Cristine Brache, Morning Sickness in the USA, 2020
ICA Miami’s Digital Commissions series expands the museum’s commitment to fostering artistic experimentation and commissioning new works, as well as engaging audiences with innovative artistic voices. ICA Miami’s inaugural digital commission comes from Miami artist Cristine Brache titled Morning Sickness in the USA (2020).
In Morning Sickness in the USA, Brache shares the story of her grandmother, who was quarantined in 1961 after seeing a doctor for inexplicable morning sickness. Having immigrated to the US from Puerto Rico, doctors suspected she had an infectious disease and put her in quarantine in a mental asylum. The reason for her morning sickness was later revealed to be pregnancy.
In this work, Brache montages found footage of pregnancy examinations, scientific imagery, and videos of viruses attacking cells, over a recorded phone conversation with her grandmother, in which she recalls the story. Looking at an episode of quarantine in her family history, Brache addresses our own times of COVID-19, social distancing, and sequestration.
Cristine Brache (b. 1984, Miami, FL) lives and works between Miami and Toronto. She received her MFA in Fine Art Media at the Slade School of Fine Art, London. Solo exhibitions include those held at Fierman Gallery (New York and Puerto Rico); Locust Projects (Miami); and Anat Ebgi (Los Angeles). Her work has been featured in group exhibitions at Team Gallery (New York); the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami; Bow Arts, London; and the Museum of Moving Images, New York, among others.
ICA Miami’s Digital Commissions series is made possible by the Knight Foundation and expands the museum’s commitment to fostering artistic experimentation and commissioning new works, as well as engaging audiences with innovative artistic voices.