Nelly Furtado’s Art Collaboration Hits South Beach

MIAMI BEACH, FL — Los Angeles artist Sheinina Lolita Raj was asked if she could pick a favorite among her four self-portraits that make up Raj’s collaboration with Grammy-winning singer Nelly Furtado. Their “Intercultural” exhibition is aimed at breaking down the barriers among cultures by showing that we are all more alike than not. The exhibit blends the photography of Raj with Furtado’s sounds in an immersive experience.

“Am I allowed to have a favorite? They’re like my children. Does a mother pick? Does a mother ever tell?” Raj conceded to Patch on the opening night of a three-month engagement at the Art Deco Museum and Visitor’s Center, 1001 Ocean Dr.

“It’s like a 14-minute piece and all the different sounds come from the different people — whether it’s Hawaiian, Mexican, Indian, Moroccan — but they all kind of blend together and that’s sort of the theme,” explained Raj. “As a world, we’re so divided, but it’s good to realize that we all have so many more commonalities than differences.” (For more local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Miami Beach Patch, and click here to find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

In addition to the four self-portraits that make up the collaboration with Furtado, the museum has a total of 12 others on display. All of them depict Raj in ancestral clothing that was loaned to the project.

“Each portrait culture that’s represented has its own unique way of how the outfit came together, why I chose it,” she said. “Obviously, it’s not like you can just walk into a store and purchase these. These are all traditional ancestral clothing that are native to the country and they are not easy to find. There’s a lot of trust that’s built up between myself and the person who owns them. And once you know we’ve gotten our trust and they feel comfortable and confident that I will honor their culture, and they are in a position of wanting to support the message, at that point they loan me the outfit.”

The museum’s executive director, Daniel Ciraldo, said that the facility is hosting a second complementary exhibit along with Intercultural. That exhibit features photographs from Asmara, the first African modernist city.

The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Intercultural runs through New Year’s Eve. Admission is free for Miami Beach residents and $5 for everyone else.

The Furtado collaboration came about when the singer discovered Raj’s collection of self-portraits in Toronto.

“She contacted me to say how inspired she had been and how much music she had been writing,” Raj said of the singer. “She asked me if I had ever considered having music with my art. So, at that point I said ‘yes, actually. I just found this new technology that I’m really excited about that I feel would be a really great opportunity to have music with my art.’”

Furtado picked three of the portraits for the collaboration and Raj picked the fourth.

“These are actually high definition aluminum prints,” according to Raj. “It actually has numerous sound points which allow for an omnidirectional sound experience vs. a traditional speaker which has a hot spot.”

Of Furtado’s three selections, “The Moroccan woman is inspired by traditional African drumming. And Nelly does a lot of charity work for children in Kenya,” Raj said. “So, this was quite reflective of the sounds she was really inspired by in Africa. Hawaii, for example — they are traditionally known for the ukulele which is actually a Portuguese instrument, and she’s Portuguese. Mexico, she sings in Spanish. She’s won a Latin Grammy for that matter. And it certainly makes sense for her to continue that exploration.”

As for Raj’s choice: “What am I going to do? I’m half Indian,” the artist said, acknowledging that she also knew Furtado sings in Hindi when she made her pick.

So, what about her favorite self-portrait? Surprisingly, it’s not one of the four in the collaboration.

“I honestly do love the Eritrean woman. It was such a beautiful journey and experience creating it,” Raj acknowledged. “I feel like the Indian woman was my starting point, so it really had this real connection to the presentation of my own culture which I found challenging at first. And so, I guess I love them all.”

Los Angeles artist Sheinina Lolita Raj poses next to a self-portrait in the exhibit "Intercultural" in South Beach. Photo by Paul Scicchitano.