Artillery is back in Florida for another round of Miami Art Week. As always, the days will be packed with fairs, exhibitions, parties, and events that showcase the biggest names in modern and contemporary art alongside emerging artists and rising stars of the industry. Throughout the week, I’ll be sharing behind-the-scenes details of some of the many activities going on from Miami Beach to Biscayne Bay to the Design District. For my first day, I stopped by the main event: Art Basel Miami Beach.

 

 

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Art Basel Miami Beach (ABMB) opened on Tuesday to VIP passholders who had the chance to preview this year’s selection of modern and contemporary art legends and promising young names in the industry. With over 280 exhibitors from 38 countries and territories, the 2022 fair is the largest edition of ABMB yet. While navigating the booths can be daunting, even painful with the concrete floors bare of carpeting (a fact I recently learned is a part of the fair’s sustainability initiative to reduce waste), the event truly is one of the best opportunities to see and collect at the top level of the market.

With attendees ranging from major collectors to celebrities to young artists hoping to network, ABMB is equally entertaining for the fashion choices and people watching as it is for the art on display. The well dressed crowds gathered in the blinding lights of the Miami Beach Convention Center to hug, drink champagne, and compare itineraries for the party-filled week ahead. 

 

 

Booths at this year’s fair fell into a few general categories. Some exhibitors brought impressive selections of blue chip paintings that will likely be rotated out each day to keep return visitors interested. Other booths were surprisingly minimal, not quite embracing the vibrancy of Miami Beach and instead opting for presentations more appropriate for Art Basel’s Switzerland edition. Those booths that really stood out were eclectic, vibrant, and full of color.

Included in this year’s highlights was Nikita Gale’s solo presentation in Detroit-based Reyes | Finn’s booth. Known for installation pieces that explore music and the production of music, Gale’s works include items associated with the art form, such as keyboards and cassette tapes, as well as audio pieces. The dynamic works drew crowds interested in getting a closer look at all of the intriguing details.

 

 

Bringing a strong curatorial approach to its booth was Nicola Vassell Gallery, which presented an exchange between Alberta Whittle and Che Lovelace that explores the legacy of colonialism and imperialism in the Caribbean. Both artists were born in the Caribbean–Lovelace in Trinidad and Whittle in Barbados–and use their art to represent various elements of their life and heritage. While Lovelace still lives and works in Trinidad, Whittle is now based in Glasgow, adding an interesting perspective of migration to her work. Gallery owner Nicola Vassell is also of Caribbean descent, hailing from the West Indies.  

 

Rachel Uffner’s booth with diorama by Curtis Talwst Santiago

 

Also exploring the Caribbean diaspora is Rachel Uffner Gallery, which impressed with a selection of work by Curtis Talwst Santiago. The Trinidadian-Canadian artist is known for his brightly colored, miniature dioramas. Rachel Uffner’s presentation included Santiago’s largest ever dioramas (hard to believe based on their impossibly small size) featuring his Caribbean family and friends. Also included in the booth were paintings by Miami-based, Venezuelan portrait artist Bernadette Despujols and stunning photographic collages by Sheree Hovsepian. 

 

 

In the Positions sector of the fair, which features ambitious solo presentations of emerging artists from young galleries, Night Gallery exhibited a sprawling sculptural installation resembling brightly colored intestines by Samara Golden. A sequel to her highly acclaimed Guts (2022) installation to inaugurate Night Gallery’s new Los Angeles space in February, the work is intended to turn the viewer’s attention inward to the makeup of our own bodies. Though grotesque and hidden from sight, our guts are crucial to survival. Golden celebrates our biology with her spray foam intestines painted in vibrant acrylic paint and nail polish covering the entire booth walls. Visually inviting with the bright colors, the installation also presents a moment of contemplation to connect with and celebrate our bodies. Throughout the day, Night Gallery’s booth constantly came up as a fan favorite. 

 

 

While the site of the fair in the sprawling Convention Center is daunting and exhausting, it also provides opportunities to showcase large-scale projects. Many exhibitors included stunning, large works in their booth, and ABMB includes an entire section devoted to big paintings, sculptures, and installations, which are exhibited in the Meridians sector. Curated for the third consecutive year by Magalí Arriola, Director of Museo Tamayo in Mexico City, the section featured 20 monumental works including Birth (1984), a hand-crocheted wall piece by Judy Chicago. Presented by Jessica Silverman Gallery, the work is the largest from Chicago’s groundbreaking Birth Project (1980-1985), a renown, international collaboration of female needleworkers that showcases imagery of the experience of birthing. 

 

 

 

Upstairs in the Collectors Lounge, I had the chance to visit the installation from Casa Dragones to try their newest expression, Reposada Mizunara, and view the beautiful bar designed by award-winning architecture firm Tatiana Bilbao Studio. Visitors sipped tequila underneath a chandelier of dozens of empty bottles and listened to Casa Dragones co-founder Bertha González Nieves and architect Tatiana Bilbao discuss their work and the Art Basel collaboration.

 

 

After a long day of viewing some of the best and most promising names in modern and contemporary art, I headed to see a few of the public sculptures and installations that pop up across Miami Beach and beyond. Presenting a nice opportunity to unwind and breathe in the fresh air that the Convention Center is deprived of, Miami’s public art is remarkable. An undeniable highlight of the roster of public art was a 50-foot-tall sculpture by the buzzy artist duo FriendsWithYou (Samuel Borkson and Arturo Sandoval III). Titled Starchild (2022), the bright red sculpture resembles an abstract figure that stands tall with its arms out wide as if in an embrace. Emanating kindness and positivity, the piece is a monumental embodiment of a message often disseminated in the duo’s cheery, colorful works. 

 

 

To finish off the day, I stopped by a stunningly beautiful private residence in Miami Beach to celebrate Art Week with the members club the Cultivist. The night included the unveiling of a dramatic, colorful installation by Katrina Sánchez. Draping over trees and framing the walkways of the sprawling yard, the work provided a vibrant backdrop for the glamorous event. 

With an eventful day one complete, I’m looking forward to what the rest of Art Week has to offer. So far, the bar has been set high. Next up is Untitled Art located on the beach followed by a few events in and around Miami Beach. Stay tuned for my full report tomorrow.