocateurs, Sardiñas Gallery, St. Thomas University, Miami, FL.
• 2019: Surging Harmonies, Miami Lakes Town Hall, Miami Lakes, FL.
• 2016: Miguel Rodez, Green Library, Florida International University, Miami, FL.
• 2015: Visual Poetry Project, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.
• 2015: Spring Forward, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.
• 2014: Power Portraits, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.
• 2014: Unveiling Joaquin, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.
• 2014: Imagine Liberation, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.
• 2012: Primal Connection, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.
• 2012: Imagine Liberation, Majestic Properties, Miami Design District, Miami, FL.
• 2011: Imagining Liberation, Domingo Padrón Gallery, Coral Gables, FL.

• 2026: Celebration 65, Northwood Art and Music Warehouse, West Palm Beach, FL.
• 2026: Circular Reflections, Westchester Regional Library, Miami, FL.
• 2025: Circular Reflections, Favalora Museum, St. Thomas University, Miami, FL.
• 2024: Forbidden Fruit: A History of Cuban Art 1930s–Present, World Erotic Art Museum, Miami Beach, FL.
• 2020: Expressions of a Pandemic, Coral Gables Museum, Coral Gables, FL.
• 2020: Jane Harris Memorial Exhibit, Harris Art, Miami, FL.
• 2019: Dealing with Reality, Favalora Museum, St. Thomas University, Miami, FL.
• 2019: Resonate: A Polyphonic Prospect, Coral Gables Museum, Coral Gables, FL.
• 2019: Inspired By, Coral Springs Museum of Art, Coral Springs, FL.
• 2019: Eight Visual Paths, Green Library, Florida International University, Miami, FL.
• 2018: Miami Art Week Showcase, CFA Gallery, Coral Gables, FL.
• 2018: La Mano Hispana, Milander Center for the Arts, Hialeah, FL.
• 2017: Reference Cited, Florida International University Green Library, Miami, FL.
• 2017: Cuba Nostalgia, Florida International University South Campus, Miami, FL.
• 2017: Carnaval on the Mile, Coral Gables, FL.
• 2016: Expressions: The Afterlife of Color, Milander Center for the Arts, Hialeah, FL.
• 2016: Fine Woodies, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.
• 2016: Drawing Exploration Part I, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.
• 2016: Drawing Exploration Part II, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.
• 2015: Beyond Innocence, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.
• 2015: Abstract Trio, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.
• 2014: Nest Gen, Florida International University, Miami, FL.
• 2014: The Kiss, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.
• 2013: Sexual Currents, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.
• 2013: Passion Red, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.
• 2013: Face 2 Face: Self Portraits, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.
• 2013: Urban Statement, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.
• 2013: Bloom Blast, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.
• 2013: Bloom Blast II, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.
• 2013: Drawing Exploration II, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.
• 2012: A Woman’s Perspective, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.
• 2012: Made in the USA, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.
• 2012: ArteAméricas / Hoy Arte Hoy, Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, FL.
• 2012: The Art Link Gallery Exhibition, Wynwood Arts District, Miami, FL.
• 2012: Majestic Properties Art Night, Miami Design District, Miami, FL.
• 2011: Giants in the City, Bayfront Park, Miami, FL.
• 2011: Man vs Nature, Catalina Hotel Rooftop, Miami Beach, FL.
• 2011: Domingo Padrón Gallery Group Program, Coral Gables, FL.
• 2010: USCIS Hispanic Heritage Show, Brickell District, Miami, FL.
• 2010: FIART International Art Fair, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
• 2010: Giants in the City, Miami Beach Botanical Garden, Miami Beach, FL.
• 2010: Kavachnina Contemporary Gallery Exhibition, Miami, FL.

• 2026: Beauty as Protest: Pattern & Decoration, Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas, Miami, FL.
• 2026: Circular Reflections, Westchester Regional Library, Miami, FL.
• 2025: Circular Reflections, Favalora Museum, St. Thomas University, Miami, FL.
• 2025: Double Homage: Izquierdo/Messerschmidt, St. Thomas University, Miami, FL.
• 2019: Eight Visual Paths, Florida International University, Miami, FL.
• 2019: Dealing with Reality, St. Thomas University, Miami Gardens, FL.
• 2019: Open Discourse, St. Thomas University, Miami Gardens, FL.
• 2019: They Are Everywhere, St. Thomas University, Miami Gardens, FL.
• 2018: Reference Cited, Florida International University, Miami, FL.
• 2017: What’s on Your Palette?, Milander Center for the Arts, Hialeah, FL.
• 2016: Fine Woodies, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.
• 2016: Hello Dalí / Facing Dalí, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.
• 2015: Beyond Innocence, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.
• 2015: Miami Green Space, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.
• 2014: Abstract Trio, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.
• 2014: Art Fest @ Doral, Carlos Albizu University, Doral, FL.
• 2013: Art Fest @ Doral, Carlos Albizu University, Doral, FL.
• 2013: Bloom Blast, Urban Statement, Sexual Currents, Passion Red, and Face 2 Face: Self Portraits, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.
• 2012: A Woman’s Perspective; Drawn from Within, Bird Road Art District, Miami, FL.

