Greetings from Miami

Wynwood, Florida is known for its incredible wall art, or “graffiti”. If you visit, you won’t be able to turn a corner without seeing a larger-than-life mural staring back at you, with bright, vibrant colors and precise details and features. A particular wall stands out as a satire on the traditional “postcard picture” that you might receive from a relative on vacation in Miami. “Greetings from Miami Seven” is written in colorful letters featuring buildings, a flamingo, and the American flag. “Miami Seven” most likely refers to Miami’s “Seven Art Fair”, but that is not the interesting part about this wall art.

At first glance, it could be seen as a nice advertisement for Miami, but on closer inspection it is a strong critique on the way Miamians view their city. The “punctum”, for me, is the face on the sun. It is gloomily sitting atop the words and staring down upon that which people first think of Miami for: Palm trees, colorful beaches, beautiful skylines, exotic animals, and skyscrapers. It is as though this Sun has grown weary of looking down upon a city that contains so many inhabitants that do not appreciate it. The Sun loves the city, but hates to see it treated and viewed so poorly. The tentacle-like rays of light coming out of the sun attempt to wrap around the word “Miami” but seem to struggle to hold on, just like the people of Miami struggle to hold on to their “Miami Vice” attitude and persona, which is an unnatural one, but has been the way of life for three decades.

There is more to this piece of art than at first glance, and it is relevant to our discussion of mobiles, locals, and exiles. This is just one of the thousands of pieces of wall art, but it has a meaning deeper and more locally significant than many others. The best way to understand somebody is to understand how they view themselves, and the same goes for one’s environment. This local artist chose the classic images associated with Miami, but gave these images the tone that he or she views them with. There is a kind of fake outer layer with bright colors and relaxing scenes, but looking closer you can see the sadness on the sun, clouds on the horizon, and a black shadow behind the words “Miami Seven”.