Aurora Molina

The artist’s practice investigates the intersection of textile engineering and critical sociology, utilizing a rigorous manipulation of fabric to address complex social maladies. Through diverse technical approaches, she produces grotesque, anthropomorphic figures that mirror the raw angst of children rejected for failing to meet systemic expectations. The composition translates an intellectual critique of egocentrism and the objectification of beauty into harsh physical contours and distorted textile layers. By deliberately exposing our societal refusal to acknowledge the aging process, the work functions as a formal inquiry into contemporary vulnerability—transforming stitched dimensions into a stark visual exploration of fractured family ties and superficial allegiances.

• Academic Foundations: Born in Nueva Paz, Cuba, in 1984. Trained early under her father, artist Germán Molina. Immigrated to the US in 2000. Earned an AA from Miami Dade College (2005), a BFA from Florida International University (2007), and an MA in Contemporary Art from the Universidad Europea de Madrid, Spain (2009).
• Institutional Service & Parallel Disciplines: Upon completing her advanced degrees, she expanded her studio research through extensive international residencies and technical field workshops across Guatemala, Holland, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Morocco, Spain, and Thailand. She has built a prominent parallel career as a dedicated visual arts educator, leading instruction at numerous academic institutions and community art platforms. Her structural understanding of textile networks also informed her parallel role as a cofounder of the Fiber Artists-Miami Association (FAMA), an artist collaborative dedicated to elevating contemporary textiles.
• Exile, Translocation & Relocations: Navigating cross-border uprooting as a teenager, her career explores the friction between personal memory and global socio-political structures. Her studio production uses manipulated fabrics, thread contours, and sculptural assemblages to trace how communities record aging, migration policy, and institutional exclusion.
• Current Status: She currently resides and operates an active physical home studio in Miami, Florida. Represented by the Bernice Steinbaum Gallery since 2011, she maintains a highly active international presentation tier, utilizing her platform to advocate for vulnerable demographics and critique contemporary societal systems.

• 2010–Present: Lead Art Instructor and Fiber Arts Advisor, Arts 4 Learning Community Networks, Miami, FL.
• 2012–Present: Adjunct Art Instructor, Department of Fine Arts, Miami Dade College, Miami, FL.

• Grotesque Anthropomorphic Characters: A definitive sequence of manipulated fabric sculptures depicting stylized, child-like figures in states of pronounced frustration. These caricature-like characters serve as a striking visual proxy for complaining children, capturing their collective anger over being systemically rejected for failing to meet society's rigid, unreasonable expectations.
• The Sickness of Egocentrism: An ongoing series of multi-layered textile compositions and embroidered wall installations critically addressing major societal maladies. The work targets unreachable goals, superficial friendships, and the widespread objectification of beauty, exposing how personal selfabsorption fractures contemporary family ties.
• Refusal to Age (The Invisible Generation): A poignant portfolio of dry-felted and stitched portraits investigating contemporary culture's obsessive denial of the natural aging process. The dense needlework details the physical markers of time, confronting the audience with the psychological costs of hiding or dismissing vulnerable aging populations from everyday life.
• Drowned Horizons & Scarred Regions: A collection of large-scale wet-felted installations, wool tapestries, and woven fabrics addressing ecological and regional uprooting. Inspired by the degradation of the Florida Everglades, the surfaces are deeply cut and systematically stitched to replicate developmental scars and flood zones, tracing the silent history of displaced communities.

This artist has participated in over 30 solo exhibitions:

• 2026: A Drowned Horizon, Art and Culture Center of Hollywood, Hollywood, FL.
• 2026: Beyond Fibers, Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Coconut Grove, FL.
• 2025: In the Garden of Good and Evil, Bernice Steinbaum, Coconut Grove, FL.
• 2024: Imaginary Tapestries, The Frank C. Ortis Art Gallery, Pembroke Pines, FL.
• 2022: Woven Destiny, Museum of Contemporary Art, at Westport, Westport, CT.
• 2019: Selfies, Foosaner Art Museum, Melbourne, FL.
• 2018: The Decline of Rationality in American Politics, Steinbaum, Miami, FL.
• 2014: Personify, Art and Culture Center of Hollywood, Hollywood, FL.

