Josef Albers, Homage to the Square: Zwischen Zwei Blau (Between Two Blues) (1955), via David Zwirner
As 2016 winds into its final weeks, the art world will once again head south for the annual fairs and festivities of Miami Art Week, headed by Art Basel Miami Beach, its satellite fairs, and other openings, events, parties and performances spread across the Biscayne Bay.  Taking up almost a full week this December, the increasingly diverse offerings should offer a packed last week of major sales and shows before the art world closes out the fall season.
Gao Ludi, Untitled (2015-2016), via White Space
Art Basel Miami Beach remains at at the center of the week’s immense roster of openings and exhibitions, spread across the spacious halls of the Miami Beach Convention Center, which has put a major renovation project on hold for the month so that its marquee event could continue, and its clients could return to its familiar grounds.  And return they have, with familiar names spread across the the roster of 269 galleries from around the globe.  David Zwirner will be on hand with a range of works recapping its 2016 exhibition calendar, including works by Francis Alÿs, Josef Albers and William Eggleston, while Marianne Boesky will bring a diverse selection of pieces by Donald Moffett and Pier Paolo Calzolari.  Hauser & Wirth will also bring a heavy-hitting booth, with pieces by Arshile Gorky, Philip Guston, and Lygia Pape among its selected pieces.
Joe Bradley, Not Yet Titled (2016), via Eva Presenhuber
The fair also returns its more curated, project-based booths, inviting a wide range of galleries to bring historical and new artists to the fair’s already diverse offerings.  At the Nova section, 47 Canal will bring works by Anicka Yi, who recently won the 2016 Hugo Boss Prize, while fellow downtown gallery Essex Street will show a series of pieces by Vern Blosum and Chadwick Rantanen.  The similarly focused Positions will skew towards a somewhat younger group of new talents, both galleries and artists, including a show of the works by Maggie Lee at Real Fine Arts.  White Space Beijing will also take a booth at Positions, showing a body of animated, imaginative works by Chinese painter Gao Ludi.
Nari Ward, Blank Scale (2012), via Lehmann Maupin
The fair also returns its unique Kabinett section, which will add separate, often enigmatically-arranged spaces within the gallery booth, allowing for more in-depth installations and projects within the context of a traditional fair booth.  Matt Mullican will take over a space at Mai 36, while Petzel will dedicate a space to the painterly talents of Asger Jorn.  Meanwhile, a series of galleries tapped for the Survey section will focus on historical works and re-examinations of an artist’s oeuvre, including a study of the works of Mimmo Rotella at Robilant + Voena, and a look at the work of Barbara T. Smith at L.A. Gallery The Box. Â
DeWain Valentine, Triple Disc Red with Blue Lip (1967), via Sprüth Magers
Anthony Caro, Bull (1954), via Mitchell-Innes and Nash
The fair’s Film section is of particular note this year, bringing a number of new works that will feature a number of high-profile premieres and rarely seen pieces at the fair.  Among these is the long-awaited documentary on Maurizio Cattelan, Be Right Back, as well as the first filmic work of Alfredo Jaar.  White Space Gallery will feature a selection of filmic works in this section, including a striking piece by artist Li Liao, documenting her efforts to get her child to say “Art is Vacuum” as her first words, while artist Wang Tuo turns the domestic towards the surreal,  showing “a day in the life of an elderly couple through scenes shaped by emotional speechless conversations, atonal sounds, and orchestrated song.”  Many films, including a series of musical shorts titled “The Best Dressed Chicken in Town,” and work by artist Gyorgy Kovasznai, will be projected onto the side of the New World Center just outside the Convention Center.
Li Liao, Art is Vacuum (2013-2015), via White Space
Just a few blocks north on Collins, the space outside the Bass Museum will play host to the fair’s popular sculpture park, which this year features a range of works including a comically-wrought series of immense arrows by Tony Tasset, as well as a large-scale piece by Erwin Wurm.  Other pieces from Claudia Comte, Huma Bhabha and Glenn Kaino will also be on view on the expansive lawns outside the museum.
