Aesthetics of Surveillance: Francisco Maso in Conversation

Join conceptual artist Francisco Maso and Cara Megan Lewis, Deputy Director of the Wende Museum, for a thought-provoking conversation on Aesthetic Register of Covert Forces, a powerful series featured in the exhibition Counter/Surveillance: Control, Privacy, Agency. Curated by Wende Museum Chief Curator Joes Segal and science historian Marieke Drost, the exhibition explores how dissidents and artists—particularly during the Cold War—responded creatively to surveillance. From forged passports and disguises to encrypted communication and performative resistance, artists developed strategies to operate under the radar and, at times, to “watch the watchers.”

In this conversation, Maso and Lewis will explore how Aesthetic Register of Covert Forces draws from the artist’s personal archive of surveillance aesthetics—including the undercover uniforms of secret agents—to bear witness to Cuba’s long-standing history of censorship and control. Through this body of work, Maso reclaims abstract visual language, transforming it into a form of political resistance and historical testimony.

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About the Artist
Francisco Maso (Havana, 1988) is a Cuban-born, AfroLatinx conceptual artist living and working in Miami. Maso’s work delves into the contemporary understanding of “unconscious behaviors” and challenges what is accepted by society as natural, necessary, and normal. As a conceptual artist, he examines the concept of power and the relationships between blackness, civil rights, and the police system through the lens of his personal experiences in Cuba, Japan, and the United States.

For this program, please enter through the garden gate from the parking lot. It will open approximately 30 minutes before the program begins.

RSVPs for this free program do not guarantee admission to the A-Frame Theater. Doors will open and seating will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the program. Limited seating is available on a first come, first served basis. Please note that doors will close promptly at the program’s start time and late entry will not be permitted.