• 2020: Panel Juror, 41st Annual Naples National Art Show, Naples, FL.
• 2018: Panel Juror, Coconut Grove Arts Festival, Miami, FL.
• 2017: Panel Juror, Cuba Nostalgia Art Festival, Miami, FL.
• 2017: Panel Juror, Carnaval on the Mile, Coral Gables, FL.
• 2017: Panel Juror, Ludlam Lights Art Lantern Competition, South Miami, FL.
• 2016: Panel Juror, Art of Found Objects, Miami, FL.
• 2015: Sole Juror, Food for Thought, Broward Art Guild, Fort Lauderdale, FL.
• 2014: Panel Juror, Art Fest @ Doral, Doral, FL.
• 2013: Panel Juror, Art Fest @ Doral, Doral, FL.
• 1993–1999: Chairperson and Member, Metropolitan Miami-Dade Art in Public Places Trust, Miami-Dade County, FL.
• 1995: National Volunteer Service Award, United States Department of Justice, Washington, DC.

Tier I — Major Critical Coverage & Scholarly References

• Sirgado, Miguel. “A Circle of Cuban Art at Westchester Regional Library.” The Miami Herald, May 10, 2026.
• Sirgado, Miguel. “A Circle of Cuban Art at Westchester Regional Library.” Artburst Miami, April 13, 2026.
• Rodríguez Díez, Jorge. “Circular Reflections on Circular Reflections.” Echoes Art News, April 2, 2026.
• Rodríguez Díez, Jorge. “Rodez, Izquierdo and the Gesture That Concerns Us.” Echoes Art News, September 16, 2024.
• Appell, David Paul. Frommer’s EasyGuide to Miami & the Keys 2014.
• Matos, Dennys. “El Distrito de Arte de Bird Road se Consolida.” El Nuevo Herald, June 17, 2012.

Tier II — Exhibition Reviews & Media

• Roca, Ángel. “Circular Reflections: Dissolving the Corners of the Cuban Narrative.” Artepoli, 2026.
• Catálogo: Reflexiones Circulares [Curaduría: Miguel Rodez]. InCUBAdora, 2026.
• The Miami Laker. “Artist Miguel Rodez Will Host Art Show, Sept. 5.” 2019.
• Lilly, Christiana. “Searching for Giants.” Art Hive Magazine, Issue 31.
• Iglesias, Elena. “Un encuentro cercano con artistas del Bird Road Art District.” El Nuevo Herald, April 16, 2015.

Tier III–V — Publications, Catalogs & Public Discourse

• Rodez, Miguel. “Beauty as Protest: The Pattern & Decoration Movement.” Echoes Art News, 2026.
• Rodez, Miguel. “A Farewell to Wasanga.” Echoes Art News, 2025.
• Circular Reflections. Exhibition catalog. St. Thomas University, 2025.
• Rodez, Miguel. “The Role of a Curator.” Latin American Art Magazine, 2019.
• Reference Cited; Eight Visual Paths; Dealing with Reality; Open Discourse; and What’s on Your Palette exhibition publications.
• Art Talk with Susana Baker, Bloomberg Radio Miami 880 AM, March 23, 2015; public panel participant, Reflecting on Circular Reflections, 2025.

• Florida International University Honors College Art Collection, Miami, FL.
• St. Thomas University Favalora Museum Permanent Collection, Miami Gardens, FL.
• Archival Holdings: Miguel Rodez Artist File, Cuban Heritage Collection, University of Miami Libraries, Coral Gables, FL.
• Documentation and Artist File, Vasari Project Archive, Miami-Dade Public Library System, Miami, FL.
• Archival Records and Exhibition Documentation, St. Thomas University Favalora Museum, Miami Gardens, FL.
• Archival Records and Exhibition Documentation, Steven & Dorothea Green Library Special Collections, Florida International University, Miami, FL.