Art Basel Miami Beach 2019: What to Do and See

Kristen Tauer

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A breakdown of the buzziest art installations and happenings around Miami during the week.

Tech in Town

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Big Tech is getting in on the fun. Facebook has commissioned Miami environmental artist Xavier Cortada for his Plan(T) installation of saltwater-resistant mangrove seedlings at Untitled, which is accompanied by activations to provoke conversation around climate change and rising sea levels. During four North Pole dinner parties, Cortada will serve arctic ice to participants. Blink and you’ll miss it.

Instagram‘s @design is headed to Design Miami with an inflatable, bubble-shaped booth designed by Studio Swine. They will present work by four designers whose work is rooted in accessibility and sustainability.

Design District

Larry Gagosian and Jeffrey Deitch team for the fifth time to present group exhibition “The Extreme Present” at the Moore Building, on view from Dec. 3 to 8. White Cube will present neon sculpture and installation work by Cerith Wyn Evans at City View Garage.

In case you’ve missed Yayoi Kusama‘s recent works in New York, you’re in luck, because one of her “Infinity Mirror Rooms” will be on display for the first time in Miami. Stop by the ICA Miami to check out “All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins,” but no rush — it will be on view until Jan. 31.

Wynwood Walls Marks 10 Years

Expect more activity than usual over in the Wynwood neighborhood as Wynwood Walls celebrates its 10th anniversary as a graffiti and street art hub. To mark the occasion, Assouline is releasing a new book, “Walls of Change,” with art patron and Goldman Properties chief executive officer Jessica Goldman and photos by Martha Cooper. Expect to see international artists painting walls live throughout the week, and stop by to see solo shows by Shepard Fairey and Peter Tunney.

Wynwood also welcomes the Museum of Graffiti — the first permanent museum dedicated to the genre — to the neighborhood on Dec. 5. Led by curator Alan Ket and Allison Freidin, the space will serve as an archive for the history of street art and host rotating and permanent exhibitions. The gift shop, with limited-edition artist merch, is also sure to be a draw.

At The Bass

Two solo exhibitions open Dec. 1 at The Bass Museum of Art. Lara Favaretto‘s “Blind Spot” and Mickalene Thomas‘ “Better Nights” join Haegue Yang‘s “In the Cone of Uncertainty,” which opened earlier in November. Thomas’ immersive exhibition will incorporate live performances, a bar and DJs, inspired by parties hosted by her mother in the Seventies, alongside work by the artist and emerging artists of color.

Elsewhere on Miami Beach

Traffic typically gets worse as the week progresses, but Argentinian artist Leandro Erlich is taking car traffic to another level with “Order of Importance,” a new public — and temporary — installation commissioned by the City of Miami Beach at the Lincoln Road beachfront through Dec. 15.

There’s no shortage of happenings in the Faena District throughout the week. From hosting parties and dinners for brands from Serena Williams to Perrier-Jouët, the cultural hub also veers experimental with its public “Faena Festival: The Last Supper,” which will feature film and video installations, culinary activations and Zhang Huan’s disintegrating “Miami Buddha” sculpture.

“Taste Craft & Wit” by David Shimmel and Partners published by Assouline, joins with The Surf Lodge to wrap the exterior of Bungalow 5 at the W South Beach in the book cover’s neon camouflage pattern. Also on view at the hotel will be Tim Boin’s “Geometry Is Life” installations in the lounge, and a rotating collection of art curated by Smith Davidson Gallery and Uniq Luxury.

Natasha Tomchin and Olivia Steele will unveil their new mixed-media installation, “Altar’d Paradise,” over the wading pool at the Nautilus by Arlo on Dec. 3. The hotel will also host the Up&Down pop-up underneath its tent on the beach each night, with late-night performances curated by The Box.

Over at The Edition, the hotel will present Leo Villareal’s LED sculpture “Optical Machine I” in its lobby, and also host a pop-up exhibition by Lonely Whale’s Museum of Plastic to raise awareness for eliminating single-use plastic. As in years past, its basement programming will continue to be a popular late-night stop, with appearances from House of Yes and DJs Diplo and Idris Elba.

Peter Marino in collaboration with Miami landscape architect Raymond Jungles has designed a beachside tropical garden incorporating the sculptural animals works by late artist duo Les Lalanne. The Raleigh Gardens, located behind the renovated Raleigh Hotel, will be open to the public through Feb. 29, 2020.

FITNESS AND WELLNESS

The best way to recover from a late night out is to get up and get moving. The Surf Lodge in collaboration with Free People Movement is hosting daily morning workouts from Dec. 4 to Dec. 6 at the W South Beach’s Great Lawn, with classes taught by Isaac Calpito and Megan Roup and additional wellness activations from 9:30 to 11 a.m. If you’re seeking an indoor experience, Miami fitness center Anatomy is launching a high-intensity class concept, Blackout, just in time for fairgoers to sweat it out. On Dec. 7, work out on The Confidante’s terrace with Sweat440 Fitness and Miami artist Lebo, underneath his new mural at the hotel. And if you’re still in town on Dec. 8, Roup will lead her signature Sculpt Society class on the Four Seasons Brickell rooftop.

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