under the sea

Since arriving in Miami some years back, Ximena Caminos has established herself as a cultural disruptor of the coolest kind. It started with the co-founding of Faena Art, a non-profit that, in its own words, “commissions, produces, and houses cross-disciplinary artistic experiences,” and has continued with numerous initiatives that have brought some of art’s biggest talents to our shores. These days, in addition to various cultural and philanthropic commitments, Caminos serves as co-founder and artistic director of Aorist, a platform for artists and collectors to explore digital art and NFTs in a secure way, and as head of HoneyLab Creative, a think-tank for the non-traditional projects that echo her mantra: “art as a tool for change.” Her latest undertaking, however, brings all the qualities of her work together like never before—and tips its hat to sustainability in the process. The ReefLine will be an underwater public sculpture park that will also serve as a much-needed artificial reef system for sea life. When completed, the project (also a seven-mile snorkel trail) will stretch from Fourth Street in South Beach north to Bal Harbour, but its fruition is ambitious to say the least. “I called Shohei Shigematsu [the renowned OMA architect] to be the master planner,” says Caminos about the group she’s assembled. “Then I put together an amazing cross-disciplinary team of scientists, engineers, climate advocates, and artists.” And what artists they are. Top creatives such as Leandro Erlich, Petroc Sesti, Refik Anadol, and Andres Reisinger will contribute work to the various phases of the reef, the first of which is scheduled for this summer with Erlich’s Concrete Coral , a series of car sculptures caught in a sort of apocalyptic traffic jam. By all accounts, Caminos has Miami on her side. So far, she’s received an $80,000 award from the Knight Foundation and a $5 million bond issue from the City of Miami Beach, which praised the project’s potential cultural impact.

“One of the things I enjoy most is creating and if that creation is sparked by collaboration, I just flow in my best zone,” says Caminos. “The ReefLine was born out of that type of energy. It started as a conversation with a friend about reefs and I saw art as a way to connect all the dots.” thereefline.org