Whilst in England December spells freezing rain, Christmas shopping frenzies and prolonged spells on the sofa, art lovers may feel more than a slight pang of jealousy as, across in America, Art Basel Miami Beach rolls back into town.
The sister show of Switzerland’s famed Art Basel, only in its 6th year, Art Basel Miami Beach is rapidly becoming one of the most important art fairs in the world. What at first seemed an odd pairing of steady, serious Basel and glitzy, frenetic Miami is proving to be a masterstroke for its creators who are expecting over 40,000 visitors from around the world this year.
The fair has presented the visitors who flock there an opportunity to see and buy art from the foremost figures in contemporary art in past years. Its charms have also drawn many famous faces, from luminaries of the cultural world such as Zaha Hadid, Karl Lagerfeld and Sophia Coppola to celebrities better known for their pneumatic appearances than their creative talents, notably Pamela Anderson.
Art Basel Miami Beach is increasingly garnering the reputation of being as much a social event as it is an art fair. Legend has it that last year the fair drew more private jets to Miami than any other cultural event. Yet, what has been dubbed the ‘Cannes Film Festival’ of the arts world still has much in the way of contemporary art and film.
With an emphasis on the cultural diversity which Miami is renowned for, placing cutting edge art together with exhibits from top galleries and 200 gallery booths catering to most people’s contemporary art needs, it promises to be a vibrant weekend of exhibitions, screenings and parties.
Despite its slightly showy reputation, this year’s fair is not lacking in controversial material. Much of the artwork on display focuses on issues of gender and female sexuality. Moroccan born Mounir Fatmi’s photographic series ‘Evolution or Death’ portrays women with books strapped to them that imitate bombs, which raises political issues around the power of women’s education and the view held by some that it is destructive rather than positive.
There are also more light hearted and humorous works on display, such as Erwin Wurm’s headless bronze sculpture ‘Anger Bumps’ which is full of comic uncontainable rage. Some of the strongest works in the exhibition include ‘El Anatsui ‘, a huge tapestry constructed entirely from shining aluminium bottle tops, Cary Kwok’s inked Japanese women including ‘Plumage’, and Richard Wathen’s ‘Aubrey’, a nude portrait of a young boy painted in soft subtle colours which has a unique, otherworldly quality.
Aneta Grzeszykowska’s video ‘Black’ along with her hand-made dolls will be on display in the Art Video Lounge as well as Susan Philipsz’ ‘Songs Sung in the First Person on the Theme of Longing, Sympathy and Release.’ Vivid Astro Focus’ video ‘Butch Queen Realness with a Twist in Pastel Colors Video Show’ which brings together footage drawn from various sources including television shows, music videos, film of club nights, other artists’ videos, abstract designs, dance performances and animations will be shown daily.
Not to let the art completely overshadow things, rock and roll spirit is brought to proceedings by a hotly anticipated free performance from Iggy Pop and the Stooges on December 5th.
For all the criticism of Art Basel’s rampant commercialism, however, there is a genuine commitment by the organisers to nurture new talent. Notably, the established Art Nova sector offers galleries a chance to showcase the work of three rising artists each. An exciting new addition to the fair this year is Art Supernova, an innovative project which sees the collaboration of 20 galleries presenting work in interconnected exhibition spaces, which will feature recent works by emerging artists as well as those more established in the field.
Art Basel Miami Beach runs from the 6th to 9th of December. And despite being labelled ‘an art Costco for billionaires’ by the New York Times, underneath the decadence, spending and opportunities to ogle celebrities there is some stunning art to be found in the sunshine of Miami.
