Elmgreen & Dragset, Before the Storm (2019), via Kukje
With the conclusion of another year, the art world has once again turned its attention to the bustling Miami cityscape for another year of of the Art Basel fair franchise on the tip of the Florida peninsula. Bringing together the global art community for a week of fairs, exhibitions and parties on the streets of Miami and Miami Beach, the fair and its satellites will look to further its influence and footprint in the city.
John Armleder, Etang (2019), via Almine Rech
At the center of the week’s proceedings is, of course, Art Basel Miami Beach, the mega-fair that will take over the Miami Beach Convention Center’s newly renovated halls. Some things remain the same, of course, namely the packed lineup of 269 galleries from around the globe (including 20 first-time exhibitors), and a focus on high-profile, blue-chip works alongside more adventurous curatorial projects and pieces. David Zwirner will be on hand, showing works by its women artists, including Carol Bove, Yayoi Kusama, and Joan Mitchell, while at Cardi Gallery, one can view a selection of works by artists including Alighiero Boetti, Pier Paolo Calzolari and Enrico Castellani.  At Marianne Boesky, the gallery will show new works by the recently added artist Allison Janae Hamilton, while Metro Pictures will show new work by Cindy Sherman.
Sterling Ruby, Kiln #1 (2005), via ICA
Jennifer Barlett, Boats (1987), via Paula Cooper
The fair opens a new exhibition project this year as well, Meridians, which will recall the special section at its flagship fair in Basel, inviting artists and galleries to show large-scale pieces and installations. Theaster Gates’s film Dance of Malaga, 2019, will make its US debut in the section this year, presented by Regen Projects, while Almine Rech will debut a large-scale quadriptych painting by John M. Armleder. The fair also returns its other main sections: Nova, where galleries present one, two or three artists showing works created within the last three years and Positions, which focuses in particular on younger artists and new talent with specially curated shows, not to mention its editioned works section.
Laure Prouvost, DEEP TRAVELS Ink (2016-2019), via Lisson
Heidi Lau, Tears. Gas. Pearls. (2019), via AA|LA
On the other side of Biscayne Bay, the 17th edition of the New Art Dealers Alliance fair in Miami will also return to South Florida, running December 5th – 8th at Ice Palace Studios. Dedicated to showcasing new art and to celebrating rising talents from around the globe, with a particular focus on younger galleries and a trend-setting perspective towards curatorial projects and new art, the fair is always a more familial and refreshing spin on the week’s bustling calendar, offering a more immersive and engaging format with ample artists and exhibitions wandering freely and chatting up their colleagues. New York’s Mrs. Gallery will present work by artist Sarah Palmer, while at 56 Henry one can view new works by Cynthia Talmadge.  The fair will also showcase a series of special projects, including intricate environmental investigations by Heidi Lau, and work by Chloe Seibert.
Sarah Palmer, Indelible Laughter (2018), via Mrs.
Esvin AlarcoÌn Lam, Fumarola rosa (2019), via Herlitzka + Faria
Also of note is UNTITLED Miami Beach, the Miami Beach fair set up atop the sand and picturesque views of the Atlantic. An international, curated art fair founded in 2012 that focuses on balance and integrity across all disciplines of contemporary art, UNTITLED innovates the standard fair model by selecting a curatorial team to identify, and curate a selection of galleries, artist-run exhibition spaces, and non-profit institutions and organizations, in dialogue with an architecturally designed venue. The result is a show that focuses more on unified concepts and interlinked ideas than most other fairs on hand, and often presents booths more as works in and of themselves rather than as a site for the featuring of lone objects or a series of pieces. At London’s 50 Golborne, one can view a range of works, including new ceramics by Ranti Bam, while at Catharine Clark, artist Stephanie Syjuco will present a series of meticulously rendered pieces of historical American fashion in chroma-key green, rendering them processable by varied digital technologies of obfuscation and replacement.Â
Stephanie Syjuco, The Visible Invisible: Antebellum South (Simplicity) (2018), via Catharine Clark
Ranti Bam, Agono (2019), via 50 Golborne
Sterling Ruby at ICA Miami (Installation View), via ICA Miami
Around the city, a range of other exhibitions and programs will also be taking place, underscoring the sheer density of the week’s offerings. On Tuesday, the Design District will open a string of shows and exhibitions around the neighborhood that has become something of an early week tradition, centered in particular around the ICA Miami’s annual Art Week party, this year featuring performances by percussionist Greg Fox and DJ duo AceMoma, and celebrating shows dedicated to Sterling Ruby, Robert Gober, and more.  A few blocks away, Jeffrey Deitch and Gagosian will reprise their collaboration for Miami Art week with a new show, The Extreme Present, exploring concepts of media, communication, togetherness, and isolation in the the rapidly evolving landscape of the digital era. The Perez Museum will also return its annual party, with Chicago-based soul singer, poet, and arts educator Jamila Woods performing a live set on the waterfront terrace of the museum, while at the Bass Museum on Miami Beach, shows by Mickalene Thomas and Lara Favaretto will go on view.
Lara Favaretto, Momentary Monument – The Library (2012-2019), via The Bass
And of course, what would Miami Art week be without its parties, with new and old names touching down at hotels and clubs across the city. The Faena will host a string of parties this week, including a party celebrating the launch of a new Dom Perignon line with Lenny Kravitz at the hotel’s impressive locale, while Rockwell, the Miami Beach nightclub, is partnering with nightlife staple 1 OAK for a concert series that in the past has featured 2 Chainz, Gucci Mane and Nas, among others. EDITION Miami will also open a string of parties over the course of the week, including appearances by Diplo, Dimitri from Paris, and more.
Bel Fullana, Untitled, via Freight + Volume
Of course, the sheer density of the shows and parties means there’s any number of ways to tackle the week, and visitors should always remember that with all of the options for the week, the sunny beach is always just a few steps away.  Events begin Tuesday, December 3rd.
Rob Pruitt, Hungry (2013), via Gavin Brown’s Enterprise
Lucio Fontana, Concetto spaziale, Attese (1964), via Cardi
Cindy Sherman, Untitled #605 (2019), via Metro Pictures
General Idea, Test Pattern: T.V. Dinner Plates from the Miss General Idea Pavillion (1988), via Mitchell-Iness and Nash, Esther Schipper and Mai 36
Mario Merz, Pantere Sul Cono (1978), via Konrad Fischer
Mary Sibande, The Domba Dance (2019), via Kavi Gupta
Andy Warhol, Ladies and Gentlemen (Wilhelmina Ross), (1975), via Levy Gorvy
— D. Creahan
Read more:
Art Basel Miami Beach [Fair Site]
NADA Miami [Exhibition Site]
Untitled Miami Beach [Exhibition Site]
ICA Miami Exhibitions [Museum Site]
The Extreme Present [Exhibition Announcement]
The Bass Museum [Exhibition Site]
