The Instituto Cervantes in New York presents *Aquel Amplex*, the first institutional exhibition of Venezuelan artist Cassandra Mayela Allen, on view until June 28, 2026. Curated by Fabiola R. Delgado and Carlos Núñez, the show features braided textile sculptures, paintings, and drawings that examine Allen's process-driven practice within the legacies of Venezuelan and Latin American modernism and informalism. The title, meaning "that embrace," references a 1969 letter from Hélio Oiticica to Lygia Clark, evoking longing and forced migration. Allen, a self-taught artist who migrated from Venezuela in 2014, uses communal braiding gatherings to transform found fabrics and garments into architectural works that deconstruct national and artistic heritage.
This exhibition matters because it marks the inaugural edition of Spring at Amster Yard, a new annual initiative by the Instituto Cervantes dedicated to emerging New York-based artists. It also highlights the growing visibility of Venezuelan contemporary art in the U.S. and the role of migration and collective care in shaping artistic practice. By centering collaborative, textile-based works that challenge modernist narratives, Allen’s show offers a timely reflection on identity, displacement, and community in the global art world.