After a pandemic-induced hiatus, the art, fashion and design worlds are decamping to Florida once again for Miami Art Week. Centered around Art Basel, the Swiss fair that first held its American edition in 2002, the first few days of December are jam-packed with museum exhibition openings, satellite fairs, design and fashion pop-ups, and about a million others things to see (and places to be seen). Here’s what to keep an eye out for if you’re visiting:
Art Fairs
The fair, which takes place at the Miami Beach Convention Center, will feature over 200 booths from leading galleries around the world and plenty of jaw-dropping, multimillion dollar artwork. Expect lots of digital “viewing rooms” and live-streamed talks as well, due to the success of their all-remote fairs in 2020.
Open to the public December 2-4.
The 19th edition of this satellite fair, which is devoted to emerging talents and experimental publishers (NADA stands for New Art Dealers Alliance), takes over Ice Palace Studios, across the bay from the chaos of Miami Beach. Don’t miss work from Celia Rakotondrainy, which the Black-women-led gallery based out of Washington, D.C., Chela Mitchell, will be showing at NADA.
Open to the public December 1-4.
Held alongside Basel at the Convention Center, Design Miami/ is a must for anyone who wants to keep up with the latest in furniture and decor. Don’t miss Rick Owens’s collaboration with Carpenters Workshop Gallery—the fashion designer crafts daybeds, stools and chairs made from black plywood and basalt that are as moody and appealing as his clothes.
Open to the public December 1-5.
This more experimental fair is celebrating a decade in Miami with a custom-built structure on the beach. Inside, you’ll find artwork from independent gallerists as selected by four star curators from around the world, as well as performances and interactive events. The fun also extends onto the landscape: A film by Antonia Wright will be viewable from the beach, and a large-scale neon sculpture by Regina Parra will hover over the dunes.
Open to the public November 29-December 4.
Museum and Gallery Exhibitions
Jadé Fadojutimi, Hugh Hayden and More at the ICA
The Institute of Contemporary Art Miami is home to some of the most buzzed-about shows of the season, opening on November 30: Hugh Hayden’s personal-meets-political solo show Boogie Men takes the form of a suburban house, with the exterior and interior split between two rooms that feature his monumental sculptures. On the 3rd floor, the rising painter Jadé Fadojutimi’s colorful, electric canvases take center stage.
Artists in Residence at the Rubell Museum
On November 29th, the artists Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe and Kennedy Yanko will unveil the projects they have been working on during their residencies at the museum. Genesis Tramaine, 2020’s artist in residence, will also have work on view, as will Reginald O’Neal, whose first solo show opens that same night.
Dior and Es Devlin at Superblue Miami
To kick off the week, the experimental contemporary exhibition venue Superblue will feature the US debut of Dior’s artist-interpreted Medallion Chairs (you can read more about the project here) through December 5. Also on view: a mirrored installation by the stage designer Es Devlin, known for her work with Beyoncé.
Pioneering feminist artist Judy Chicago has a solo exhibition of her glass and sculpture work opening on November 30 at Nina Johnson, an excellent local gallery.
My Name Is Maryan at MOCA North Miami
The mononymous Polish artist Maryan showcases four decades of work, curated by Alison Gingeras, at the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami. The exhibition opened in mid-November and runs through January.
Marco Brambilla at Pérez Art Museum Miami
A psychedelic, boundary-pushing video installation by Marco Brambilla is currently on view at the the Pérez—a must-see along with the sculpture garden and permanent collection.
Alex Israel x Snapchat at the Bass Museum
As part of an ongoing collabration with Snapchat, Alex Israel presents a series of artworks at the Bass Museum that can be enhanced with augmented reality on your smartphone. “Working with Snap’s AR team gave me the permission to explore a lot of what-ifs with regards to my paintings,” Israel told us. “‘What if the pelican flew out of my head, and then a fish jumped out of its mouth, but they were animated in completely different styles?’ ‘What if there was this happy avocado in high heels who back- flipped into the gallery and invited you to join them in a dance-off?’”
Pop-Ups and Events
Louis Vuitton’s Objets Nomades Showcase
Visitors to Louis Vuitton’s Design District boutique through the end of January will be delighted by the latest Objets Nomades collection, an array of travel-inspired furniture and decor made in collaboration with pioneering creatives. Colorful, avocado-shaped wall hangings by Umberto Campana adorn the women’s accessories area upstairs, and on the top floor, highlights from the collection have been placed in a custom environment designed by the architect Patricia Urquiola, who fitted out the space with innovative materials, including cork-flecked concrete floors and a sand-like substance made from corn.
Mercedes-Benz and Virgil Abloh’s Project Maybach
The late Virgil Abloh remained prolific up til the end, and Miami Art Week also saw the unveiling of his collaboration with Mercedes-Benz dubbed Project Maybach. Every element of the car was built from scratch, and wasn’t adapted from previous Mercedes models. Built to both explore the out-doors and respect them, the car runs on a solar-powered electric battery. It’s distinctive features include a transparent hood, unique roll cage design, and luxurious interior. The car is on display at Miami’s Rubell Museum on December 1st and 2nd.
Art at the Faena Hotel
A series of commissions by the artist Pilar Zeta, including a monumental site-specific installation in the cathedral, will be on view at the Faena hotel on Miami Beach starting on November 30th. Naturally, digital versions of these artworks will be auctioned off as NFTs. Also on view: the inaugural exhibition in the hotel’s non-profit Project Room, which features an immersive installation by Barcelona-based artist Andrés Reisinger.
Serge Attukwei Clottey and José Andrés at the Ritz-Carlton
The Ghanaian artist (who is also part of the Rubell residency program) has been commissioned by the Miami Beach hotel to build a sculpture-slash-performance-art piece titled The Bodies Left Behind. The piece, which is made from a traditional Ghanain fishing boat and clips of plastic washing onto the country’s shores, will act as an interactive centerpiece in the lobby throughout the week. Related to this activation, a series of ticketed dinners by Andrés will serve as a platform for conversations about sustainability.
BMW’s Concept XM
BMW’s Concept XM car celebrates both the 50th anniversary of the the M line and of BMW’s cultural engagement. A plug-in hybrid cross-over, the concept car unveils a new front-end look for look for the company, while the interior was designed so that every seat feels like a first-class experience. The car is on display at the Art Basel Miami Beach fair at the Convention Center until December 4th.
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