The month of December in Miami Beach, in the south of the US state of Florida, is the month of art since 2002, when the renowned Swiss art gallery Art Basel selected it as the venue for its annual artistic meeting in the continent.
For its sixteenth edition, directed by Noah Horowitz and curated for the first time by Philipp Kaiser, the exhibition presents a new architecture in the form of a renovated floor plan and a design conceived by Tom Postma.
Along with Art Basel Miami Beach, it has been developed at the same time for some years now Design Miami, to meet the demand of a high-end design fair and be an exclusive display to show the modern and contemporary design of furniture, lighting and art objects of the 20th and 21st centuries. It is where they also promote the design market for enthusiasts and collectors.
The fair welcomes more than 80 thousand visitors during the five days of the exhibition
It counts on 268 galleries from 32 countries that will delight us with exceptional works of contemporary painting, sculpture, performances, photography, illustration and video art.
The occasion also coincides with the inauguration of the exclusive building of the Contemporary Art Institute (ICA Miami), which contains an incredible metal facade designed by the Spanish firm Aranguren + Gallegos Arquitectos. The new headquarters of the organization is located on NE 41st Street in the booming Miami Design District, which houses luxury shops, restaurants and art galleries.
The inauguration of the new ICA Miami building coincides with the celebration of the fair
The 10 facilities and exhibitions that you can’t miss during the Miami art week
We have made a selection of some artists that will be at Art Basel Miami Beach and it is worth visiting carefully.
1. “A Silent Witness” by Jaume Plensa
The Catalan sculptor Jaume Plensa, worldwide recognized for his innumerable human silhouettes scanning the horizon, brings us A Silent Witness in stainless steel, where the artist captures up to 7 different alphabets, in order to send a message of hope to the world. This limited edition of Plensa, is an artistic collaboration for Ruinart Blanc des Blancs, since it has only made 20 pieces. It is available for 3700USD. We will find it in the Collectors Lounge at the fair.
‘A Silent Witness’ by Jaume Plensa
Miami Beach Convention Center
1900 Washington Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139
2. “Abstract Not Abstract” by gallery owners Larry Gagosian and Jeffrey Deitch
For their part, Larry Gagosian and Jeffrey Deitch collaborate for the third consecutive year with the fair to bring Abstract Not Abstract to the Moore building in Miami. In this sample, they explore the concept of abstraction considering the collective voices of the most innovative artists as Sterling Ruby, that are expanding the limits of abstract art.
“Widw.Allport” 2017 Photo by Robert Wedemeyer. Image courtesy of Sterling Ruby Studio and Gagosian
“ABSTRACT / NOT ABSTRACT” from 5th to 10th December at the Céline boutique in the Miami Design District.
CÉLINE
191 NE 40th St.
Miami, FL 33137
3. The LOEWE Foundation presents the third exhibition of the “Chance Encounter” series
Loewe could not be less and for the occasion it has transformed its Miami Design District store into a temporary gallery for the Art Basel Miami Beach, with special pieces by the ceramist Sara Flynn and with erotic portraits by the artist from Ceylon Lionel Wendt and sculptures by Richard Smith. Loewe will take the opportunity to maintain this exhibition open to the public until next year.
Portrait of photographer Lionel Wendt, one of the three artists in the “Chance Encounter” exhibition at the Loewe Foundation exhibition
“Chance Encounter” is currently open to the public until February 4th, 2018
LOEWE Miami
110 NE 39th Street
Miami Design District
4. “New Spring” collaboration between COS and Studio Swine of London
One of the biggest attractions for this 2017 edition of the fair is the multisensory New Spring, a collaboration between COS and Studio Swine of London, which premiered this year at the Salone del Mobile de Milano.
Located in the iconic art deco building The Temple House, New Spring represents delicate flowers filled with a kind of mist that disappear on contact with the skin.
“New Spring” is the new collaboration between COS and New Spring in London
These flowers are the most audacious piece of the installation, which is nothing more than a central sculpture in the shape of a tree and which establishes the lively light feeling of the city of Miami.
THE TEMPLE HOUSE Miami
1415 Euclid Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139, USA UU
5. “Franchise Freedom” flying sculpture of Studio Drift in partnership with BMW
Another highlight of the fair will be Franchise Freedom, a swarm of about 300 drones illuminated with LEDs over the night sky of the beach in Miami. They will dance simulating a flock of starlings. This unprecedented show has been created by two Dutch artists Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta from Studio Drift.
