MASS MoCA Presents “Spatial Poems”
MASS MoCA presents “Spatial Poems”, a communal exhibition in three concurrent parts.
On view beginning May 23, 2026–April 4, 2027
Visit: massmoca.org/press-room
This exhibition is developed by CEI Fellow Marissa Del Toro in collaboration with guest curators Ninabah Winton and Jamillah Hinson. “Spatial Poems” features the work of artists Cecilia Vicuña, Lola Ayisha Ogbara, and Sam Frésquez.
Together, the exhibitions can be understood as a score or spatial poem, created by curators and artists working in a euphonious rhythm. Spatial Poems inspires a dialogue on care, social relations, and the organization of new forms of being and processes as an act of refusal to the current precaritization of the art world.
“When I was first invited to participate in the Curatorial Exchange Initiative, I knew that I wanted to invite other curators to take part in this opportunity,” says Del Toro. “My proposal for Spatial Poems was conceived from a space of care and collaboration, and my belief that working with others creates something unique that could not be envisioned alone. The works showcased in this exhibition exemplify this ethos, and build off of one another to create a whole that has a meaning beyond the sum of its parts.”
About the Artists:
Cecilia Vicuña (b. 1948 in Santiago, Chile; lives and works in New York, NY and Santiago, Chile) integrates practices of poetry, performance, Conceptualism, and textile craft in response to pressing concerns of the modern world, including ecological destruction, human rights, and cultural homogenization. Born and raised in Santiago, she was exiled during the early 1970s after the violent military coup against President Salvador Allende. This sense of impermanence, and a desire to preserve and pay tribute to the history and culture of Chile, have characterized her work throughout her career.
Lola Ayisha Ogbara is a Nigerian American conceptual artist from Chicago, Illinois. Her practice explores the haptic sub/conscious, racialized voyeurism, and transcendental sonic experiments. Ogbara has exhibited in art spaces nationwide, including Split My Sides, The Luminary, St. Louis, MO (2020); Skin + Masks III, Kavi Gupta + EXPO Chicago, Chicago, IL (2023); Kemper Museum, Fairyland, Mindy Solomon Gallery, Miami, FL (2021); and Kristen Lorello Gallery. She has also received residencies, fellowships, and awards She has earned a BA from Columbia College Chicago and an MFA from Washington University, Sam Fox School of Art and Design.
Sam Frésquez (she/they) was born in Mesa, Arizona. Frésquez currently lives and works in New Haven, Connecticut. Frésquez received her MFA in Sculpture at Yale in 2025 and her BFA from Arizona State University in Intermedia Art in 2019. Most recently, she was included in Get In The Game: Sports, Art, and Culture at SFMoMA, which will go on to travel to the Perez Art Museum in Miami and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas. They have participated in numerous residency programs along with sharing a collaborative practice with Merryn Omotayo Alaka entitled Hairland (2017-present). Lisa Sette Gallery represents Frésquez.