Here is the coolest art we have seen during Miami Art Week (and how much it costs)
We’ve been all around the city and these are the artworks (and ephemera) that have us the most excited during Miami Art Week. We’ll be updating this daily as we continue our journey through the fairs.
WORK AND ARTIST: Pom-poms by You
EXACT LOCATION: UBS Art Studio, Art Basel Miami Beach
PRICE: Free
WHY IT MATTERS: As part of its celebration of craft, UBS commissioned a fuzzy architectural lounge by emerging textile artist Sarah Zapata and curated by Larry Ossei-Mensah. Friday and Saturday from 1:00-3:00 p.m., show goers can get into the action by making their own yarn pom-poms with help from Zapata, Ossei-Mensah and their team. Adults and children welcome. (You can also sign up for a tour of the UBS art collection inside its private lounge. Space is limited.)
WORK AND ARTIST: Seletega (run, see if people are coming/corre a ver si viene gente) by Nicholas Galanin
PRICE: Not for sale
EXACT LOCATION: The beach by Faena hotel, 3201 Collins Ave., Miami Beach
WHY IT MATTERS: This installation by Nicholas Galanin, a renowned cross-disciplinary Alaska-based artist of Tlingit and Unangax̂ descent whose work often explores issues that impact indigenous communities, was made to look like a Spanish galleon’s masts, sails, and rigging, rises over 45 feet above the sand. Just behind it, picturesque waves crash on the shore. Seagulls squawk and fly between the sails. The metal pieces of the rigging clang in the wind and ring like a bell. The artwork mimics the sails Native Americans saw in the distance centuries ago. “Many things came with [the ships]. Genocide of indigenous communities, removal of our language, extraction of our land and resources. It all started with the sight of these sails,” Galanin said. “There’s oral history of seeing these sails in our communities.”
WORK AND ARTIST: “Necronom / Alien III” by HR Giger
PRICE: $1 million
EXACT LOCATION: Mai 36 Gallery booth at Art Basel
WHY IT MATTERS: HR Giger was the artist behind the Xenomorph in Ridley Scott’s “Alien” movies. Giger, who died 10 years ago, was not able to finish this sculpture until long after the original “Alien” movies were made because he didn’t have the money, said Henri Gisler, the Mai 36 director.
The Alien, famously, is female. The noticeably feminine lips on the alien’s head were modeled after German model Claudia Schiffer, Gisler said. Wolverine-like claws jut from her otherwise delicate hands. A scorpion- like tail protrudes from her bony spine.
“He was a bit outside of the art world, more pop culture and sci-fi,” Gisler said. “But now he is slowly getting back to being taken seriously.”
WORK AND ARTIST: Retro bag and scarf emblazoned with Chiquita logo
PRICE: Free for VIP Collectors on Thursday; other freebies later in the week
EXACT LOCATION: Art Basel, Miami Beach Convention Center, 2nd Floor, North Entrance, directly across from the Collector’s Lounge
WHY IT MATTERS: Few of us can afford the now eye-popping price for one of Maurizio Cattelan’s banana-and-duct-tape masterpieces titled “Comedian.” The original banana installation, the first of an edition of three, sold for $120,000 at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019. Last month, Sotheby’s New York auctioned off one of the bananas for an eye-popping $6.2 million to a Chinese cryptocurrency billionaire. Thursday Only: Chiquita offers free retro bags (each with a scarf) in banana yellow on a first-come basis to those who want to capture a bit of art history. VIPs can snag a bag and scarf on until 4 p.m. During the rest of the week, there will be special giveaways of other products at the convention center and Miami Beach Botanical Gardens.
WORK AND ARTIST: “Paradise” by Mathieu Lehanneur
PRICE: 78,000 Euros (approximately $82,500 USD)
EXACT LOCATION: Design Miami, Curatorial Project, “Flower Season” at the fair entrance, Booth P01
WHY IT MATTERS: Lehanneur is the brilliant designer who created the “Flying Cauldron” – the hot air balloon that carried the Olympic Torch over Paris this summer – that not only signaled the finale of the torch relay but also served as a nod to the Montgolfier brothers who launched the first hot air balloon in 1783 over the City of Lights. His installation at Design Miami includes several elements: in addition to a dispersed bouquet of hand-crafted tulips that cover the booth’s walls, a chair, a chandelier, and “Paradise,” a wooden cabinet with a light feature that changes color from white to blue as the viewer shifts position. Design Miami curator Glenn Adamson marveled, “I don’t know how he does it. It’s a magic trick on legs.”
