Art Basel Miami Beach is back for its 21st edition in what appears to be a not as sunny South Beach this year. Apart from the weather, which is actually fine (relative to rest of the country), the mega fair presents 277 galleries from 33 countries and a seemingly infinite amount of events and fairs orbiting the city — from NADA to Untitled to Scope. Two decades on and the fair’s Miami Beach edition has unofficially become the key week within art and design calendars to showcase both the best the creative world has to offer, as well as a gathering point for brand activations, micro influencers seeking to escape the cold and all the debauchery in between.
Housed at the Miami Beach Convention Center, the 2023 edition will be mapped out across seven sections. The main area, Galleries, consists of modern and contemporary galleries with an emphasis on 20th century masterpieces to rising figures, while Meridians showcases large-scale sculptures and installations curated by Magalí Arriola. Nova is centered around more recent artworks created within the last few years and Positions is specially dedicated to solo presentations. Survey and Kabinett focuses on more art-historical presentations, while Magazines spotlights some of premier art publications around the world.
“With new participants from Mexico to Poland and Egypt, and a program both within and beyond the fair like we have never done before,” said the fair’s director Vincenzo de Bellis in a past statement, “there is an injection of freshness to the fair, and a vigor of experience which we look forward to playing out in full.”
What would South Beach and Art Basel be without its virality — from Maurizio Cattelan’s banana sculpture to MSCHF’s ATM leaderboard last year. While tucked away in the Collectors Lounge, BMW worked with LA artist Alex Israel on a participatory installation that invites audience members to put all their memories on full display through a number of LED screens surrounding the German automakers new i5 vehicle. The way it works: people download the REMEMBR app that utilizes AI to create a reel of your entire camera roll — which is designed to block out all the explicit images that may be floating around the many thousands of images on your phone for an experience that will surely be memorable and filled with anxiety all at once.
Outside of the fair, there of course is too many art installations and parties to count, including HOOP, a new sculpture made by Australian artist, CJ Hendry in collaboration with the City of Miami. Located in the Wynwood District, the 20 foot blue structure features 34 hoops reminiscent of chandeliers. In conjunction to the piece, Hendry unveiled a series of six drawings, each limited to an edition of 600, with one piece containing a golden ticket to claim a giant drawing for anyone who can make all 34 baskets in a row on video and a $1m USD cash prize.
Whether you want to put all your embarrassing photos on display or try your luck at winning some serious cash, there is plenty to see and experience for this year’s fair. Check out Hypeart’s must-see booths for the 21st edition of Art Basel Miami Beach, which officially opens to the public tomorrow, December 8 to 10.
Perrotin – Solo Presentation by Emma Webster, Booth A3
For ABMB, Perrotin will dedicate its booth to the latest paintings by burgeoning Los Angeles-based artist, Emma Webster. Appearing like a traditional landscape painting from afar, Webster’s art begins to disorient the eye when viewed up close. By utilizing virtual reality, she creates sculptural objects that she uses as subjects to paint on canvas.
The Parisian gallery will also show select works from Emily Mae Smith, Jason Boyd Kinsella, Takashi Murakami, Alex Gardner, Kathia St. Hilaire and Xiyao Wang.
Jeffrey Deitch, Booth A2
Jeffrey Deitch has always been an early pioneer in championing the best within the threshold between street and fine art. Back in the ‘80s, the art critic-turned-gallerist was the first writer to review the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat and was one of the select few to write an essay for the first publication on Keith Haring.
For ABMB ’23, Deitch continues to cultivate a platform for artists creating on the peripheries, pushing the cultural conversation for their respective communities. Highlights include paintings by fellow Los Angeles natives, Mario Ayala and Alfonso Gonzalez Jr., works by New York graffiti legends, Lee Quiñones and Futura, as well as artwork by Bisa Butler, Judy Chicago, Urs Fischer and many more. See the full list here.
BLUM, Booth C15
BLUM, which recently condensed its name from Blum & Poe, presents an eclectic suite of artwork from the likes of Alvaro Barrington, Umar Rashid, Yoshitomo Nara, Lauren Quin, Eddie Martinez and many more.
Standout works include Collin Sekajugo’s mixed-media reinterpretation of Miami’s new adopted son, Lionel Messi; a cinematic photographic print by Mohamed Bourouissa, and abstract paintings by Lonnie Holley, Sebastian Silva and Lauren Quin.
Gagosian, Booth D25
Situated adjacent to the Ruinart Plaza, Gagosian brought a star-studded showcase to booth D25. Barring a few pieces, most the artwork on view was created within this year and includes massive wall-to-wall pieces, such as an abstract triptych by Rick Lowe, as well as paintings and mixed media artworks by Sarah Sze and Urs Fischer, amongst others.
Lauren Halsey, who recently joined Gagosian’s roster this past October, also presents a new totem-shaped artwork depicting a series of vibrant portrayals of her native South Central community, made with watercolor ink, colored pencil and collage on gypsum.
White Cube, Booth A23
Sculpture and installation were special emphasis’ for White Cube’s ABMB ’23 presentation. From Danh Vo’s reinterpretation of the American flag and an introspective human-shaped sculpture by Antony Gormley to Feeling Pregnant III(2005) by Tracey Emin, which consists of a series of rough-hewn wooden stands that display gowns to the floor, almost like ghosts hovering in space.
Inspired by Louise Bourgeois, the installation echoes Emin’s personal trauma with her own pregnancy, abortion and miscarriage. “Feeling Pregnant”, writes the gallery, “conjures a landscape of deeply felt emotion that is filtered through memory and given she in haunting and ghostly sculptural form.”
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