"A Line in the Sand" confronts the stark realities underlying the idyllic facade of Miami Beach. Using a crumpled, tropical photo backdrop to expose the fragility and manipulation inherent in the city's carefully curated image, as well as the crushed ideal of the tropical paradise that Miami promises, this installation evokes the erosion of the shoreline, a constant threat intensified by rising sea levels and powerful storms. The sandbags, often used to secure a backdrop, become a metaphor for the artificial barriers erected to maintain Miami's pristine image, even as it crumbles under the weight of its own contradictions. Sand, the very material that delineates Miami Beach, acts as a physical barrier against the encroaching ocean, protecting the city from flooding and erosion. But on another level, it represents the barriers imposed on South Florida by its exclusionary policies. The history of turning away Cuban and Haitian migrants becomes intertwined with the shifting sands of the shoreline, highlighting the human cost of maintaining an illusion of paradise.

This work invites viewers to question the idealized image of Miami Beach and challenges us to look beyond the postcard-perfect scenery in order to confront the environmental and social realities that lie beneath the surface. My choice of materials forces us to confront the very elements that contribute to the construction and maintenance of the illusion. The presence of sand, a constantly shifting and transient material, serves as a stark reminder of the impermanence of our constructed worlds.