‘Franchise Freedom’ by Studio Drift
The Hotel Faena is the base from which this flying structure ‘Franchise freedom’ will be assembled, described as a work of art between technology, science, nature and art.
It will premiere on December 6th at 9 pm on the beach between 32nd and 33rd Street off Collins Avenue.
This exhibition is sponsored by PACE gallery, BMW and Faena Art Drift Studio.
FAENA HOTEL MIAMI BEACH
3201 Collins Avenue, Faena District
Miami Beach FL, 33140
6. “Nuage Pergola” designed by the brothers Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec
The Bouroullec brothers, renowned Breton designers, have built pergolas on a pedestrian street in the District Design named “Nuage”. Constructed in steel and colored glass, they are cylinders supported by thin poles that offer the walkers shade and shelter.
Pergola Nuage by Ronan Erwan Bouroullec
Paseo Ponti, Miami Design District
7. “Jungle-Ized” the multisensory art film created by Soundwalk Collective and David De Rothschild
Film created by Sound Walk Collective and the British adventurer David de Rothschild.
It is a multisensory art installation with the aim of immersing visitors in the Amazon rainforest to encourage a conversation with nature and raise awareness about the environmental impact of climate change.
You can watch the full movie of Stephan Crasneanscki on KABINETT wearecabinet.com.
JUNGLE-IZED was made in collaboration with The Analogue Foundation with the sound environment of the Amazon jungle provided by Francisco López and supported by Global Wildlife Conservation.
Shot in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, it reveals the invisible source of energy that exists in animals, in the air, in the trees, in the voices of the tribal inhabitants of the Amazon.
Explore the notion of longing for our lost environment and what was once our human landscape. By enabling the negative function on our mobile phone and pointing the camera at the screen, we can reveal the positive version of the film and, symbolically, take a step forward to recover the positive in our conversation with nature, convert the invisible back to visible.
8. “I can’t feel” by Suzy Kellems Dominik
The artist Suzy Kellems Dominik creates an orgasmic vagina of a meter and a half of neon as a sculpture and light show. According to Suzy “I think it is important that we, as people, know our bodies, know how they work, how we feel, how our emotions relate.”
“I CAN FEEL” Neon vagina by Suzy Kellems Dominik
You will be in the lobby of the Nautilus hotel until December 10th.
9. “Welcome” Fendi’s new proposal
The maison Fendi also presents Welcome! with Chiara Andreatti furniture, which is no more than a living room where diverse epochs and divergent but complementary materials coexist, made from a wide range of handcrafted and natural materials.
FENDI presents Welcome by the designer Chiara Andreatti
It is a luxurious environment adorned with tropical plants that evokes an atmosphere of intimacy and essence, combined with rurality and refined elements. For this, Andreatti has versioned part of the historical catalog of the brand, with the most iconic pieces of the house, exploring for this soft tones and exotic suggestions, at the same time that employing a delicate craftsmanship in wrought iron, brass, glass or natural fibers such as walnut, bamboo, parchment or coconut.
Design Miami
3841 NE 2 nd Avenue, Suite 400
Miami, FL 33137
10. “Sofa Bomboca” designed by the brothers Fernando and Humberto Campana
To finish our Horse selection, Louis Vuitton makes its debut at the Design Miami Pavilion with a new travel accessory: the blue Bomboca sofa, designed exclusively for Objets Nomades by Brazilian furniture designers Fernando Campana and Humberto Campana.
The Brazilian brothers Campana show their sofa ‘Bomboca’.
It is a splendid rigid modular sofa covered in Louis Vuitton leather and textured velvet fabrics in shades of blue.
Bomboca is a sweet served at weddings and children’s parties in Brazil, so it makes it a sofa inspired by colorful round apples that results in a puzzle of removable cushions inside a leather casing.
The Brazilian brothers Campana show their sofa ‘Bomboca’
In addition to Bomboca, Louis Vuitton will present other Objets Nomades such as exclusive pieces by Atelier Oï, Patricia Urquiola, India Mahdavi or Marcel Wanders.
Design Miami
3841 NE 2 nd Avenue, Suite 400
Miami, FL 33137
The annual event in Florida is already on process of preparing and will take place between December 6th and 9th, 2018 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. For this, however, you will first have to visit its Asian version in Hong Kong at the end of March 2018 and of course, the one in Basel, Switzerland, in mid-June of the same year.
