SSF 2019 Featured Performance Artist Beláxis Buil

Beláxis Buil lives and works in Miami, Florida. Buil graduated from UF, New World School of the Arts, with a double major in Sculpture, Dance, and Minor in Art History.

Currently, Buil is pursuing an MFA in curatorial practice at FIU, awarded a GA Fellowship for her studies, and continues to exhibit in South Florida and abroad. As an undergraduate her training was rigorous at New World School of the Arts, University of Florida, earning a BFA in Sculpture, Art History and Minor in Dance.

Buil has been developing extensive projects with scholars, ambassadors, and specialists, initiating art as the platform for critical debate on hot social topics; stimulating social justice awareness to the South Florida community on public radio (Rumbera FM, Radio Marti, Mom & Pops Radio~ Grass-root, Al Cole of CBS Radio) on plaguing issues with immigration and forced displacement at refugee camps. In 2014, Diplomat Malanin Slama, of Western Sahara contacted Buil on her work and achievements and requested her support to the 40-year exile of the Saharawi people as they claim independence from Morroco. In 2015 Buil petitioned on behalf of the Saharawi’s and was asked to speak during The Special Political and Decolonization Committee at the United Nations, New York.

Buil’s artistic practice integrates looming topics needing urgent discussion in human rights advocacy, women and gender issues, identity politics, and the crisis of human conditioning, weaving poetic and absurd arrangements of sculpture, installtion, video, photography and choreography into provocatively bold and challenging environments where the public and objects become a part of the narrative.

Buil’s work has been celebrated and viewed at MOCA ( Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami,) Art Tacheles ( Germany), Art Shanghai ( China), Performa ( Dominican Republic), International Ballet Festival ( Miami), Miami Light Projects, Dances Made to Order, as well in collaborative projects at RFC (Rubell Family Collection) with Jean-Pierre Khazeem as the Mona Lisa Live, Art Basel Miami, Vanessa Beecroft, and Playboy during Art Basel Miami, Alex Pearlstein at Bass Museum, Art Basel Miami and Athi- Patra Ruga at Bass Museum.

In July of 2016, Buil was an honored recipient of The People of Distinction Humanitarian Award on Capitol Hill, Washington DC.

Buil is actively exhibiting work, curating, choreographing and contributing as an arts writer at Art for Progress, NY.

Deborah Magdalena

Whether she's hosting a spoken word event, music festival, or playing the role of a santera or vixen, Deborah Magdalena makes every emotion super real. This performance artist has acquired impressive TV & Film credits for the past twenty years including Sesame Street (CTW), Apollo Comedy Hour (Tribune Entertainment), Safe Harbor (Warner Brothers), Striptease (Castle Rock), Holyman (Caravan), and For Love or Country (HBO). As a published spoken word artist Deborah has released three CDs, a chapbook, and the spoken word musical FUNKdalena. As an artist-activist she’s the founder of Spoken Soul Festival, a twelve year old, three-day festival that helps women artists go from novice to professionals. As an educator Deborah for the past eight years has led in-school presentations in numerous high schools for the National YoungArts Foundation, is the co-founder of Piano Slam, and led various workshops for local art organizations like Miami Light Project and Institute of Contemporary Art Miami. Most recently and for the seventh year in a row, she was invited by the Arsht Center and Ailey Arts & Education Foundation to serve as the Creative Communication instructor for Ailey Camp Miami.