The newest work of public art in Miami Beach, Florida, is an ode to drag. The city officials have unveiled “Adora Vanessa Athena Fantasia,” a vibrant series of aluminum panels suspended over a block of the bustling Española Way shopping district. Each panel features a kaleidoscopic portrait inspired by local drag queens, including the four who inspired its title: Adora, Athena Dion, Fantasia Royale, and Tiffany Fantasia, and is accompanied by a 30-foot-tall mural of dramatic manicures, doll-like eyelashes and full, pouty lips. “Adora Vanessa Athena Fantasia” is a work by Assume Vivid Astro Focus, or AVAF, an artist collective known for its multidisciplinary installations and psychedelic explosions of color. The City of Miami Beach commissioned the piece as the latest installment of Elevate Española, a semi-annual public art project launched in 2021. Eli Sudbrack, the Brazilian artist who founded AVAF in New York some 20 years ago, wanted to pay tribute to Miami Beach’s bustling drag scene, especially after the Florida governor signed in April to limit drag performances in the state. Across the US, where at least a dozen other states have attempted to pass similar laws, drag remains a central topic in a larger culture war targeting LGBTQ+ rights.
