Art Basel Miami Beach 2023: A Kaleidoscope of Contemporary Creativity
As Fall begins to draw to a close in Miami, the art world turns its gaze to the annual spectacle that is Art Basel Miami Beach. In 2023, this illustrious event continues to be a beacon for art enthusiasts, collectors, and cultural connoisseurs from around the globe. Art Basel Miami Beach is not just an art fair; it’s a cultural phenomenon that transforms the city into a canvas of modern imagination and a stage for avant-garde expression.
Art Basel, which originated in Basel, Switzerland, has become synonymous with the contemporary art scene. Its expansion to Miami Beach has created a unique fusion of artistic innovation and Miami’s eclectic energy. The fair typically takes place at the Miami Beach Convention Center, but its presence is felt throughout the city with satellite shows, pop-up galleries, and exclusive events that make the entire week an immersive experience.
What to Expect in 2023
The 2023 edition of Art Basel Miami Beach promises an array of experiences that cater to the diverse tastes of its international audience. Here’s what attendees can anticipate:
Global Galleries: With over 250 leading galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa showcasing significant works from masters of modern and contemporary art, as well as a new generation of emerging stars, the variety is unparalleled. Paintings, sculptures, installations, photographs, films, and editioned works of the highest quality are on display, offering a comprehensive look at the art of today and tomorrow.
Sectors: The fair is divided into sectors, each offering a different perspective. ‘Galleries’ is the main sector, featuring established galleries’ most important works. ‘Positions’ allows curators, critics, and collectors to discover new talents, with each gallery presenting a major project by a single artist. ‘Nova’ is where new cutting-edge works are presented, created within the last three years. ‘Edition’ features leading publishers of editioned works and prints, and ‘Kabinett’ is a curated exhibition space within the galleries’ booths.
Conversations and Salon: Art Basel’s Conversations and Salon series provide a platform for dialogues and discussions on a range of topics, from the role of art in contemporary society to the dynamics of the art market. These sessions are led by prominent members of the art world: artists, curators, critics, and collectors.
Film: A sector dedicated to films by and about artists. Screenings take place inside the convention center and in the beautiful outdoor setting of SoundScape Park, where a monumental 7,000-square-foot projection wall brings the works to life.
Public Art: ‘Public’ brings sculptures and installations to the picturesque Collins Park, with works by leading and emerging international artists. It’s a chance to see how contemporary art interacts with the urban landscape.
Miami’s Local Art Scene: Beyond the convention center, Miami’s dynamic galleries, private collections, and museums join in with special exhibitions and events. The Design District, Wynwood, and the Museum Park are just a few of the areas where the spirit of Art Basel is echoed.
The Impact Beyond Art
Art Basel Miami Beach is more than an art fair; it’s a cultural event that spills into the streets, beaches, and businesses of Miami. Fashion shows, exclusive parties, and celebrity sightings add to the fair’s glamour, while discussions on sustainability, diversity, and cultural policy reflect its depth and relevance.
Art Basel Miami Beach 2023 is set to be a testament to the power of art to connect, challenge, and celebrate the human experience. It’s a place where the art community comes together to honor the past, present, and future of creative expression. Whether you’re a seasoned collector or a curious onlooker, the fair offers something to inspire and engage everyone who steps into its world of wonder.
As the event approaches, the anticipation builds for what is sure to be another unforgettable chapter in the history of Art Basel Miami Beach. Prepare to be dazzled by the art, the people, and the city, all coming together for a celebration of creativity that knows no bounds.
Art Basel Miami Beach Attracts Over 60,000 Attendees
Art Basel returns to Miami Beach with its first ever in-person show in the United States since 2019. With robust sales and exceptional presentations, this show paves the way for years to come. Art Basel’s first show took place on December 2nd, closing on December 4th with reports of brisk sales across all market areas and throughout the course of the exhibition.
