FIVE STANDOUTS FROM MIAMI ART WEEK 2023

By Wendy Winder

Dec 18, 2023

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art

artists

art fairs

JR, The Chronicals of Miami

Miami is a city with endless possibilities and has established itself as the top global art destination. Its unprecedented growth since COVID makes it one of the most dynamic cities. Miami Art Week was bigger this year, and brought the best galleries worldwide to showcase the works of highly acclaimed artists as well as emerging talent. The following are our top 5 picks we saw this week.

Alcova

The Italian art show Alcova, a must-see destination of Milan Design Week, crossed the Atlantic and made its debut in Miami. The platform took place at Selina Gold Dust Motel, located in the Upper Eastside of Biscayne Boulevard. This unique area is characterized by its Mid-Century Modern architecture from the 1950s and 1960s. The arrival of the fair was a breathe of fresh air to the recurrent options seen this week. It showcased 35 projects, and each room was transformed into a booth. Surrounded by an outdoor courtyard pool, it held a series of Poolside Design Chats during the day. The groundbreaking and innovative design displayed by emerging and established talent left the visitors ecstatic.

One of the most noticeable installations was the project/album "decades ( in space )." The artwork commemorates over twenty years of the broadcasting of Dublab, a non-profit Internet radio. Entering the installation was like going in for an interstellar travel mission. The booth was entirely covered by gold-coated mylar sheets used for solar protection on spacecrafts. It also showcased galaxy-laden chairs conceived by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory UX designer Marijke Jorritsma, designers Daniel Perlin and John Vieweg, and technologist Kamran V. Simultaneously, a spatial sound record on a quadraphonic vinyl was playing on four surrounding speakers to heighten the senses. The album is a collaboration of 20 well-renowned artists such as synth legend Suzanne Ciani. The standard vinyl is a limited edition of 432 copies priced at $43.21, and the deluxe version at $987.65, thus recreating the time minus of 4…3…2…1….

Other projects we enjoyed as well was "Being In Bed" by the artist Annabelle Schneider. A fabric-reactive mattress was the main installation piece. The viewers were invited to make themselves comfortable in bed and take part in a spiritual and virtual reality voyage centered in mindfulness. In addition, the French platform Meillart in collaboration with Polcha presented captivating art pieces of tomorrow using ancestral craft techniques.

CyKiK, decades ( in space )

Meillart unveils Polcha

Annabelle Schneider, Being In Bed

NADA

The New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) returned to the Ice Palace for its 21st edition showcasing an assorted selection of over 150 emerging galleries, non-profit organizations and art spaces. The works of Desmon Lewis at TONE HQ gallery caught our attention at the fair. The artist’s works explore political, social, economic, and environmental issues regarding race and ethnicity in the United States. The industrial materials employed in his artworks, such as steel, are a reflection of the resilience of African Americans as a human race oppressed throughout history, thus emphasizing their hard labor and how much they have contributed in constructing the U.S. as a nation.

We also enjoyed the mirrored jigsaw puzzle from artist Lub Poeem at Baader Meinhof’s booth. "Negotiation" consists of 14,000 distinctive pieces made of acrylic glass scattered on a surface, and invites the viewer to put the puzzle together in collaboration with others. The artist aims to bring the community together regardless of their views, highlighting the importance of each unique individual in society, suchlike the pieces of the puzzle that fit together harmoniously as a whole.

Desmond Lewis, Lord: Do I Strap In Or Strap Up?, 2023

Tomas Harker, Hierarchy of Demons, 2023

Lub Poeem, Negotiation, 2023

Time Unlimited by Cartier

A must-see pop-up exhibition is the luxury brand Cartier’s "Time Unlimited" located in Design District. Produced by the duo Perron-Roettinger, this travelling exhibition celebrates the brand’s legacy and craftsmanship in watchmaking. The entrance floor displays its iconic timepieces in a clockwise layout, followed by a cinematographic short film with brand ambassador Jake Gyllenhaal in "Time Project." The 12 chapters of the film explore the human relationship with time: Time to Let Go, Time to Travel, Time to Play, Time to Focus, are a few names of the cinematic part-series. The viewer is then transported to a tunnel-room, with a voice over detailing the savoir-faire of its craft, leaving the attendee immersed in the innovative spirit of the brand.

The Bass

Hernan Bas' solo show opening night at The Bass museum was the talk of town. "The Conceptualists" exhibit is a series of fictional conceptual artists caught in an eccentric obsessive-compulsive practice. Bas’ paintings display subtle innuendos mixed with dark humor, making fun of conceptual art itself by adding a satirical story to the subtitles in each series.

On the same floor was "Nam June Paik: The Miami Years" exhibition. The Korean American artist known as the father of video art was a visionary and a pioneer on electronic images. The exhibition revisits the artist’s close ties to South Florida, and explores his creative expressions and work methods through technological experiments as well as TV signal distortions that led to the movement of glitch art.

Hernan Bas, Conceptual artist #15 (performance-based, along with a troop of hired actors he takes residence in "fixer upper" homes and feigns nefarious occult activity to stir up the neighbors), 2023

Hernan Bas, Conceptual artist #14 (a formerly sanctioned exorcist, he spends his weekends performing final rites at poorly reviewed exhibitions), 2022

Hernan Bas, Conceptual artist #32 (a conceptual purist, his work requires a willing ear to evidence the ideas he conjures at the Absinthe Bar), 2023

Nam June Paik: The Miami Years

Art Basel / Design Miami

Art Basel Miami Beach returned for its 21st edition with additional highlights, exhibiting 277 prominent galleries from around the world, including 25 newcomers. Furthermore, Art Basel partnered for the first time ever with Tribeca Festival to celebrate the intersection of film, music, and art. The series of live events included musical performances and exciting conversations with stellar artists at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, right across from the main fair. The opening night’s program included the performance of multidisciplinary artist Rosa Peligrosa. A few steps further down, the flagship fair Design Miami showcased over 50 galleries under the curatorial theme "Where We Stand" honoring human connection through design, heritage, and community. The selection of works presented was provocative and exceptional. A big shout out to Birkenstock’s partnership with Design Miami by offering foot massages to their visitors at their nature-laden installation; a much needed treat after walking long hours between these fairs.