For Miami-bred, Los Angeles-based artist Mokibaby (AKA Veronica Gessa), you do not pass through the art; the art passes through you. You can live in her "Mokiworld" — a collection of installations and pieces — at III Points this year.
"People can expect a whole new world and installations and a new side of III Points that we haven't seen before," Gessa says, while meeting with New Times at Floyd, the 11th Street lounge in downtown Miami. She's been involved with the music festival in some capacity since its inception in 2013, first as a coproducer and then as the director of marketing before shifting to a full-fledged artist working under the name Mokibaby.
Gessa's first art installation at III Points occurred in 2014, which saw her stacking static-filled analog TVs into loose columns.
"When I got hired at a creative agency in 2014, they told me I couldn't produce because that's what they were doing," she adds. "I asked [III Points' cofounder David Sinopoli] what I could do for the festival because I still wanted to help, and he said, 'Why don't you create the art that you want to see?' So, I made up a vintage, analog TV installation for Skate Space. That's where Kaytranada and Cashmere Cat played."
The school bus at III Points, which is decorated by Veronica Gessa every year, has been an iconic symbol of the festival.
Photo by Ventigoth
"That was the year of Zika and the hurricane. It was the worst year ever, and I did six installations that year while being the marketing director. That was one of the hardest things I have ever done," she adds. "After that year, I wanted just to make art, and that was when I knew that I was going to go all in. It was III Points, again, where I decided to change my direction, and it continues to let me grow and be bigger and think crazier."
III Points attendees may have also indirectly interacted with Gessa's work through the festival's iconic school bus and limousine. The limousine, which this year is sponsored by adult entertainment company Vixen Media Group, serves as an homage to her father, who worked as a private driver. "I always remember my father picking me up in white limousines, and it's just so crazy," she recalls. "It's such a vivid memory for me, and I wanted to create that feeling of excitement of going into a beautiful, classic white limousine."
The bus is also set to return this year with a pop-up installation by Hugo and Bella Poarch, featuring the brand's capsule collection made in collaboration with the singer and internet personality.
Beyond the Wynwood festival, Gessa's installations appeared at Coachella and the party series A Club Called Rhonda, and she has done design work for clients like MTV, Maison Margiela, and Bad Bunny. Regardless of where the installations pop up, Mokibaby's work begs to be interacted with.
"I always design in the mindset of my inner child. I love creating installations you can feel and touch, like the school bus and limo," Gessa explains. "Those are real, vintage cars, and it's like you're inside another world where you can interact with the props."
At Floyd, Veronica Gessa has been put in charge of creating an interactive environment for the monthly party series, My Friend Misty.
Photo by Jean Alamazar
"I'm trying to introduce people to Misty through different rooms. We've done her bedroom, her kissing booth, her closest, and now this is her dinner party," she explains of September's installation. "At her dinner party, you get a good sense of who she is, and I like to have different films playing to match the theme for each party. I want it to feel like she just left the room. Her essence is still there."
With so much going on at this year's III Points, there's a chance you may never stumble upon Gessa's work — and that's okay with her. Her work isn't meant to detract from what's happening on stage.
"The festival still feels like a bunch of kids throwing a festival. We always approach this with a youthful, fun mindset. I think before we were the big players, we were the music fans, so we really try to create something that is a love letter to the fans and artists we're booking."
At the 2023 festival, she will also be debuting a smoking accessory line dubbed Smokibaby.
Back at Floyd, even with the room dimly lit and wearing sunglasses, Gessa makes final adjustments. If pieces are crooked, it's intentional — it can't be too linear.
"Time is a word and theme in my life that I am always thinking about and creating with," she says as the music squeezes out of the speakers and onto the dance floor. "Time can't be stopped — but time has gone not to waste. Time has gone to a much better place through our experiences and lives. It feels like it goes quickly, but I'm so happy with how the time that has been spent and utilized and lived to the fucking fullest."
