NORTH MIAMI, FL --  Colombia stands as the gateway to Latin America at MOCA’s Art Basel 2015 with the opening of Colombian artist Carlos Salas’ exhibition “Carlos Salas: Latin America and the Global Imagination.” Curated by MOCA Executive Director Babacar MBow in partnership with the Consulate of the Republic of Colombia in Miami, the exhibition features 60 monumental abstract paintings by the artist. The exhibition will be on display Dec. 2, 2015–Feb. 2, 2016.

Born in 1957, Salas studied architecture at the University of Los Andes and painting at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. He received multiple accolades in France and his native Colombia for his contributions to abstract art, and at the age of 42 he was the youngest artist to ever present a retrospective at the Bogota Museum of Modern Art. Salas’ blazing spirit is evident in his elaborate brush strokes that resemble scratches and scars that – while open to interpretation and analysis – cannot hide the artist’s intensity and passion.

“The City of North Miami and MOCA are elated to present international visitors and regional art lovers alike with a sampling of the creativity and contemporary culture of Latin America,” says Dr. Smith Joseph, mayor of North Miami. “As a patron city of the arts, we are proud to start a world dialogue with the opening of Carlos Salas’ exhibition.”

“Carlos Salas: Latin America and the Global Imagination” is the first of several MOCA exhibitions/events curated to challenge public perceptions and foster curiosity about the Latin America region’s history and cultural heritage. During extended hours, the museum will also host a series of special events throughout the week of Art Basel, which will explore the role of the arts in bringing social change and development.

Dec. 1, 6–10 p.m.: “Carlos Salas: Latin America and the Global Imagination” Exhibition Grand Opening

“Carlos Salas: Latin America and the Global Imagination” is an exhibition of monumental abstract paintings by the Colombian artist. Salas poses questions that reveal the limits of some theoretical frameworks and calls for a critical engagement across traditions and cultures. The diverse trajectories and experiences of contemporaneity are explored.

Dec. 3, 4–6 p.m.: MOCA Contemporary Dialogues – Latin America and the Global Imagination

This roundtable brings together scholars, critics and artists to explore global issues as they pertain to Latin America. Free with museum admission.

Dec. 4, 7–10 p.m.: MOCA Moving Images – “EN EL TALLER”: A Documentary by Ana Maria Salas

The world premiere of a documentary about the life and work of Colombian artist Carlos Salas by director Ana Maria Salas, daughter of the artist. The film was shot in France, in Spanish language with English subtitles.

Dec. 5, 6–8 p.m.: Annual International Lecture – Colombia in the Twenty-First Century

After the lost decades of the 1980s and the 1990s that saw Latin America falling into rising poverty, mass unemployment, extreme violence and the explosion of public debt, the area has since raised its head and has become an ambitious laboratory for experimentation of new social and economic policies. Free with museum admission.

For more information, please visit www.mocanomi.org