NOTE FROM MARIO: Kellie from BPM Wellness (a black owned, comunity oriented fitness studio in Miami) asked me if I wanted to do somehting for Basel in their space in August. At the time they were renting out a former event space and photography studio with infinity walls, 20 foot ceilings, and long white hallways everyhwere. It was a dream space for a performance pop up.
Smita and I had met the year before when I wrote a profile on her for Miami New Times ahead of her solo exhibition at MOCA North Miami. I came to her with some treídation because, at the time, we were not as close friends and I through a pop up exhibition at a local fitness studio might be beneath her. I was completely proven wrong; not only was she down, she was enthusiatic and had a new project she was interested in showcasing.
To say we curated this exhibition would be a bit of an exaggeration; we moreso produced it. Smita led the way completely with regards to the work itself, and we just had to make sure that the event itself was well attended and took place without any hiccups. She was an absolute pleasure to work with. "This Heart Electric", the performance series of which she debuted the first act with Supermarket, is an exploration of her father's end of life care and the macabre history of defibrillation.