For the second year in a row, Art Basel, a comprehensive, international art show from Switzerland took over Miami Beach. And along with it came patrons, artists, diverse and exciting exhibits and over-the-top events. One of this year's "unofficial" parties, meaning it was not planned by Art Basel insiders, was the Art Basel Patron's Party which was held at Casa Casuarina, the chic ex-Versace mansion on Ocean Drive. Decadence was the theme of the evening. From seductive living art sculpture and dirty dancing to guided tours of the legendary and notorious seaside palazzo, naughty was encouraged and taboo was totally acceptable.
Food and drinks are usually the complement to a social gathering, however, art connoisseurs and patrons were treated to a whole lot more. The international cult of art lovers having just arrived for a week-long stint in Miami, a.k.a. the playground of sun and sin, got just what they came for. Mark Steele of New York-based Steele Productions used his Manhattan style and know-how to execute one outrageous bash in true SoBe-style. "I looked at this event as though all of the guests were voyeurs," said Steele. "I had the concept in my head, it was just a matter of getting the right elements in place," he explained. With help from Designs by Sean and Barton G., Casa Casuarina's dedicated caterer, the collaboration succeeded in recreating and bringing to life a fifteenth century masterpiece titled The Garden of Earthly Delights, complete with naked models alluding to Adam and Eve. And if that's not sacrilegious enough, perhaps tempting guests with mouth-watering desserts served off their snake entwined bodies was reason enough for confession.
Living decor, a hot trend in event style, brings new meaning to rearranging the furniture. Designs by Sean provided human mannequins disguised in surreal costumes as lamps and vases to light guests' paths and dispense olfactory stimulation, then before you could truly study the live art, it would leave—by itself. Adding to the audio and visual entertainment was South Beach veteran DJ Mark Leventhal of Rock Star Entertainment. Scantily clad dancers wiggled through the crowd to the hypnotic tribal beats of bongos and drums, while guests sat on stark white chairs or couches in the outdoor lounge areas sampling canapés, eating aphrodisiacs from the raw bar, downing decadent desserts and aiding and abetting more than one vice at the bar. Exhibitionists danced and voyeurs watched but at the end of the night one thing was certain. When expression is acted upon for art sake and all your senses are stimulated there's a certain sense of pride and satisfaction attained. And to think this was only the beginning of a week in paradise.
—Jose Gomez
Food and drinks are usually the complement to a social gathering, however, art connoisseurs and patrons were treated to a whole lot more. The international cult of art lovers having just arrived for a week-long stint in Miami, a.k.a. the playground of sun and sin, got just what they came for. Mark Steele of New York-based Steele Productions used his Manhattan style and know-how to execute one outrageous bash in true SoBe-style. "I looked at this event as though all of the guests were voyeurs," said Steele. "I had the concept in my head, it was just a matter of getting the right elements in place," he explained. With help from Designs by Sean and Barton G., Casa Casuarina's dedicated caterer, the collaboration succeeded in recreating and bringing to life a fifteenth century masterpiece titled The Garden of Earthly Delights, complete with naked models alluding to Adam and Eve. And if that's not sacrilegious enough, perhaps tempting guests with mouth-watering desserts served off their snake entwined bodies was reason enough for confession.
Living decor, a hot trend in event style, brings new meaning to rearranging the furniture. Designs by Sean provided human mannequins disguised in surreal costumes as lamps and vases to light guests' paths and dispense olfactory stimulation, then before you could truly study the live art, it would leave—by itself. Adding to the audio and visual entertainment was South Beach veteran DJ Mark Leventhal of Rock Star Entertainment. Scantily clad dancers wiggled through the crowd to the hypnotic tribal beats of bongos and drums, while guests sat on stark white chairs or couches in the outdoor lounge areas sampling canapés, eating aphrodisiacs from the raw bar, downing decadent desserts and aiding and abetting more than one vice at the bar. Exhibitionists danced and voyeurs watched but at the end of the night one thing was certain. When expression is acted upon for art sake and all your senses are stimulated there's a certain sense of pride and satisfaction attained. And to think this was only the beginning of a week in paradise.
—Jose Gomez
Models posing as Adam and Eve tempted guests.
This living vase didn't need watering to keep things alive.
A living lamp and a dancer with a faux-flaming headdress lit up the evening.
A birds eye view from the third floor balcony offered an array of sights.
