Art in Isolation (2020) at the North Dakota Museum of Art showcased a global collection of creative responses to the unprecedented social isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of this groundbreaking exhibition, Haiiileen’s immersive work was featured among over a thousand images submitted by artists worldwide, uniting individual acts of creation into one collective expression of resilience and imagination.
- Title: Art in Isolation GROUP SHHOW -North Dakota Museum of Art(2020)
- Artist: Haiiileen (Aileen Quintana)
- Exhibition: Art in Isolation
- Venue:
- Dates: April – October 7, 2020
- Supported by: North Dakota Council on the Arts & National Endowment for the Arts
Description
During a time when physical connection was limited, Art in Isolation became a beacon of creative solidarity. The exhibition invited artists from around the world to share how they continued to make, adapt, and reflect during lockdown.
Haiiileen’s submission, an image from her Aciiid Universe immersive series, radiated with light, color, and surreal energy — a visual affirmation of creativity’s ability to thrive even in solitude. Her inclusion symbolized not only Miami’s voice in a global dialogue but also her ongoing exploration of light as a metaphor for connection, energy, and transformation.
“Even when the world stood still, the light inside us didn’t fade. It was an honor to contribute to a collective moment of human resilience.” — Haiiileen
Conceptual Framework
- Global Collective Creation: The exhibition combined thousands of individual works into one unified installation, blurring boundaries between isolation and togetherness.
- Art as Healing: Each piece served as both documentation and therapy, transforming emotional uncertainty into visual expression.
- Digital and Physical Convergence: The show existed simultaneously online and in the museum, bridging distance through shared visibility.
- Synesthetic Resilience: Haiiileen’s work in this context embodied her philosophy that art, color, and light can transmute isolation into inspiration.
Installation Components (Haiiileen’s Work)
- Medium: Mixed-media installation photography from the Aciiid Universe series
- Materials: Light, reflective film, iridescent textures, and sculptural form
- Dimensions: Variable
- Aesthetic Focus: Interdimensional reflection, emotional geometry, and color field transcendence
- Presentation: Installed within the museum’s digital and physical mosaic of images
Artist Reflection
“I saw Art in Isolation as a mirror — each of us reflecting fragments of hope back into the world. The energy of collective creation became a portal for healing.”
The exhibition aligned seamlessly with Haiiileen’s long-term practice of creating immersive worlds that connect emotional perception, light, and transformation.
Archival Significance
- Featured as part of the North Dakota Museum of Art’s Art in Isolation international exhibition.
- Represented Miami’s contemporary art community during the 2020 global lockdown.
- Part of a historical visual record of pandemic-era creativity supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.
- Contributed to the museum’s permanent digital archive as part of a monumental collective piece symbolizing resilience and artistic endurance.
Archival ID: H2020-ARTISOLATION
“Art became our collective breath during isolation — this exhibition reminded me that creation itself is connection.”
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