Located in downtown Nashville, the Frist Art Museum has been a staple of Music City, and Vanderbilt has been a significant part of the Frist’s history. The Vanderbilt-Frist relationship has been ongoing for decades, as the museum was founded in 2001 by Vanderbilt alumnus Thomas F. Frist Jr. (B.A. ‘61). That relationship continues today with the exhibition of “Behold,” an abstract art compilation created over a 40-year period by Vanderbilt art professor María Magdalena Campos-Pons.
Born in La Vega, Cuba, Campos-Pons’ Latin-American roots rise to the surface throughout the exhibit, tying her blood with the footsteps of those who came before her. One of the first pieces that stuck out was “Umbilical Cord,” a sculpture that was literally protruding from the wall with strings. The strings physically connect together photographs of Campos-Pons’ family — all of whom took the photos in Cuba and had them delivered to Campos-Pons in the United States. It is an impactful piece that conveys the connection of family, symbolized through the strings and furthered by the inclusion of Cuban soil into the piece.
Campos-Pons’ exploration of her roots continued to spread wide. In “De Las Dos Aguas (Of the Two Waters),” she drew upon her Yoruba culture and Nigerian ancestry with the inclusion of “orishas,” deities in the Yoruba pantheon. This large photo print is split into twelve frames, depicting two female orishas holding up and offering protection to a boat carrying small figures. Tresses of black hair stretch throughout the expanses of blue and shroud the orishas’ faces. A recurring formal motif in her work is a larger image or painting partitioned into multiple smaller frames. It evokes separation in the composition, yet it continues the theme of connection with the way the images within the frames link visually.
Campos-Pons touches on her Cantonese heritage in “The Flag Year 13. Color Code Venice,” which is made of nine photographs to form one life-size image of the artist dressed in traditional Chinese theater robes. This work brings to light her Cantonese ancestors, who served as indentured laborers on the sugar plantations in Cuba during the 19th century alongside African slaves. The birdcages and Campos-Pons’ somber stare speak to stolen freedom and the tragedy within her lineage.
Having lived in Italy and now based in Nashville, Campos-Pons’ international ties continue to greatly influence her art. This is clear in her work “Secrets of the Magnolia Tree,” a towering piece that takes heavy inspiration from the magnolia trees that are scattered across Vanderbilt’s arboretum, with Campos-Pons as the emerging center of the three panels.
When discussing ancestry, the mother appears to be vital. The presence of women in Campos-Pons’ life, as well as her own experience with motherhood, are apparent in her work. In her striking installation piece, “Soy Una Fuente (I Am a Fountain),” Campos-Pons creates models of female body parts discharging, such as breasts releasing milk or a mouth expelling words. Campos-Pons considers the ways in which a woman is expected to give, which seems to indicate how historically, and even currently, a woman’s body is not always her own. One of her larger installations, “Spoken Softly with Mama,” projects a compilation of portraits onto ironing boards, featuring antique images of black women alongside glass clothing irons arranged on the ground. She unveils the often unacknowledged labors of women over generations of slavery.
As demonstrated by the range and gravity of her work, Campos-Pons is a very socially active artist. In the final rooms of the exhibit are large, metal mobiles carrying colorful glass rounds. All from her series “The Rise of the Butterflies,” “Mobile #1,” in particular, is constructed with blue glass and hangs from the ceiling, stretching across almost half of the long room. She dedicated these mobiles to Breonna Taylor, who lost her life in 2020 after police conducting a warrant accidentally shot at her, which brings significance to the watchful eyes and tear-like evocations in the glass shapes.
Campos-Pons’ performance art is another way she conveys her art. On Sept. 26, 2024, she performed “A Mother’s River of Tears” at the Frist, featuring a diverse cast, alongside the artist, crossing the room dressed in all white. They sang, danced, lamented and even gave gifts to the audience, instilling a palpable sense of grief, especially when they recited the names of victims of police brutality. Like all of her work, it was both awe-inspiring and heart-wrenching.
“Behold” is on exhibit until Jan. 5, 2025, leaving plenty of time for visitors to make plans to get immersed in Campus-Pons’ masterful blend of heritage, family and connections.
