Enrique Cabrera and J. Oscar Molina gather under the theme of Processions, which considers the concept of humanity coming together to trek the realms across dimensions. While for Cabrera it relates to the ritual aspect of those ceremonies performed to remember and celebrate the lives of the dead, with Molina it takes on the interpretation of a journey, a crossing that he, and many like him, endure in seeking a new life in a new world. As they explore concepts of humanity, temporality, and mortality, both artists represent the spirit, energy, vitality, and power of life.

Enrique Cabrera’s sculptures in the series Palmarius—describing in Latin something or someone extraordinary or “deserving of the palm”, as in a palm leaf bestowed on the victor in a competition—are decorated skulls in silver and bronze. Skulls represent the root of Cabrera’s syncretic, Mexican heritage, symbolizing death and rebirth. In Spanish, “calaveras” are one of the most recognizable cultural and artistic elements of Day of the Dead festivities, a reminder of our own mortality. Also using the skull subject matter, Palmarius Colors (2020) are four unique, mixed media works with ornate, gold-leafed wooden frames that were a collaboration with Spanish artist Domingo Zapata. They fuse colors, textures, and intentions to express joy and life. The origin of “palmarius” and the palm’s symbolism of eternal life is reconsidered in Skull Miami Colors sculptures, in which Cabrera is inspired by the unique colors and characteristic palm trees of Miami, reflecting the city’s sensual vitality.

Canvases from Children of the World by J. Oscar Molina are similarly vibrant and joyful in their use of intense color, rhythmic line, and dynamic gesture. The series is motivated by Molina’s memory of the journey from El Salvador to the United States. These stylized abstractions of the figure evoke his recollection of human silhouettes moving through the night. The solemn, tenuous remembrance comes across in the solid three-dimensionality of the concrete sculptures, particularly when these remain white, unpainted, their effect reinforced by their monumentality—some measuring as much as ten or twelve feet high—and when installed in groupings of six and more. Whether in vivid color or stark white, the Children of the World series is a reminder of the ephemeral nature of life.

Enrique Cabrera and J. Oscar Molina, each through his respective leitmotif—both associated with the act of procession, both referencing life and death—honors and celebrates life, and as humans and as artists the beauty and transcendence of the creative act.