The event drew over 60,000 people in total throughout the course of its VIP and regular days with well-known art collectors from 72 countries throughout the United States, Europe, Africa, and Latin America as well as 253 international galleries from 36 countries. In 2019, the art exhibit drew in 81,000 but with the new digital programs, Art Basel could be experienced from the comfort of home.
Through a digital program that includes Online Viewing Rooms, virtual walkthroughs, livestreamed chats, and social media broadcasts that bring the energy and excitement of the show floor to the widest global audience possible. This digital program first tested at the Hong Kong and Basel show with a successful implementation.
According to an Art Basel press release, 44 galleries joined the event for the first time ever, which included Wilding Cran Gallery from Los Angeles, Curro from Guadalajara, Daniel Faria Gallery from Toronto and many more. There were also 4 additional galleries from Africa.
According the Global Director of Art Basel, Marc Spiegler, “This show marks the first truly international art fair to take place in the United States since the beginning of the pandemic. It has been incredible to witness again the energy in the halls and the enormous pent-up demand for seeing, buying, and selling art in person. We featured a much more diverse range of voices than ever before, making this show particularly vibrant and rich in new discoveries.”
Art Basel will be coming back to Miami Beach on December 1st-4th, 2022.
The Miami Marine Stadium Just Got a Gigantic New Mural by Miami Artist HoxxoH
Photos by Diana Larrea
The Miami Marine Stadium, a sculpture in itself, has been a canvas for extraordinary murals and wall art since its abandonment after Hurricane Andrew in 1992. The spectacle of perpetually changing paintings, as muralists and graffiti artists paint over their predecessors over and over again, is a lot like a vertical Wynwood, with water views. Miami artist Douglas Hoekzema, also known as HoxxoH, has created a huge circular eye, sun, or bulls-eye, with a flower-like iris inside a larger iris the deep blue color of the deep sea.
HoxxoH announced the piece, with great photography by Parcialmente Nublada (a.k.a. Diana Larrea) yesterday on his Facebook page, describing the process snappily: “Miami Marine Stadium 2016, 2Dudes, 2Days, 1Generator, 1AirlessSprayGun, 70Gallons.of.Paint, 1AwesomeStadium.” As it gained a little bit of attention, he told the New Times today that he was inspired by the work of another local artist, Emmett Moore, who also did a large scale piece at the stadium, and by the constantly changing nature of the site:
“The temporary nature is the best part of this project,” he says. “The stadium provided an amazing environment that was constantly being changed by artists, and I’m assuming it will be changing until the last minute.”
It could even, speculated the NT, but the last massive mural created at the stadium, because of the Heineken-sponsored funding campaign to begin renovations and reopen it as an event venue. Or maybe not, considering the Heineken money, although a great start, is nowhere near enough to do the entire job. As Hoxxoh said “It will be changing until the last minute.”
This is a Skyscraper Robot Mashup of Miami’s Most Iconic Art Deco Architecture
Miami Robot. By artist Joel Kuntz
Contemporary artist Joel Kuntz’s work often explores ideas about urbanism, architectural style, and iconography. He addressed all of those themes in his Globobot Series, of large graphic prints and 3D figures, created by mashing together simple line drawings and cutouts of the most recognizable buildings from major cities around the world, transformers style.The results are person-shaped miniature towers, or robots, that somehow still look remarkably like the cities they’re based on.
New York’s Robot is a futuristic gotham topped by One World Trade Center’s spire. Paris is a gnarly gargoyle combining Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Paris Pantheon, etc. with an ancient hump (The hump looks like the pantheon, a temple-like Dome commission by Napoleon as his tomb), all wrapped in a daringly translucent little cocktail dress. Of course this ‘outfit’ is really just the more modern great glass pyramid of the Louvre.
And then there’s Miami. Here it is in neon rainbows. The Miami robot is mostly but not entirely a big pile of art deco stuff scattered around South Beach. Kuntz has squeezed in one or two post-modern and contemporary works too. See you if you can recognize which ones. Check out the rest of Kuntz’s robot-city-mashups over at his website, here.