10 things you shouldn’t miss at Art Basel 2017

RENDERING COURTESY OF ES DEVLIN.

Since its inception in 2002, Art Basel Miami Beach has become the best known art fair in the country, with everyone and their dog flocking to the sawdust beaches of Miami to see what’s new and next in art. The festival has spurred an outgrowth of additional fairs and parties that take place during the same week in December. Beyond the main fair, you can explore fairs like Design Miami/, NADA, PRIZM, Untitled, PULSE, Fair., and SCOPE, as well as additional exhibitions all over greater Miami. These include Es Devlin’s installation at the EDITION hotel, the murals at Wynwood Walls, the third year of Jeffrey Deitch and Larry Gagosian’s collaboratively curated exhibition, and many more. But with so many events demanding your attention, what should you populate your day planner with? Here are 10 exhibitions you shouldn’t miss.

 

CARSTEN HÖLLER, “THE PRADA DOUBLE CLUB MIAMI”

Originally shown in London in an old Victorian warehouse just beside Angel tube station, Höller’s “The Double Club” was created as a bridge between Western and Congolese culture. Höller’s work throughout the years has drawn inspiration from Congolese rumba music and fara fara (translated to “face to face”) dance-off gatherings, which includes “The Double Club,” commissioned by Fondazione Prada and only in existence from November 2008 to July 2009.

Like the original, “The Prada Double Club Miami” will include a bar, restaurant, and dance club, and is meant to be experienced as a fully functioning nightlife venue. Set in a former ice factory, at a to-be-announced address, this second iteration of “The Double Club” will be divided into an internal club space and an outdoor tropical garden, one being entirely monochromatic, while the other is hyper-polychromatic.

“The Prada Double Club Miami” is invite-only and will take place on December 5 to 7 from 10:30 p.m. until late.

“THE DOUBLE CLUB” IN LONDON, NOVEMBER 2008. PHOTO BY ATTILIO MARANZANO. IMAGE COURTESY OF FONDAZIONE PRADA.

MIKA ROTTENBERG, “MIKA ROTTENBERG”

The newly re-opened Bass Museum of Art will host the opening of Mika Rottenberg’s self-titled solo exhibition featuring new work created over the past two years. Rottenberg will show a piece titled “Cosmic Generator” that debuted at Skulptur Projekte Münster 2017, as well as “NoNoseKnows (Artist Variant),” which debuted at the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015. It’s a video and sculptural installation that combines fact and fiction through documentation of a group of Chinese laborers who harvest pearls in ZhuJi, China, empty high rises near Shanghai, and a fictional set built in the artist’s studio in New York.

“Mika Rottenberg,” in addition to the previously opened “Good Evening Beautiful Blue” exhibition by Ugo Rondinone, is on view from December 7 to April 30, 2018.

IMAGE COURTESY OF THE BASS MUSEUM OF ART.

STUDIO DRIFT, “FRANCHISE FREEDOM”

Amsterdam-based duo Studio Drift are premiering a new, flying sculpture, titled “FRANCHISE FREEDOM,” in partnership with BMW and PACE Gallery. Continuing their exploration of light and movement-based art inspired by patterns in nature, “FRANCHISE FREEDOM” is made up of 300 autonomous, flying drones, each equipped with a light source to imitate the stunning phenomenon of birds swarmed in flight. To create “FRANCHISE FREEDOM,” Studio Drift studied the natural flight patterns of starling birds and translated them into software that’s been specially developed and embedded in the drones.

“FRANCHISE FREEDOM” represents the first time that a flock on this scale has been presented by machines working with decentralized algorithms. It will debut on December 6 at 9 p.m. on the beach between 32nd and 33rd Street off of Collins Avenue.

STUDIO DRIFT, “FRANCHISE FREEDOM – A FLYING SCULPTURE BY STUDIO DRIFT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BMW,” 2017, RENDERING. © STUDIO DRIFT.

JEFFREY DEITCH AND LARRY GAGOSIAN, “ABSTRACT / NOT ABSTRACT”

Since 2015, renowned art dealers Jeffrey Deitch and Larry Gagosian have collaborated on an exhibition during the week of Art Basel Miami Beach titled “ABSTRACT / NOT ABSTRACT.” Exploring the development of contemporary abstract painting, the exhibition features over 30 artists whose work redefines the term “abstraction” itself, including Urs Fischer, Tauba Auerbach, Sterling Ruby, Christina Quarles, Dan Colen, and Analia Saban.

“ABSTRACT / NOT ABSTRACT” is on view at the Moore Building in Miami’s Design District from December 6 to 10.

STERLING RUBY, “WIDW. ALLPORT.,” 2017. PHOTO BY ROBERT WEDEMEYER. IMAGE COURTESY OF STERLING RUBY STUDIO AND GAGOSIAN.

