As thousands descend from their northern
perches to bless Miami locals with a chance
to gawk at beauty and truth as it is speculated
upon and passed from immaculately
moisturized hand to immaculately moisturized
hand, The smile that launched 1,000 ships explores the
hotel room, gallery, island, and swamp as
containers for fantasy. Seducing viewers into
the liminal space between the realities of
their environment and the systems that
arouse projection, The smile that launched 1,000 ships
probes the constituent elements of desire
and architecture of fantasy.

Through hotel performances, hair drawings,
video game landscapes, and condo ruins, featured
artists Maddie Butler, Doug LeCours, Lucas Leyva,
Maya Martinez, Jillian Mayer, Sue Montoya, and
Dylan Nelson, simultaneously entice and destabilize,
rendering viewers complicit in the construction of the hotel
room, gallery, island, and swamp as nexuses for fantasy.
Inviting immersion into the ambivalence of fantasy
and the corporeal residue left in its wake,
The smile that launched 1,000 ships
mimics the logic of speculation and desire to
unearth the actualities and complexities of
the spaces we occupy.

—
Co-Curated by Lauren Monzon and Dylan Redford
Exhibition design by Ryan Gerald Nelson
In partnership with Borscht Corporation and Satellite Art Fair