On 6 December, Art Week takes centre stage, transforming the Florida city and its neighbourhoods into a hotbed of creative expression. The epicentre is Art Basel Miami, the modern and contemporary art fair that for 22 years has been attracting an exuberant crowd of collectors, enthusiasts and visitors to the city, which over time has been joined by major design events. From the Design District to Wynwood, from South Beach to the Selina Gold Dust Motel, transformed into an exhibition space by Alcova, Miami is rediscovering design through exhibitions, flagship stores and fairs that invite visitors to explore contemporary living.
For all design anthusiasts, the journey begins at DesignMiami/, an event now in its 19th year and curated by Anna Carnick, who has chosen the theme Where we stand “not only to highlight the role design plays in reflecting and responding to the world around us,” she explains, “but as an invitation to understand how it can help us navigate a context that is too often divided. By celebrating objects from around the world that are inspired by narratives of place, community and heritage, sources to which we all draw, I hope Design Miami/ will provoke reflection and conversation about our connections. And how they might influence our future paths.”
Forty galleries and presentations in the Curio section invite reflection through extraordinary creations told through a thematic itinerary. Human Connection/ focuses on the importance of human connections and presents objects that reflect international experiences, such as the new limited-edition collection The Land of Light by Ukrainian artist-designer Victoria Yakusha, made using the ‘yalkuvannya’ technique for wall decoration. Each piece is made from a living material, ‘ztista’, using clay, hay and recycled materials. Maison Gerard features designers from eight countries, including Ayala Serfaty from Tel Aviv and her first furniture creation, and Carol Egan and her new Power Structure, inspired by the dynamism of nature.
Shared Environment/ celebrates natural forms and materials through hand-crafted glass and metal works presented by London gallery Adrian Sassoon, while the Aqua Creations studio presents Bodies of Water, an exhibition inspired by the sculptural and organic forms of the marine world translated into collectable lamps.
Heritage and craftsmanship are the protagonists of Celebrations of Tradition & Craft/, told by galleries such as Ateliers Courbet with a selection of pieces created by eight artists who promote the circular economy and tradition. A sensory journey between cultures: from the Meridienne sofa handmade by Pieter Maes to the Wabi Sabi bed shaped by Ethan Stebbins using traditional Japanese techniques. From Mumbai, æquō – India’s first gallery dedicated to collectible design – debuts with Florence Louisy’s Panna series of sculptural pieces, a tribute to India’s rich heritage.
History becomes an indelible sign of contemporary aesthetics in the Historic Icons/ section with works by the masters: Bernard Goldberg Fine Arts presents projects by Frank Lloyd Wright, Nicola D’Asenzo and Josef Hoffman, while Friedman Benda puts the ideas of Wendell Castle and Bruno Gambone into dialogue.
The section Materiality & Technology/ relates to an important theme. We find it at the heart of Ippodo Gallery’s research with Susumu Shingu’s works that change with the wind and Shingu’s kinetic sculptures. Todd Merrill’s artistic vision is revealed in a range of furniture, lighting and decorative objects, each piece a testament to craftsmanship that pushes the boundaries of traditional techniques and materials to create works of extraordinary beauty and functionality. The fusion of present and future is explored by Tuleste Factory, which returns to Curio this year with The Zone, a metaphorical space inspired by films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Skin I Live In, exploring parallel worlds inaccessible to the human eye.
Among DesignMiami/ partners, Kohler Co. presents a limited-edition chromatic faucet created in collaboration with British artist and designer Samuel Ross and his studio SR_A; Perrier-Jouët presents the dynamic installation The Pollination Dance, conceived with Fernando Laposse; while Ginori 1735 presents its Reborn Project, curated by Frédéric Chambre, with works by ten international artists/designers, including Isabelle Stanislas and Charles Zana. And like an imaginative oasis, Lara Bohinc’s Utopia installation envelops the Miami Design District and DesignMiami/ spaces, transforming them – through irregular shapes in ecological cork – into utopian citadels where man and nature thrive in harmony.
A project by designer Andrés Reisinger, a young international star who is at home in both the virtual dimension (which gave him his first fame and 521,000 followers on Instagram) and the real one, will also be taking place in the Design District (178 NE 38th Street). This is Take Over Miami, an immersive and surreal work in the Miami Design District from 4 to 10 December, the first concrete transposition of a long series of digital works.
It is this vibrancy of ideas that drives many companies and designers to be present with special events and installations. In a creative promenade, Lladró presents the limited edition series Lladró 70th Aniversario x Javier Calleja, which will be sold exclusively during the week at the new gallery Marquez Art Projects, opened by collector John Marquez and already the new hotspot of Art Basel Miami (2395 NW 21st Terr).
To celebrate the opening of the B&B Italia Design Studio Miami, the brand unveils the Camaleonda sofa by Mario Bellini in a collaboration with Stella McCartney (4141 NE 2nd Avenue), while the new Ozwald Boateng x Poltrona Frau collection – a fusion of British tailoring, African soul and Italian craftsmanship – is presented to the US market at the flagship store at 4100 NE 2nd Avenue, Suite 104.
Boffi | DePadova presents Invisible City, an exhibition of photographs by Veronica Gaido curated by Maria Vittoria Baravelli, that immerses the visitor in places that are both real and rare: a fascinating journey to discover the icons of Boffi | DePadova’s Made in Italy design (7-21 December 2023 – 80 Northeast 40th Street 3313). Minotti presents the new collections dedicated to the art of living with an exclusive event in the showroom at 3801 NE 2nd Avenue: a design talk with the GamFratesi studio moderated by Thelma Lazo-Flores, Dean of Interior Design at Istituto Marangoni Miami. Meditations on Mural Art, a live drawing performance by Roberto Ruspoli, will also be held at Molteni & C’s flagship store (4100 NE 2nd Avenue).
Alcova, one of Milan Design Week’s most popular events, comes to Florida (we wrote about it here), transforming a motel with vintage architecture into an eclectic, multidisciplinary exhibition space. Artists include emerging designer Adarsh Nellore, who uses mechanical craftsmanship, digital futures and algorithmic design to create furniture and collectibles (Selina Gold Dust Motel – Room 37, 7700 Biscayne Boulevard). And in the heart of Wynwood, Ralph Pucci is opening a new gallery in an industrial space to house his stable of artists and designers, including Patrick Naggar, India Madhavi, Hervé Van der Straten and Elizabeth Garouste (550 NW 28th St).
