Juana Meneses: The Weight of Things
The Weight of Things: Repurposing the Stranger’s Luggage Series
The Stranger’s Luggage series, originally created as a public art project for Los Angeles International Airport, serves as the foundation for The Weight of Things. These murals, printed on commercial banners, were inspired by paintings that delve into the personal stories held within the luggage of fictional travelers. In truth, they reflect my own story. My family has spent a lifetime packing and moving across cities and countries — sometimes by choice, other times by necessity.
In The Weight of Things, I continue this narrative through an evolving palimpsest, repurposing and recycling materials like old clothes, napkins, tablecloths, and other fabrics to recount personal and shared histories. These stories tell of my father bringing us to this country, my brother and me arriving without knowing English, and the questions we were asked — like whether we lived in the jungle because that’s what people saw on Miami Vice. We crisscrossed the country repeatedly, searching for a sense of belonging.
In the end, some of us found it, while others did not.
–Juana Meneses
On view until January 10, 2025
About the artist
Juana Meneses creates unique artist books that combine printmaking techniques with repurposed fabrics that investigate themes about belonging and home. Her work tells authentic and fictionalized stories using photo transfers and abstracted collaged forms. Originally from Colombia, Meneses blends cross-cultural perspectives, migration narratives, and personal experiences in her art. She repurposes discarded materials such as old shirts, cloth napkins, watercolor paintings, and mesh fruit bags, incorporating embroidery to produce intimate books and large-scale murals.
Hours
Open at all times
Location
Windows at Walgreens
6700 Collins Ave
Miami Beach
Images