This artist has participated in nearly 200 collective exhibitions:

• 2026: The Light of the World, Saladrigas Art Gallery, Belen Prep. Sch, Miami, FL.
• 2026: Circular Reflections, Westchester Regional Library, Miami, FL.
• 2026: Under the Red Tent, The CAMP Gallery, North Miami, FL.
• 2025: In the Garden of Good and Evil, Bernice Steinbaum, Coconut Grove, FL.
• 2025: Circular Reflections, St. Thomas University, Miami, FL.
• 2024: Aqua Art Miami, Latin American Art Pavilion, Miami Beach, FL.
• 2024: Transcending the Object, MIFA Gallery, Miami, FL.
• 2024: Women's Work, The Frank C. Ortis Art Gallery, Pembroke Pines, FL.
• 2023: Fiber Art International, Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, PA.
• 2022: Textile Biennial, Rijswijk Museum, Rijswijk, Netherlands.
• 2021: Summer Days, Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Miami, FL.
• 2021: Texture of Grief, The CAMP Gallery, Miami, FL.
• 2019: Craft, Commodity, and Capitalism, Craft Contemporary Museum, LA CA.
• 2017: Gritty in Pink, Bailey Contemporary Arts (BaCA), Pompano Beach, FL.
• 2016: Dark Days of Disconnect, CircaDit, Arnhem, Netherlands.
• 2015: Everydayness, Espacio Trapézio, Madrid, Spain.
• 2014: Retra-tablos, Textile Museum of Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico.
• 2014: Face Shields, Sewon Art Space, Jogyakarta, Indonesia.

• 2021: Oolite Arts Creator Award (Grant for the advancement of the South Florida Textile Art Biennial), Oolite Arts, Miami, FL.
• 2018: Locust Projects Wave Maker Grant, Locust Projects, Miami, FL.
• 2018: Visual Arts Fellowship Finalist, CINTAS Foundation, Coral Gables, FL.

• 2026: Catálogo: Reflexiones Circulares [Curaduría: Miguel Rodez]. InCUBAdora, March 24, 2026. https://www.in-cubadora.com/2026/03/24/catalogo-reflexionescirculares-curaduria-miguel-rodez/. This article (written in Spanish) provides a concise description of the Cuban contemporary art documentation project Circular Reflections and includes the full participating artist list.
• 2025: Rodez, Miguel. Circular Reflections: Cuban Art Documentation Project. Miami Gardens, FL: St. Thomas University Press, 2025. Permanent collection, Miami-Dade Public Library System, Fine Arts Archive. (A comprehensive catalog featuring information about the 63 initial participants in Circular Reflections, including an analysis of the artist’s work, biographical information and curriculum highlights).
• Amanda Sanfilippo, ArtDaily (2026): “Review: Aurora Molina’s Surreal Political Tableaus in ‘Beyond Fibers’ at Bernice Steinbaum Gallery” – An analytical evaluation of the artist's large-format mixed-media installations, tracking how she weaves animal hybrids and caricature-like figures to critique contemporary political theater.
• Art Desk, The Miami Herald (March 2026): “‘Under the Red Tent’ Weaves Memory, Labor, and Community at CAMP Gallery” – A prominent front-page arts feature highlighting Molina's collaborative textile work and its role in shaping South Florida’s contemporary fiber arts network.
• Editorial Board, Miami Art Scene (2025): “The Humane Quality of Fiber Art: Aurora Molina Breaks the White Cube with ‘DECORATIVE’” – A profile reviewing her floor-to-ceiling wet-felted installations and thick, free-form dryfelted wool portraits that challenge traditional fine art hierarchies.
• Adriana Herrera, Arte al Día (2020): “So (Sew) America Cares: A Social Art Project by Aurora Molina That Interweaves Public Spheres” – An essay examining her collaborative public art activations and the socio-political impact of her text-heavy, stitched political commentaries.
• Lydia Martin, The Miami Herald (2018): “Thread as Political Satire: Aurora Molina Dissects the Decline of Rationality in American Politics” – A feature tracking her transition from soft sculpture to dark, complex political commentary ahead of her landmark solo show at the Bernice Steinbaum Gallery.

The original creations, large-format canvases, and technical portfolios of the artist are permanently preserved within the following public, academic, and private registries:

• Coral Gables Museum Permanent Registry (Coral Gables, FL).
• Textile Museum of Oaxaca Archive (Museo Textil de Oaxaca) (Oaxaca, Mexico).
• Lowe Art Museum Archive (Coral Gables, FL).