WORK AND ARTIST: “The Ark,” by Matthieu Blazy
PRICE: $7,500 - $10,000
EXACT LOCATION: Design Miami, Bottega Veneta, Booth X08
WHY IT MATTERS: Blazy, dubbed the Magician of Milan for his ability help reinvigorate fashion brands from Celine to Calvin Klein, has turned his talented eyes toward Bottega Veneta, where he has been creative director since 2021. Blazy commissioned the creation of “The Ark,” a collection of animal-shaped leather chairs that turn the traditional bean bag into a fashion statement. The menagerie includes elephants, horses, foxes, rabbits, cats, dogs, chickens and even a ladybug and a couple of snakes. Sheri Sack, from Aspen, stopped by to inquire about purchasing a brown horse with a white blaze on its face. Sack wanted to buy it for her adult daughter who lives in Los Angeles. “In the right setting it isn’t juvenile,” she said. “It’s a sophisticated art piece.”
WORK AND ARTIST: “Windy Chair,” by Yinka Shinobare
PRICE: $290,000 (edition of 3)
EXACT LOCATION: Design Miami, Booth G3
WHY IT MATTERS: Like a magic carpet ride, this chair resembles flowing fabric held aloft by the wind. It was designed by one of the most celebrated contemporary artists of the age. Nigerian Brittish artist Shinobare uses patterns from Dutch wax fabrics that follow the trail of the slave trade. Made from painted aluminum, the chair marks Shinobare’s first foray into furniture, according to Brett Littman, a senior director at the Carpenters Workshop Gallery who represents the artist.
WORK AND ARTIST: The Great Elephant Migration by The Real Elephant Collective, artisans from India
PRICE: Elephants start at $10,000
EXACT LOCATION: Near 36th Street Park, 3501 Collins Ave., Miami Beach
WHY IT MATTERS: Before arriving in Miami, The Great Elephant Migration toured London in 2021, stopped at the Lalbagh Botanical Garden in Bangalore earlier this year, and visited Newport, Rhode Island, and New York City as part of its United States journey. The Miami Beach installation aims to inspire visitors to reflect on themes of tolerance, empathy, and coexistence. Proceeds from the sculptures’ sales will support conservation NGOs worldwide, with each elephant twinned to a specific organization. Donations range from $10,000 to $100,000 per NGO, funding human-wildlife coexistence projects addressing issues with lions, bison, jaguars, and more.
WORK AND ARTIST: “The Great Yes, The Great No,” by William Kentridge
PRICE: Ticket from $50
EXACT LOCATION: Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami
WHY IT MATTERS: For those who missed Kentridge’s 2022 spectacle “The Head and the Load,” this is your chance. Stellar voices, dance, shadow projections and Kentridge’s ever-moving backdrop tell an emotional, fictionalized story of an actual 1941 ocean voyage from France to Martinique whose passengers included poet André Breton, Cuban painter Wilfredo Lam and philosopher Claude Lévi Strauss. The messages here are layered and complex, set against a spinning compass/astrolabe/roulette wheel. One truth is clear: Burying yourself in philosophy, rhetoric and smart society does not obscure the reality of human pain. As always, women are left to pick up the pieces. Yet all is not hopeless: “Everything changes,” the story concludes. “You can start anew with your last breath.” Through Dec. 7.
WORK AND ARTIST: “In Praise of the Blues,” by Eduoard Duval-Carrie
PRICE: Upon request
EXACT LOCATION: Art of Transformation, 675 Ali Baba Avenue, Opa-locka
WHY IT MATTERS: Despite his wide renown as an artist and curator, Miami-based Eduoard Duval-Carrie is still unseen by many. His show at Ten North’s Art of Transformation fair in Opa-locka is a deep survey of his signature engravings on plexiglass. While you’re there, walk across the street to the “Jamaica on My Mind” show curated by Phillip Thomas. And absolutely do not miss the new “Tales of Opa-locka: A Heritage Journey” curated by Alex Van Mecl in the historic train station.
WORK: “Invisible Luggage,” by various artists
PRICE: Not for sale
EXACT LOCATION: Historic Hampton House, 4240 NW 27th Ave., Miami
WHY IT MATTERS: In the days of Jim Crow, Miami’s Historic Hampton House motel was the refuge of Black visitors including Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Josephine Baker. For the second year, a group of independent curators has put together an exhibition of artwork by contemporary Black artists that links past and present. This year’s show ties “travel” -- a theme natural to a lodging -- with the universal truth that we all carry our past no matter where we go. Standout works in this coherent show include Ebony G. Patterson’s glittery 20-foot-long 2014 tapestry, Hugo McCloud’s painting of a man on motorbike laden with oversized bales, and Chiffon Thomas’s reconstructed Bibles.
WORK AND ARTIST: Ceramic sculptures by Soojin Choi
PRICE: $12,000-$25,000/ Some sold
EXACT LOCATION: Anna Zorina booth A44 at UNTITLED
WHY IT MATTERS: These unglazed, two-foot high ceramics are unlike anything else at this year’s fairs. The figures Intertwine, using negative space and gesture to convey the powerful complexity of relationship. This work secures the 32-year-old Korean artist as one to watch.
