Ways Of Worldmaking
Notes on a Passion for Collecting

Selected Work from the
Dr. Arturo and Liza Mosquera
Collection of Contemporary Art

Curated by DUO NOSTI

“The most profound enchantment for the collector is the locking of individual items within a magic circle in which they are frozen as the final thrill, the thrill of acquisition, passes over them…To renew the old world – that is the collector’s deepest desire when he is driven to acquire new things…” – Walter Benjamin

Dr. Arturo and Liza Mosquera have been collecting contemporary art together for over 20 years. Their collection is international in its scope and consists of over 1,000 works of art, including painting, sculpture, photography, works on paper, video and installation. This exhibition offers a taste of the Cuban and Cuban-American artists in their collection, through a selection of over 80 original works by more than 70 artists, many of whom are currently living and working in South Florida. The exhibit tells the story of the Mosqueras’ passion for collecting through a narrative of personal quotes and observations. It also recognizes the Mosqueras’ significant contribution to the South Florida art scene through their programming of exhibitions for emerging and established artists. In 2000, the couple began showing artwork from their collection at Dr. Mosquera’s orthodontic office in the Westchester neighborhood of Miami-Dade County. They established a quarterly program of exhibits, “Art @ Work”, in the lobby of the office and created a print newsletter to serve as a mini-catalog of each show. They later opened Farside Gallery, a non-commercial, alternative art space, adjacent to Mosquera’s orthodontic practice, to showcase even more art and artists. This exhibition celebrates the South Florida couple’s outside-the-box thinking and approach to collecting, nurturing, promoting and exhibiting contemporary art in our community.

Acknowledgements: Our special thanks to Glexis Novoa for his artistic vision and generosity, to Ricardo Pau Llosa for kickstarting the adventure of a lifetime, Mitchell Kaplan of Books & Books for his support of interdisciplinary projects, George Henry Keen for his unswerving friendship and Deborah Briggs of the Betsy Hotel for nurturing cultural projects.