assume vivid astro focus: XI

Immersive installation, video, performance and sculpture converge in a kaleidoscopic environment created by the São Paulo–based collective assume vivid astro focus (avaf). Spanning floor to ceiling with patterned wallpaper, modular seating, digital decals, and a full-wall projection, the exhibition invites visitors to step inside a vibrant social space where art and lived experience merge.

assume vivid astro focus: XI at The Bass on Miami Beach revisits a seminal work first unveiled during Art Basel Miami Beach in 2004 at the home of collectors Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz, a moment that marked Miami’s rise as a global contemporary art destination. Reinstalled two decades later, the exhibition celebrates the de la Cruzes’ gift of the piece to The Bass and introduces new elements, including a mural honoring local drag performers whose community-building work embodies avaf’s ethos of inclusivity.

Anchoring the installation is Butch Queen Realness with a Twist in Pastel Colors, a nearly seven-hour video program curated by avaf in 2004. Bringing together 93 works by artists, pop-culture figures and anonymous contributors, the compilation interweaves underground subcultures, experimental moving-image technologies and a queerness that challenges the status quo.

Founded in New York in 2001, avaf is known for multidisciplinary projects that blur the lines between exhibition and performance. Their work, held in major museum collections worldwide, thrives on collaboration and color-driven environments that encourage participation, reflecting the collective’s ongoing commitment to openness and cultural exchange.