WORK AND ARTIST: “El Patio, 1988” by Judy Pfaff
PRICE: $400,000
EXACT LOCATION: SP6, across from the Cristin Tierney booth, A17
WHY IT MATTERS: This massive sculpture from the artist’s early period comes from one of this century’s most influential sculptors and educators. The presentation goal, says Tierney, is to draw attention from a museum, where it so rightly belongs.
WORK AND ARTIST: Household objects in needlepoint by Ulla-Stina Wikander
PRICE: About $3,500 each / SOLD
EXACT LOCATION: Jane Lombard, booth B26, at UNTITLED
WHY IT MATTERS: An iron, coffee pot, teapot and other familiar objects are covered in needlepoint depicting scenes generally associated with “female” work. In doing so, they elevate the importance of such traditional tasks.
WORK AND ARTIST: “Deluge XI 2023,” by Curtis Talwst Santiago
PRICE: $25,000 to $30,000
EXACT LOCATION: Rachel Uffner, H32, Art Basel Miami Beach
WHY IT MATTERS: It’s easy to overlook this small, reclaimed jewelry box refashioned as a portable artwork suitable for fleeing refugees. The accompanying magnifying glass will help you examine the cargo ship packed with refugees “floating” on resin sea. Each of the tiny, individually painted refugees escaping turmoil is Black. An accompanying work shows a pair of cargo ships of refugees fleeing climate change. All are white.
WORK AND ARTIST: Photography by Deborah Willis
PRICE: $19,500 to $24,500
EXACT LOCATION: Welancora booth, N9, at Art Basel Miami Beach
WHY IT MATTERS: As an artist, scholar and educator, Deborah Willis has helped shaped the vision of many fine-art photographers including her son, Hank Willis Thomas. These 10 photographs from her Clothesline series humanize the Black soldiers of the civil war and the important role played by the women who loved and supported them.
WORK AND ARTIST: “Die Himmelsplaste,” 2002 by Anselm Kiefer
PRICE: $1.1 million
EXACT LOCATION: Galleria Freitas, booth AM315
WHY IT MATTERS: German Anselm Kiefer fuses paint, sculpture and collage to address controversial and painful topics in recent history. He is considered one of the most important and influential artists of this time and is widely collected by museums. (You can do a deep dive on his work at Miami’s Margulies Collection at the Warehouse.)
WORK AND ARTIST: “Cream Beetle Sphere” by Ichwan Noor
PRICE: $160,000
EXACT LOCATION: Art of the World, booth AM325, at Art Miami
WHY IT MATTERS: Available in a limited edition of eight per color, these sculptures combine an aluminum form with original parts from the particular car in question, in this case a 1953. The sculpture rotates but isn’t suitable for outdoor placement. Lusting for it in maroon? Too late - that color is sold out.
WORK AND ARTIST: “Untitled” by Virginia Overton
PRICE: $250,000
EXACT LOCATION: Bortolami, G23, at Art Basel Miami Beach
WHY IT MATTERS: The artist challenges notions of consumerism by creating a novelty out of a conventional object - in this case a 2023 Ford Ranger truck, completely disassembled and reconfigured with all its parts, including a key in the ignition.
WORK AND ARTIST: Paintings by Linda Kohen
PRICE: $20,000 - $35,000
EXACT LOCATION: Piero Atchugarry, F15, at Art Basel Miami Beach
WHY IT MATTERS: At age 100, Linda Kohen is still a working artist. These works create an intimate picture of the life of solitude experienced by European Jews prior to and during World War II. Kohen herself was expelled from school in Italy because of her ethnicity. Today she lives in Uruguay. (Incidentally, she is the aunt of Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava.)
WORK AND ARTIST: “Incarnation” by Paul Pfeiffer
PRICE: $175,000
EXACT LOCATION: Paula Cooper booth, E12, Art Basel Miam Beach
WHY IT MATTERS: Paul Pfeiffer explores the status of icons through his sculptural installation transposing Justin Bieber’s tattoos onto the dissembled body of Jesus Christ. Previous iterations of the work have sold in parts, always reflecting the tattoos and body art of Bieber at that moment. This is the first installation offered as a whole. (Also check out the 16-foot-high swing by Mark di Suvero in the Cooper booth.)
WORK AND ARTIST: “Bound Angel,” by Portia Munson
EXACT LOCATION: Meridians M4, at Art Basel Miami Beach
WHY IT MATTERS: Munson has assembled ceramics, tablecloths, wedding gowns and extension cords in a depiction of feminity bound to conventional roles. The result is mesmerizing.
WORK AND ARTIST: Drawings by Manuel Pardo
PRICE: $6,500 - $45,000
EXACT LOCATION: P.P.O.W booth, F16, at Art Basel Miami Beach
WHY IT MATTERS: Pardo arrived in Miami on a Pedro Pan flight in the 1960s. He later moved to New York where he worked as a make-up artist for drag queens of the 1990s. His intricate drawings of drag queens combine the glamour of both Miami and Cuba. They are being shown for the first time at a major fair.
This story was originally published December 5, 2024 at 1:03 PM.