From a New Platform for Massive Art to the MoMA Effect, Here’s What to Look for at Art Basel Miami Beach 2019

It’s no secret that art fairs are as costly as they are crucial
for midsize and mega-galleries alike. With the art world descending
on South Florida for the annual Art Basel Miami Beach fair—now in
its 18th edition—what does it take to sustain the exclusive
must-see element of the event amid the many parties, sponsored
dinners, and other noise that threatens to drown out the actual
art?

The show “has maintained its distinct identity and
focus—bridging the North and South American art markets as the
premier art show in the Americas and continuing to provide an
important platform for artists and galleries from the region,”
director Noah Horowitz told Artnet News.

This year’s edition of the fair aims to reach beyond the
well-worn market centers of New York and Los Angeles to welcome new
participants from Chicago, Toronto, Mexico City, and Miami Beach—a
testament, Horowitz said, to “the strength of cultural hubs outside
of the major market centers.” In addition, the lineup of Asian
galleries is bolstered this year by new entries including 10
Chancery Lane Gallery from Hong Kong, Magician Space from Beijing,
and ROH Projects from Jakarta.

Go Big or Go Home

One of the buzzed-about additions to the fair this year is the
new section titled “Meridians,” an ambitious platform that will
feature 34 large-scale projects by a mix of established and
emerging artists such as Tina Girouard, Woody De Othello,
Isaac Julien, Ana Mendieta, and Torey Thornton. Among the
installations is an ostensibly fully functioning travel agency by
French artist Laure Prouvost, complete with water coolers,
palm trees, fans, staff, a waiting area, and a corporate
infomercial playing on loop on a TV screen.

Meridians is curated by Magalí Arriola, director of Museo
Tamayo in Mexico City, and will have a strong focus on artists and
works from both North and South America. The projects, which
include large-scale sculptures, paintings, installations, video,
and performances, will be presented in the Grand Ballroom on the
second floor of the convention center, an exhibition space
comprising more than 60,000 square feet. (The project is akin to a
scaled-down version of the exceedingly popular Unlimited section at
Art Basel in Basel.)

Arriola sorted through dozens of submissions from participating
galleries before presenting them to a selection committee, which
voted on the final choices. She explained that they were not on the
hunt for anything specific, but nonetheless, some overarching
themes cropped up: “identity, race, gender, territory, migration,
which is such a big pool of things yet somehow all connected,” she
said. “We’re seeing these themes
addressed from very different perspectives and many different
regions.” 

Among the most anticipated projects is Isaac Julien’s Lina
Bo Bardi – A Marvellous Entanglement (2019), a nine-screen
installation that traces the influence of legendary Brazilian
architect Lina Bo Bardi’s life and work. Another work in homage to
a fellow artist is Adam Pendleton’s Ishmael in the Garden:
A Portrait of Ishmael Houston-Jones (2018) a 24-minute video
that focuses on the life of the choreographer, author,
performer, teacher, and curator.

Meanwhile, those looking to get their Instagram fix will likely
be satiated by P.P.O.W.’s presentation of Portia Munson’s
exuberant The Garden (1996), which takes the form of a
woman’s bedroom densely layered with floral dresses, stuffed
animals, found furniture, and myriad fake flowers.

The MoMA Effect

Downstairs in the main fair, some of the most exciting works are
from artists only now beginning to gain proper recognition. A
number of artists whose work is newly contextualized in the
expanded Museum of Modern Art in New York will be featured in solo
presentations, particularly in the fair’s “Survey” section,
dedicated to historical projects. Call it the MoMA effect.

Pippy Houldsworth Gallery of London will showcase works by Faith
Ringgold, whose 1967 painting American People Series #20:
Die is now prominently hung alongside Picasso’s Les
Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907) at MoMA. In Miami, works on view
will include Flag is Bleeding #2 (1997),
examples from her “American People” series, and other works that
have rarely if ever been shown in the US.

“The works address different aspects of America’s racial and
political history through the personal lens of self-portraits that
often depict Ringgold alongside her daughters,” the gallery
explained. The booth will also feature archival material and a
newly commissioned text by the artist’s daughter, writer Michele
Wallace.

Also in “Survey,” Sao Paulo’s Almeida e Dale Galeria de
Arte will display a series of works by Tarsila do Amaral, one of
the foremost representatives of Brazil’s Modernist art movement and
another new addition to MoMA’s collection galleries. The
presentation will feature several drawings, documents, and sketches
produced by the artist during the 1920s. Three of do Amaral’s
paintings as well as a number of abstract drawings will also be on
display.

Art Basel Miami Beach
will be held at the Miami Beach Convention Center from Thursday,
December 5 through Sunday, December 8. The VIP preview will be held
on Wednesday, December 4. 

The post From a New Platform for Massive Art to the MoMA
Effect, Here’s What to Look for at Art Basel Miami Beach 2019
appeared first on artnet News.