COURTESY ART BASEL
With design insiders and art aficionados in sunny South Florida for days of exhibitions and installations, it’s no wonder the industry has been abuzz with talk of can’t-miss displays at Art Basel and Design Miami. From avant-garde furniture at the Miami Design District to experiential displays and pieces that push the envelope (looking at you, duct-taped banana), here’s a brief breakdown of some of the stops worth making this weekend.
Rubell Museum
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Marking the debut of its new campus during the city’s biggest art-centric event of the year, the Rubell Museum is offering free admission during Miami Art Week hours through December 8. Mera and Don Rubell are known for championing emerging talent and curating one of the world’s largest privately owned, publicly accessible contemporary art collections. The inaugural exhibition — spread throughout the location’s 40 galleries, plus public spaces — includes more than 300 pieces by 100 artists, including early works by renowned creatives like Cindy Sherman and Keith Haring.
Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades
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In line with the innovative pieces found in Louis Vuitton’s travel-inspired Objets Nomades collection, the Swell Wave shelf by San Francisco designer Andrew Kudless makes it premiere at the house’s Miami Design District store. Featuring polished oak shelves and vibrant blue leather straps, the sleek piece joins other cutting-edge designs new to Design Miami.
South Beach Stories – Versace x Sasha Bikoff
PHOTO COURTESY SASHA BIKOFF
With punches of color nodding to Miami’s vibrant oceanside social scene, the “South Beach Stories” exhibit features archival looks by Versace accompanied by an array of equally bold furniture by interior designer Sasha Bikoff. The Art Deco vibes are strong at this exhibit, which borrows its name from the 1993 book published by Gianni and Donatella Versace.
“Roman Molds” – Fendi x Kung Caputo
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Fendi is putting a vibrant spin on color-blocking with a 10-piece furniture collection by Zurich-based studio Kueng Caputo. Inspired by the architecture of the very building the pieces are intended to decorate, “Roman Molds” pays homage to both the arches of the Italian house’s headquarters in Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana and Fendi’s reputation for expertly mixing tradition with innovation.
Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz Collection
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Renown contemporary art collectors Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz invite the public to view current exhibition “From Day to Day” at their Key Biscayne home. The collection, on display for special hours during Art Basel, includes pieces from artists such as Salvador Dali, Alex Katz and more.
“Order of Importance” – Leandro Erlich
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Argentine artist Leandro Erlich is bringing more (foot) traffic to Miami Beach. His installation, “Order of Importance,” features 66 sand sculptures of cars and trucks. The life-sized replicas have been on display since December 1 and will remain through December 15, as the natural elements slowly take their toll on the pieces — a process intended to symbolize “a harsh and rigid modernity that is at odds with natural and porous material.”
“Disruptions” – Art Basel Cities: Buenos Aires
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Large-scale artworks take center stage at Miami Beach’s Collins Park with sculptural and interactive pieces by Argentine artists Marie Orensanz, Pablo Reinoso, Marcela Sinclair, Agustina Woodgate, Matias Duville and Graciela Haspers. In a summary of the “Disruptions” exhibition, the curators note: “What unites these artists is not a passport; rather that, by virtue of their individual poetics, they each demand ludic and critical reflections on our environment, which will be experienced by each visitor differently.”
“Conversations With Nature”
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Taking post at Brickell City Centre, “Conversations with Nature” features a series of colorful installations and experiences that encourages visitors to get to the root of their relationship with the natural world. The show, curated by Albie Alexander, ultimately highlights the efforts needed to combat climate change.
