FRANCISCO MASÓ SELECTED AS ARTIST LAUREATE FOR THE BAKEHOUSE X CITÉ INTERNATIONALE DES ARTS RESIDENCY

Photo by Gaby Ojeda.

Bakehouse Art Complex, Miami and the Cité internationale des arts, Paris are proud to announce the selection of Francisco Masó as the 2026 Laureate for the Bakehouse x Cité internationale des arts residency program. Francisco is the fourth Bakehouse artist to be chosen through a competitive juried process for a two-month residency at the Cité internationale des arts in Paris taking place from May to June 2026. The partnership between Bakehouse and the Cité internationale des arts was established in 2022 by the two artist-serving organizations to provide an exceptional opportunity for professional and creative growth to a Bakehouse artist. Four finalists were selected by a jury composed of Jennifer Inacio (Associate Curator at Pérez Art Museum Miami), René Morales (independent curator and Senior Curatorial Fellow at Bakehouse Art Complex), and Pia Singh (independent curator and arts writer). The final selection was made by the Cité internationale des arts based on the strength of the research proposal and the value of undertaking the residency in Paris, the artistic background of the applicant, and the synergies that may emerge among the cohort of artists in residence.

“Francisco’s refined, seductive, yet potent work speaks volumes about how we inhabit the world, both as individuals and collectively as a body politic. It could not be more timely, and we at Bakehouse couldn’t be prouder to offer him this opportunity to immerse himself in the Parisian art scene. The partnership between Bakehouse and the Cité residency is one of many programs we offer to support the local artist community while building bridges to the world beyond the 305,” commented René Morales, as Bakehouse Art Complex’s Senior Curatorial Fellow and lead juror.

Since its foundation in 1965, the Cité internationale des arts has fostered cross-cultural dialogue and created a setting where artists may connect with diverse audiences through residency programs ranging from two months to a year. Every year, over 1,000 artists from more than one hundred different countries and representing a multitude of creative disciplines—visual arts, music and performing arts, exhibition curators, art historians, writers, and researchers—reside in one of the 325 live-in studios at Cité, whose campus spans the Marais and Montmartre neighborhoods in Paris.

Through its artist-in-residence programs and with the support of numerous partners, the Cité internationale des arts provides artists of all disciplines the opportunity to live and work in Paris, develop their research-based and creative projects, and engage in dialogue and exchange with artists from around the world. The Cité allows artists to work in an environment that supports artistic production while encouraging encounters with professionals from Paris' rich cultural milieu. Residents benefit from tailored support from the Cité team and access to the breadth and richness of Paris's museums and other cultural resources throughout the city.

Since its inception in 1986, the Bakehouse Art Complex has provided emerging and mid-career artists opportunities to explore and expand their artistic endeavors through affordable studios, as well as creative and professional development opportunities and access to fabrication spaces. Bakehouse enables its community of 100 artists to work, make, discover, learn, and share their practices with one another and with the wider community.

Bakehouse is now entering its next stage of development: renovating the former bakery building and creating affordable housing and new cultural spaces across its 2.3-acre campus. In doing so, it will play a critical role in the collective efforts to build a resilient and sustainable ecosystem in Miami in which artists and the arts can thrive. Bakehouse reaffirms its aim to propel and sustain creativity, foster collaboration and community, and elevate Miami’s artists—locally, nationally, and internationally—through its programmatic offerings and partnerships, such as the one with Cité internationale des arts.

The Bakehouse x Cité partnership continues to grow, strengthening cultural connections between Miami and Paris. This collaboration is further expanded through engagement with the French Ministry of Culture's Villa Albertine, which supports artistic and cultural exchanges between France and the United States. As part of this collaboration, Bakehouse links Villa Albertine residents with Miami’s creative community and local resources. As an extension of this partnership, Bakehouse also hosts a series of public presentations by 2025–26 residents highlighting their respective research projects.

“Now entering the fourth year of our collaboration with Cite, we are so excited to have Francisco represent Bakehouse among the most distinguished global community of artists. We are so excited to provide this one-of-a-kind residency to an artist who not only merits it but will fully benefit from the time in Paris. Bakehouse is so grateful for the opportunity to strengthen the cultural ties between Miami and Paris and offer this extraordinary professional and creative development opportunity each year,” commented Bakehouse Executive Director Cathy Leff.

Francisco Masó is a Cuban-born, AfroLatinx conceptual artist living and working in Miami. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Stage Design from the Instituto Superior de Arte (2014). He also graduated from both Behavior Art School (2009), led by Tania Bruguera, and the San Alejandro Academy of Fine Arts (2007). Masó’s work delves into the contemporary understanding of “unconscious behaviors” and interrogates 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 personal experiences spanning Cuba, Japan, and the United States.

Masó was nominated for the Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters & Sculptors Grant (2020). He is a 2024 recipient of the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts residency program. Previously, he was an artist in residence at Hayama Artist Residency (2022), Oolite Arts’ Home + Away residency at Atlantic Center for the Arts (2020) as well as the Anderson Ranch Arts Center (2022), and Artist in Residence in the Everglades (2022). Masó is a two-time finalist for the Cintas Foundation Fellowship in Visual Arts, a 2022 and 2020 Ellies Creator Award winner through Oolite Arts, a 2021 South Florida Cultural Consortium grant recipient, and a 2022 DV— AIRIE Award winner.

“My work examines contemporary understandings of ‘unconscious behaviors’ and challenges what society accepts as natural, necessary, or normal. Critical observation and archival research, particularly the study of photographs produced at sites of conflict, inform long-term projects that draw formally from Latin American geometric abstraction, instructional photography, and contemporary dance. During the Bakehouse Art Complex x Cité internationale des arts Residency, I aim to deepen my exploration of Afro-Asian connections through individual photo-performance. I am deeply grateful to the Bakehouse, the Cité, and everyone involved in creating and facilitating this transformative experience. This residency represents a timely and meaningful opportunity to further position my work within an international context, especially during the year-long celebration marking the 200th anniversary of the invention of photography. It offers both validation and the freedom to develop new work while building professional relationships that can support future presentations and institutional collaborations around my practice,” (Francisco Masó).

Support for this residency is made possible by funds raised during Bakehouse's annual fall fundraiser.