ES DEVLIN, “ROOM 2022”

Last year, the famed stage designer Es Devlin debuted her first solo installation, titled “MirrorMaze,” in a London warehouse. Exploring the connection between scent and memory, “MirrorMaze” invited visitors into exactly that, a maze of mirrors, which create numerous reflections of the subjects and spaces around them.

Though she’s known for awe-inspiring live environments for clients like Beyoncé, Adele, and Kanye West—detailed in Netflix’s recent “Abstract: The Art of Design” 2017 documentary series—Devlin’s solo work is both new and exciting. This year, in partnership with American Express Platinum, Devlin will exhibit “ROOM 2022,” a site-specific installation at the Miami Beach EDITION that begins with a reimagined hotel room, continues through a color-flooded zoetrope, and ends in a vaulted elliptical mirror maze.

“ROOM 2022” in on view from December 7 to 10 at the Miami Beach EDITION.

 

RENDERING COURTESY OF ES DEVLIN.

WYNWOOD WALLS, “HUMANKIND”

Since partnering with Jeffrey Deitch to co-curate the first Wynwood Walls in 2009, Goldman Properties has yet again commissioned a global roster of artists to paint murals in the once up-and-coming Miami neighborhood. This year’s theme, “humanKIND,” is a guiding compass for the 12 artists selected, who will both paint walls and have work shown in the on-site gallery.

This year’s Wynwood Walls artists include: Seth Globepainter (France), Joe Iurato (USA), Leon Keer (Amsterdam), Tristan Eaton (USA), Lady Pink (USA), eL Seed (France), 2SHY (France), Audrey Kawasaki (USA), Bordalo II (Portugal), Pro176 (France), Risk (USA) and Martin Watson (Norway).

PHOTO BY WILL GRAHAM. IMAGE COURTESY OF WYNWOOD WALLS.

STEVE MCQUEEN, “END CREDITS”

In addition to ongoing exhibitions by artists Dara Friedman and Haroon Mirza, the Pérez Art Museum Miami most recently opening Steve McQueen’s film installation, “End Credits,” which pays homage to the African American singer, actor, and Civil Rights activist Paul Robeson (1898–1976) and highlights the perverse nature of politically driven discrimination. The film features male and female voices reading the significantly censored pages of a now public archive from the FBI’s tracking of Robeson.

“End Credits” is on view through March 11, 2018 at PAMM.

STEVE MCQUEEN, END CREDITS, 2012–2016. INSTALLATION VIEW: OPEN PLAN: STEVE MCQUEEN, WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART, NEW YORK, APRIL 29–MAY 14, 2016. PHOTO BY RON AMSTUTZ. IMAGE COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND MARIAN GOODMAN GALLERY AND THOMAS DANE GALLERY, LONDON.

VIRGIL ABLOH X NIKE, “SOCIAL STUDIES”

Social Studies is a new initiative launched by Angelo Baque during this year’s Art Basel that includes educational programs, curatorial workshops, and retail pop-ups. Featured guests and retailers include Virgil Abloh of Off-White™, Union Los Angeles, 032c Magazine, No Vacancy Inn, Some Ware, ELECTION REFORM!, Online Ceramics, Awake NY, Shaniqwa Jarvis, and more.

Social Studies takes place at 151 NE 41st Street, Suite 123, in Miami from December 6-9.

IMAGE COURTESY OF NIKE

KATIE STOUT, “NARCISSUS”

Katie Stout will open a new exhibition, titled “Narcissus,” at Miami’s Nina Johnson Gallery. The work in “Narcissus” examines the female form through embroidered bodies set amongst classical design objects including a Venetian Moore lamp, a stool, a vanity, and a chandelier. Stout’s work in this exhibition explores the relationship between the human body and furniture throughout history, as well as how individual fantasy plays into communal, domestic spaces.

“Narcissus” is on view from December 4 to January 6, 2018 at Nina Johnson Gallery.

IMAGE COURTESY OF KATIE STOUT AND NINA JOHNSON GALLERY.

BJÖRK DJ SET AND WU-TANG CLAN PERFORMANCE AT III POINTS

For an explicitly musical respite both early and later in the week, iii Points continues their annual music programming during Art Basel with a DJ set by Björk on December 5 and a performance by Wu-Tang Clan on December 9.

Both events are rare occurrences. Though Björk has done incredible DJ sets in the past, she mainly performs her own music in live settings. And though Wu-Tang clan recently performed together on Jimmy Fallon, they hardly perform live together. Coincidentally, Björk recently revealed that she collaborated with Wu-Tang clan during the late ‘90s on unreleased material.

Both the Björk DJ set and Wu-Tang Clan performance take place at Mana Wynwood with advance tickets available via iii Points.

PHOTO BY MARIA JOSE GOVEA OF BJÖRK AT RBMA NYC FESTIVAL 2015. IMAGE COURTESY OF RED BULL.

ART BASEL MIAMI BEACH BEGINS DECEMBER 7, 2017 AND RUNS UNTIL DECEMBER 10, 2017.