Tony Tasset, Arrow Sculpture (2016), via Art Basel
Ginny Casey, TBT (2016), via Half Gallery
Heading north on Collins Avenue on Thursday, the New Art Dealers Alliance will return to its old haunt at the Deauville Beach Resort for its opening day.  Offering a remarkably arranged counterpoint to the high price tags and glitz of ABMB, NADA’s familial atmosphere and impressive selection of forward-thinking galleries always places it at the forefront of the week’s proceedings.  This year should be no different, as the fair’s roster remains relatively unchanged from past editions.  Highlights this year include a series of vivid paintings by Zachary Armstrong at Feuer/Mesler, and an equally fluid series of still-life works by Ginny Casey at Half Gallery.  Toronto Gallery Cooper Cole will also be on hand, showing new work by Sara Cwynar, while The Journal will show a wild series of epoxy, polyurethane and fiberglass objects by Daniel Boccato, drawing on vaguely familiar forms to amplify their surreal presentation.  The Brooklyn-based 321 Gallery will join the fair’s Projects section this year, with an impressive, fragmented installation work by Raque Ford, rounding out a strong offering for this year’s opening day.  The fair will also continue its popular “secret suite” series, where an artist or artists take over one of the Deauville’s hotel rooms.  This year, Feuer/Mesler partner Joel Mesler’s paintings will take the honors, hosted by San Francisco’s CAPITAL.
Zachary Armstrong, Face Study (Green, Pink and Yellow)Â (2016), via Feuer Mesler
Daniel Boccato, Knipface (2016), via Journal Gallery
Sissel Blystad, 19 (2015), via Hester
Further south, inside a beautifully appointed tent on Ocean Drive Untitled Miami Beach will also set up shop for this year’s edition, bringing its curatorial focus, where a team selects and invites the galleries as well as the artists to participate in each year’s event, to contrast a week where sales-first mentalities often seem to abound.  This year’s edition of the fair will include a t-shirt making stand by Rikrit Tiravanija and Thomas Vu, followed by a participatory surfing project outside on the fair’s terrace, where visitors can rent surfboards inspired by the band Pussy Riot.  A pop-up by the ICA Miami’s new Art and Research Center project will also be on site, offering a reading room and materials for visitors to bone up on contemporary art theory while browsing the works on view.  This will be rounded out, of course, by the fair booths themselves, which often present a unique and more far-reaching perspective on the American contemporary than its fellow fairs up Collins Ave.
Matthew Stone, Looking for My Friend (2016), via The Hole
Guðmundur Thoroddsen, Transformation (2016), via Asya Geisberg
The week also sees a string of accompanying openings, exhibitions and performances across the city, as the fair allows galleries, museums and project spaces to roll out the carpets for special opening events or parties centered around their recently opened shows.  Of particular note is the ICA Miami’s exhibition at the Moore Building in the city’s Design District, a Tuesday night party that has become an early staple of the week, and centers around the works of artist Thomas Bayrle.  The opening will be the last at the Moore building before the museum moves to its new location next year.  Just next door, Larry Gagosian and Jeffrey Deitch will renew their collaborative exhibition project at the Moore Building, opening a show titled Desire, and featuring works dwelling on constructs of eroticism, the body, and emotion, curated with Diana Widmaier-Picasso.  Drawing on a diverse roster that includes Jordan Wolfson, John Currin and Pablo Picasso, the show should be an intriguing attempt at drawing unique conversations among works through broad curatorial strokes.  That same night, the MANA Contemporary will also host a special performance, as Bill Viola’s work is screened alongside a performance by violinist Julian Rachlin.
Thomas Bayrle, Madonna Mercedes (1989), via ICA Miami
The Bass Museum, which was scheduled to reopen this week after a major renovation, will unfortunately remain shuttered as construction continues.  But that won’t stop the institution from celebrating this week, as it prepares the installation of a Ugo Rondinone Magic Mountain sculpture on its grounds, accompanying the Art Basel sculpture park installed on the same lawns.
Julio Le Parc, Cloison aÌ€ lames reÌfleÌchissantes (Partition with Reflective Strips) (1966/2005), via Perez Museum
The Perez Museum in mainland Miami will be showing its ongoing exhibition on the works of Julio Le Parc, massive kinetic sculptures and dazzling formal configurations that will offer a fitting burst of visual fireworks to accompany the museum’s annual Miami Art Week party.  This year, the Thursday night event will feature music by Norwegian DJ Cashmere Cat and Major Lazer’s Jillionaire.
