Guide to Art Basel Miami 2019
An overwhelming amount of people come to Miami for what has become one of the most influential art weeks in the country, Art Basel. First brought in 2002, this year's Art Basel will host over 260 galleries with the most pristine modern and contemporary artworks in the market. Miami has developed a very particular taste for art, and thus a few types of crowds that mingle across the satellite fairs. With so many events around the city, the question is where to start, what to see, and how to move around? We've curated the best things to do for Art Basel 2019 based on location for you to avoid the traffic and get the most out of art week. Welcome to Miami!
Miami Beach
Known for its sexy beaches and its flamboyant nightlife, Miami Beach is a destination like no other, and Miami Art Week won't be any different. Rivers of people stroll through the traffic jams brought by the event, but no amount of street blocks is a challenge when the final destination is Art Basel. Curators, collectors, experts, and amateurs in contemporary art, as well as modern art, gather around the Miami Beach Convention Center only to delight themselves with pieces of names like Hirst, Picasso, Magritte, or even Koons. Design Miami takes part across the street from the Miami Beach convention center, adjacent to the new Art Now Fair. Although these are the most famous venues and almost the epicenter of this Arthquake, Miami Beach also hosts a variety of events like Scope Miami and Untitled. Besides, some of the beachfront hotels are hosting exhibitions such as Aqua Art Miami, and the Faena Art: The Last Supper.
Find us on Saturday December 7th in front of the Scope tent with our Piaggio Ape 50 activation from 11 am to 3pm.
Downtown Miami
As another hub of art and culture, downtown Miami is hosting a variety of satellite fairs. Art Miami is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Context, their next-door neighbor is also a platform for emerging and cutting-edge artists. On top of being an emblematic stop for any baseling tourist, they also focus on reinforcing the profession of mid-career artists.
Downtown is an artistic Pandora's Box, and one of its best-kept secrets is the New World School of Arts, where artist and Shoot My Travel co-founder, Camilo Rojas, is showing his typography-based show "The Power of Unknown." In the exhibition he explores the duality of words, with the presence of light and the usage of hand-rendered calligraphy and lettering to make you ponder on basic concepts that suddenly turn into deep explorations of the self.
The team Shoot My Travel team will be hosting a photo meet-up on Wednesday, December 4th, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
Mana Contemporary, one of the constants in the city, will have a few events highlighting local talent, and the storefronts of the area will be activated with pieces by Miami-based artists. Between music and contemporary gallery spaces, this venue has something for everyone, from digital to traditional artworks.
Thursday December 5th, we will be supporting local students at The Wharf Miami, located at 114 SW North River Dr, a riverside venue where we will be taking polaroids of guests sharing some of our company swag.
Brickell
As an ever-growing neighborhood, Brickell seems to get taller and taller. Taking advantage of the impressively glamorous lobby, East Miami is opening an installation inspired by the local flavors in the urban landscape of Brickell. One of the latest additions to the financial district of the city is the Brickell City Centre, where "Conversations with Nature" will be on display and free to the public.
Wynwood
North of Downtown, in the famous district of Wynwood, visitors will find a very diverse range of activities, between galleries, local eateries to breweries, and brand pop-up activations. Pinta Miami fair is open from December 4th to the 8th, focused on Latin American artists.
Wynwood also provides the best street art in the city! Make sure to stop by Wynwood Walls, and check out their new commissioned murals in celebration of their tenth anniversary. Some of the insignias on the Baseling tour are also in the district: Red Dot Miami and Spectrum Miami are a couple of fairs located next to each other. They are among the most visited due to its magnitude and their diversity in content.
We will be roaming the streets of Wynwood with our photographers on December 6th from 5pm to 9pm, make sure to find us to be featured on our Basel blog.
Little Haiti/ Little River
One of the up and coming neighborhoods in Miami is the industrial district of Little Haiti. Home of predominantly African American businesses, the influence is seen in the galleries around; from the Emerson Dorsch Gallery and its South-Florida based artists to the Pan American Art Projects, mainly focused on building a connection between the North American Artists and the South American counterparts as one of the secret jewels in the city. &gallery will be showing a local artist, Carol Fryd, and her exhibition "In The Garden.”
Museums
On top of the previously mentioned venues, Miami is also home to museums that shine throughout Miami Art Week. The Institute of Contemporary Art Miami, located in the design district, is currently hosting an installation by Yayoi Kusama that will be open until January 2020. Visitors of the Miami Design District will be able to enjoy the "Pink Beasts" by Fernando Laposse, that which includes furry pink sloths and swings.
The Bass Museum is another beautiful destination while baseling through Miami Beach. A mere two blocks from Art Basel, The Bass will launch 2 of the collections during Miami Art Week: Lara Favaretto Blind Spot, and Mickalene Thomas Better Nights. On the other side of the city, the Lowe Art Museum in Coral Gables will be hosting a few events, including provoking conversations about art, and after-hour event, and a very artsy lecture called "Bubbles & Brunch" with Ursula von Rydingsvard.