Art Basel Miami Beach, held at the Miami Beach Convention Center from December 7 to 10, and Miami Art Week, which included a roster of satellite fairs surrounding the major tentpole art event, featured a few notable venue changes and bigger-than-ever crowds.
Despite the convention center’s ongoing renovation construction and heavy traffic, Art Basel Miami Beach’s 16th edition brought in 82,000 visitors this year, compared to about 77,000 last year.
Meanwhile, satellite fairs Art Miami and Context Art Miami relocated to downtown Miami, a major uprooting from their previous midtown location, which is currently undergoing residential development and is just steps from the Wynwood and Design District neighborhoods. NADA Miami Art Fair, held at the Deauville hotel in Miami Beach since 2009, also moved inland this year, relocating to the Ice Palace Studios—yet another sign of the shift towards the city’s urban core.
Downtown Miami also hosted Mana Contemporary’s activations, which transformed empty storefronts like the landmark 777 Mall and Flagler Station into installations, fairs, and residencies. Mana’s schedule included the Prizm Art Fair, which centered around the African diaspora; Focus on Puerto Rico, an artists residency; Booktanica Jai-Alai, a pop-up bookstore; and Flatland, a group exhibition from 18 artists who explored new technologies. The latter exemplified a growing presence of virtual reality, new media, and projection mapping during Miami Art Week.
Click through the slide show to see more of Miami Art Week’s notable events and exhibitions.
During Miami Art Week, the Faena District hosted a series of large public installations in Miami Beach. Artist Peter Tunney collected giant pieces of the abandoned Atlantic City casino, the Taj Mahal, and converted them into an installation. Giant chandeliers, a two-ton ornate concrete elephant, and towering letters emerged from the sand.
Perez Art Museum Miami launched its first augmented-reality exhibition with Miami-based artist Felice Grodin. Visitors can view “Felice Grodin: Invasive Species” using Apple devices and the PAMM app in the museum’s outdoor areas, as well as in the Padma and Raj Vattikuti Learning Theatre on the museum’s first floor. The first two AR works by Grodin interact with the building’s architecture, such as imposing a jellyfish species on the hanging gardens on the waterfront terrace. As part of the ongoing exhibition, PAMM will launch a third digital work in January and a fourth in the spring.
The Faena District took new technologies even further by coordinating Franchise Freedom, which featured 300 synchronized drones “dancing” to classical music. The impressive feat was organized by Amsterdam-based Studio Drift in partnership with BMW.
St-Germain partnered with landscape artist and creative director Lily Kwong to revitalize the Faena Hotel’s iconic Clusia rosea tree, which suffered damage by Hurricane Irma. The installation featured exotic orchids and epiphytes indigenous to South America, East Asia, and Africa.
In addition, the Maison St-Germain installation, which was adorned with florals and prisms representing the elderflowers of which the liqueur is made, lite up the Faena Hotel’s oceanfront beach.
The Faena District was home to the debut of Museum of Ice Cream Miami, the fourth location for the popular franchise. The pastel-painted funhouse’s localized design included a secret coconut sparkle mini room, the debut of its newest trademark treat Melted Ice Cream, and a site-specific rooftop game room and deck.
The Red Bull Sound Select event, which took place on December 6 at the Ground, featured performances from local and national hip-hop and R&B artists. The musical lineup was curated by Florida artist Twelve'len and included work from emerging Miami artist Jason Arles.
At the Vibram Sole Factor Truck, a 38-foot mobile cobbler shop, guests were able to upgrade their footwear with a new Vibram sole.
The truck was parked in Miami Design District’s Jungle Plaza on December 4. Guests enjoyed Brazilian-inspired drinks like caipirinha cocktails, passed hors d’oeurvres and desserts from Creative Edge Parties, and music from DJ Claudio.
For Vegas: Alter Your Reality, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority partnered with Samsung Gear VR to create a public installation featuring the work of five international artists and their individual experiences in the city such as strolling the Strip and exploring downtown. The BMF Media-produced activation was free and open to the public from December 7 to 9 at Wynwood’s Zadok Gallery.
American Express was one of the major brands anchored on Miami Beach, hosting a slew of A-list events. The brand’s Platinum House pop-up at the Miami Beach Edition, held from December 8 to 10, granted Platinum cardholders, Centurion members, and guests access to complimentary food and beverage service; morning fitness classes curated by Well & Good; beauty services by Milk Makeup, Ouai, and Paintbox; aura photography; and DJ sets. For the three-day build-out, Dynamic Productions USA handled audio and lighting, EventStar installed the structural elements, and Logistics Management Group was in charge of permitting and city logistics management.
Hip-hop star Drake performed at the Platinum House on December 7.
Inside the Miami Beach Edition, stage designer Es Devlin created Room 2022, an interactive installation inspired by a typical hotel experience with maze-like rooms, soundscapes, and video.
On December 9, graffiti artists John “Crash” Matos, Nick Walker, and Bio created a live art installation on a 20-foot billboard at the W South Beach pool, while Swizz Beatz spun tunes during the exclusive card member event.
On December 8 at the W South Beach, Marriott International launched Storybooked, a short-form documentary series about the travels of four international artists in Japan, Italy, Spain, and Peru. The series was created by Marriott’s creative and content studio and will be displayed across various Marriott International hotels with future episodes available online. The series launch event was designed and produced by Black Flower Agency.
Belgium-based design duo Muller Van Severen recreated their living room for Design Miami visitors, inviting them to sit on the furniture, read books, and listen to music. Simultaneously, the duo’s home in Belgium was available on Airbnb.
On December 5, Ketel One and III Points teamed up for the Art Basel Concert Series at Mana Wynwood. Along with a performance by Bjork, concertgoers had the chance to customize their cocktails with fresh produce or select specialty cocktails as well as Ketel sodas garnished with fresh fruits, herbs, and citrus.
Guests were able to customize JBL 310 headphone molds at the brand’s two-day pop-up, JBL Soundwave Studio, on December 8 and 9. The most eye-catching creations were placed in the storefront window, located on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach, creating an evolving art installation. The pop-up was produced by Team Epiphany.
The COS x Studio Swine installation, New Spring, which debuted during Design Miami and was located at the Temple House, featured large mist-filled blossoms with five scents that were inspired by Miami and the Florida Everglades.
As part of the three-day art and music experience No Commission: Miami, which was held at the Soho Studios in Wynwood and produced by Mosaic, 2 Chainz, Lil Wayne, A$AP Rocky, Busta Rhymes, and DJ Khaled performed. The No Commission initiative by Bacardi and the Dean Collection gave artists exhibition space for free, with all proceeds going directly to the artists.
At the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, swedish artist Jacob Felländer merged virtual reality with painting, photography, and sculpture for his “How to Unlock a Portal” exhibition. It features portal prints: images taken from inside the VR landscape, which are then brought to life with a 3-D printer, turning them into a sculpture that accompanies the print. The exhibition will run until February 11, 2018.
