Art Basel Miami celebrated its 20th anniversary this year with its largest edition yet, evident by the global talent, immersive exhibitions, star sightings and never ending traffic on Collins Avenue.
Beyond the Miami Beach Convention Center, Art Basel was in full swing throughout the city. From Prada’s “Prada Extends” series curated by British-Canadian electronic musician Richie Hawtin, to BMW’s “Pulse Topology” installation by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer we’ve rounded up a list of our favorite moments of the past week.
Scroll down below to learn more about the best of Art Basel Miami 2022.
BMW’s “Pulse Topology” installation by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer
This year, BMW returned as the official partner for the 20th anniversary of Art Basel Miami and presented its own installation by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, “Pulse Topology.” Inspired by a shared vision of a sustainable future where art and technology can create human experiences for “retreat, reflection, joy, and social connection.” The interactive exhibit took place at Super Blue Miami where they featured the first-ever, fully electric BMW i7 sedan. We had the pleasure of being driven to the event in the BMW i7 sedan and it was the most comfortable and elevated experience. BMW really understood the assignment of luxury innovations in both sustainabilityand digitalization. The collaboration invited visitors to enjoy this new approach of technological innovations which a human-centric approach by building an immersive experiences in both art and technology.
Lozano-Hemmer visualized the crowds heartbeats through sound, light and graphics as they sat inside the first-ever fully-electric BMW i7 sedan. “Pulse Topology” is composed of 3,000 lightbulbs suspended at different heights, creating a series of crests and valleys – an intimate landscape that visitors are invited to traverse. Each lightbulb glimmers to the pulse of a previous participant. The individual heartbeats came together to create an incredible and immersive chorus of sound and light, and experiencing it in person was an incredible experience!
Andrew’s RASCAL Video Release Party
Miami-skate brand Andrew celebrated the release of their newest film, Rascal with a late night celebration at the iconic Scottish Rite Temple in Downtown Miami.
Andrew, the full service skate shop and apparel brand founded in Miami in 2017, became a staple brand and hub for the city’s unique skate scene as well as a safe space for the creatives that make up Miami’s youth community instantly. The brand consistently sheds a light on the city’s rich cultural history and unique visual language and Art Basel was no exception.
Rascal, the video filmed and edited by Justin Stout was the newest offering from the team. The short film followed the Andrew team as they skate through Miami. The film played in the middle of what was one of the best DJ sets by Silent Addy and Pedro, in an iconic school auditorium-esc room and it quickly became one of my favorite events of this past week. The room was filled with Miami’s coolest locals and New York‘s finest, with the likes of some of our faves from Ama Elsesser to Mia Carucci.
W Hotels and Mambo Creative new installations by Pilar Zeta and Miranda Makaroff
Rising artists Pilar Zeta and Miranda Makaroff explored themes of transition in their new installations. In collaboration with W Hotels and Mambo Creatives, Zeta and Makaroff showed their work at the W South Beach and brought the hotel to a new level of creativity and style.
The Argentinian artist Pilar Zeta returned with “Future Transmutation,” a new site-specific, large-scale interactive sculptural garden and pathway that engages mathematics, astronomy and occult philosophies as creative devices. Her installation was completely glazed in a stunning violet hue known to elevate consciousness to a higher state. Seeing it in person, made me feel like I was living in my favorite video game.
On the other hand, the Ibiza-based artist Miranda Makaroff debuted “An Amphibious Love Affair.” The piece was a vibrant, psychedelic exploration of freedom and self-discovery, staged all around the pool area of W South Beach, Makaroff created a colorful marine universe for guests to dare to explore. Her “intervention” of the space consisted of bright cabanas adorned with neon as well as abstract, oceanic “creatures” buoyantly floating in the pool, as well as pool accessories that would further bring her vision together for the hotel guests.
The W truly crushed Art Basel with this perfect partnership with Zeta and Makaroff, both women who share the same values as the hotel. Values of inclusivity, curiosity and originality. And did I mention they are the coolest?!
“Come Stai?” by Gaetano Pesce for Bottega Veneta
Gaetano Pesce’s acid-laced resin chairs have had a busy few months, first making an appearance at Bottega Veneta’s Spring/Summer 2023 show in Milan, to now being available for viewing and even purchasing in Miami this past week. The exhibition titled “Come Stai?” is a new design for Pesce and his first original chair for a number of years. The cotton canvas is based on traditional toile fabric dipped in coloured resin, each made unique and at times including hand drawings.
As stated on the press release, when asked about the chair, Pesce said “This chair is a tribute to diversity. It is about human beings; we are all different. People who say we are all the same – f**k them! We are all different and this is our defining quality – otherwise, we are just a copy. We are all originals and this is one of the themes of my design.”
Alongside the exhibition, a live discussion as well as a limited edition book by Bottega Veneta was available during Art Basel. In the book “Come Stai?”, Matthieu Blazy explains the deeper meaning behind the project, which was to explore the ideation, approach and process of the collaboration which uncovers many connections between Pesce and Blazy’s creative practices and values. I left the location feeling inspired and wishing I took the smiley face chair with me, but the signed copy of the book and a chance to speak to Pesce for even a second made the entire experience even more special.
Balmain‘s Immersive Creation at Villa Balmain by Alexandre Arrechea
This year, Balmain welcomed “Villa Balmain,” a web3 version of the renowned architectural wonder designed by the Cuban contemporary artist Alexandre Arrecha. To celebrate the exhibit, Balmain hosted a party at Superblue with the likes of Rickey Thompson, Sabrina Claudio and more. The party included stunning art, both physical and digital, as well as NFTs and an innovative Web3 experience that merged Balmain’s heritage with state-of-the-art 3D printing and Meta-technologies.
On the press release, it was stated that Arrechea’s work “investigates the cultural resonances implicit in architecture, from design to social value and how those impact its distinct receptions.” His approach dissects “structural anatomies and spaces via his creations and installations, exploring the multiple conflicts embedded in much of today’s architecture, while highlighting the many decisions and legacies that often lie, hidden-away, inside constructions and histories.”
“Prada Extends” Miami
Prada showed up to Miami in style, bringing its “Prada Extends” music project, which is a collection of events that take place all over the world. This time around it took place in the Faena Forum, a 43,000 square foot space which was filled with some of our favorites from Maya Hawke to Hailee Steinfeld.
Prada made it clear that Art Basel is more than just fashion and visual art but all about music, by teaming up with the British-Canadian musician Richie Hawtin to curate the perfect set for the night. First beginning in London in 2021 and again this past summer in Tokyo, Miami becomes the third event Prada partnered with Plastikman. For the third installment of this intimate music project, Prada emphasized the innovative and avant-garde energy of the Latin community in Miami. It was a night to rememeber.
Check out more of our favorites from inside the Miami Beach Convention Center, from Kezia Harrell’s newest painting “The Awakening of Hot Momma.”
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