Cashmere Cat, via PAMM
Katja Novitskova, Pattern of Activation (Callithrix Monkey), (2015), via Rubell Collection
At the Rubell Collection, Miami’s influential collecting family will continue their annual celebrations during the fair’s bustling week of events, opening a new show titled High Anxiety: New Acquisitions, a show dwelling on contemporary social tensions and political conflicts (a selection that feels all the more resonant in the wake of the fall elections).  The De La Cruz Collection will also be opening its annual exhibition in conjunction with the proceedings of Art Basel, a diverse arrangement of artists exploring the foundations and exchanges of art history and modern technology, unified under the fittingly ambiguous title Progressive Praxis.  Featuring pieces by Tauba Auerbach, Walead Beshty and others, the show is a unique exploration of the lines between the past, present and future of art, separate threads that seem to constantly be winding across each others’ paths.  The Margulies Collection will also be open, showing works by Jannis Kounellis, and an installation by Anselm Kiefer.
Ugo Rondinone, Miami Mountain (2016), via Bass Museum
And of course, another year in Miami also means countless parties, events and performances, as collectors, dealers and artists look to celebrate after long days at the Convention Center.  Early in the week, Maison Margiela will host a party celebrating its collaboration with Aaron De La Cruz, offering additional events to complement that openings and previews Tuesday in Miami’s Design District.
Derrick Adams, Floater No. 5Â (2016), via Rhona Hoffman
Basement, Miami Beach EDITION’s subterranean club, will return its annual roster of DJ’s and performers, including a Wednesday night appearance by legend Theo Parrish.  The hotel will also feature a book signing with Kim Gordon presented by Half Gallery and 303 Gallery.  MoMA PS1 will be hosting a new take on its popular concert series with Cool Down at the FDR Lounge.  Performances over the week include Discwoman and a celebration of Berlin’s Pogo Bar.  The organization’s more exclusive December 1st party (at the same address), hosted with Hood by Air, remains one of the most exclusive tickets in town.  Also on December 1st, Bombay Sapphire will host a party celebrating its Artisan Series Finale, and its new partnership with Creative Time, where the New York organization will help judge who the next artist to partner with Bombay Sapphire will be.  Jeremy Scott will also host his annual dinner and afterparty at the Delano Beach Club that night.  Nearby, at the Nautilus South Beach, Sean Kelly Gallery will host a benefit auction for Water For People, featuring work by Hugo McCloud and a DJ set from Melo-X.
Xu Zhen by MadeIn Company, XU ZHEN Under Heaven — 2808TR1601Â (2016), via James Cohan
Another year in Miami also sees another year of David Lynch’s popular Silencio club pop-up, which opens in Miami for a special one-night performance on December 2nd, featuring video work by artist Caecilia Tripp, a performance by A$AP Rocky, and music by Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe.  That night will also see Madonna touch down in the newly opened Faena Forum, hosting a performance and fundraiser for Raising Malawi.  The Forum and nearby Faena Arts Center, both designed by Rem Koolhaas’s OMA, will feature events and programming all week, including a massive geodesic dome by Juan Gatti on the beach near the hotel.
Joel Shapiro, Untitled (2015), via Pace Gallery
As parties wrap up that weekend, several hotels will be hosting Sunday brunch, including the Sagamore’s annual event, as well as The Standard’s Lazy Sunday BBQ, both of which have become staples of the last hours of Miami Art Week.
Song for the Sun by Caecilia Tripp, via Silencio
With rumors already circulating about special guests and appearances during the week, including a possible performance by Russian collective Pussy Riot, it would seem there is more in store for the loaded week of events in Miami Beach, one final week of sales and celebration before the art world takes a breather for the remainder of 2016.
Sara Cwynar, Hands (Re-Enactment) (2016), via Cooper Cole
Raque Ford, Yours Truly, Georgia Brown (2016), via 321
Evan Robarts – Halftime (2016), via 10 Hanover
Katie Bell, Blockade (2016), via Locust Projects
Derek Larson, Hopelessness (2016), via Ada Gallery
Read more:
Art Basel Miami Beach [Website]
NADA Miami Beach [Website]
Untitled Miami Beach [Website]
Perez Museum:Â Julio Le Parc [Exhibition Site]
De La Cruz Collection: Progressive Praxis [De La Cruz Collection]
Margulies Collection: Current Exhibitions [Margulies Collection]
Rubell Collection: Upcoming Exhibitions [Rubell Collection]
Paper Magazine Art Basel Preview [Paper]
“Art Basel Miami 2016 Preview: The Beach is Back” [W Magazine]
