As the year races to a close, the art world is looking ahead to the last major moment of the season with a week of fairs, glamorous parties, and pop-up exhibitions anchored by Art Basel Miami Beach (ABMB). While the storied fair opens to the public Friday 6 December and runs through Sunday, VIPs are afforded with two days of previews to sample the most coveted artworks on offer beginning Wednesday the 4th. This year’s selection promises to be as robust as ever with presentations from 286 premier international galleries.
Joining ABMB are several other fairs across the city, from industry leader Untitled Art on the sands of Miami Beach to the New Art Dealers Alliance across Biscayne Bay. With curator and collectors flocking to Miami, many are taking advantage of the enthusiasm of the week and staging pop-ups across town. Just a short walk from ABMB is Moroccan photographer Hassan Hajjaj’s exhibition in collaboration with The Cultivist and Capital One. Taking inspiration from the bustling souk of Marrakech, the vibrant space will be activated in a series of dinners curated by MICHELIN-starred restaurateur Rose Previte, as well as tea services and performances.
Inside the Convention Center, ABMB’s distinct sectors offer a diverse mix of curated and thematic presentations, with the Galleries sector featuring seasoned dealers and leaders of the industry. This year, David Nolan Gallery stands out as an exhibitor to look for. Nolan has participated in Art Basel fairs for over 25 years and looks forward to the Miami Beach edition for its enthusiastic buyers who are “curious and eager to learn,” he says. Hoping to catch their eye, Nolan is bringing historic works by figures like Giorgio Morandi and Brice Marden, as well as newer pieces, including renowned artist Chakaia Booker’s sculpture made of rubber tires and wood that demonstrate the creative potential of industrial materials.
In the Meridians sector–curated by Yasmil Raymond, former Director of Portikus and Rector of the Hochschule für Bildende Künste-Städelschule–the fair offers a platform for artworks that are large-scale and immersive. Featuring some of the most exciting works on view, both in their size and in their ambitious materials, this year’s Meridians presentations include conceptual artist Sarah Meyohas’s monumental multipanel hologram of magnified plant imagery layered with representations of the female form presented by Marianne Boesky Gallery. Joining this are large-scale, abstract tapestries from the 1980s drawing inspiration from the ephemerality of light and the natural world by Korean fibre artist Lee ShinJa with Tina Kim Gallery.
Celebrating rising stars of contemporary art is the Nova sector, which features work made by up to three artists within the last three years. A highlight is Charles Moffett making its ABMB debut with a duo-presentation centreing placemaking and self-determination with felt portraits by Melissa Joseph and recycled-tire sculptures Kim Dacres. "Both artists’ careers are entering a vital inflection point and now feels like a strong moment to showcase their art on the kind of stage that Art Basel offers,” Moffett says.
Elsewhere, the Survey sector offers a historic counterpoint to Nova’s fresh faces with works made prior to 2000, including Portland-based ILY2’s selection of mixed-media pieces by Bonnie Lucas that question notions of femininity and incorporate craft and consumer objects, such as dolls and toys. “We are thrilled to exhibit at the fair for the first time,” says gallery senior director Jeanine Jablonski. “Bonnie’s unwavering, steadfast, decidedly feminist practice is precisely the type of work we champion.” Though working for over four decades, Lucas has only recently received widespread regard, an exciting moment to collect an industry pioneer on the rise.
Rounding out the fair are the Kabinett sector’s thematically curated presentations, including hand-embroidered textiles by Palestinian-American artist Jordan Nasser that explore language, heritage, and concepts of homeland, presented by Anat Ebgi, as well as the Positions sector featuring solo presentations of emerging artists or galleries. A highlight in Positions is an assortment of shrine-like installations of photographs and relics by interdisciplinary artist Agosto Machado presented by Gordon Robichaux. Exploring the artist’s life and the rich legacy of creatives in downtown Manhattan, these works offer a snapshot of pivotal moments in recent history, including the AIDS crisis and the queer activism of Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson.
Art Basel Miami Beach runs 6-8 December 2024
