What I love about this week in Miami each December is sketching the intersection of art, activations, and of course, parties. I meet more people during this one week than I do the rest of the year. This was the third year I’ve hit the scene with the Surface team—and each edition has been more vibrant and electric than the last.
This year started at The Standard Spa—you can check out my mural next time you’re there—for D’Puglia’s charity dinner, where we toasted Puglian heritage, learned about LIND’s artist-collab electric surfboards, and had a riveting conversation with French artist Lucas Beaufort.
One of my favorite events of the week is always the Soho House artist luncheon, hosted in the beach tent by Kate Bryan and Anakena Paddon, Soho House’s global arts team. A few of my paintings are installed at the Miami Pool House, and I love getting to know fellow Soho House artists and creators, trading stories over endless pours of rosé. I met Toronto-based figurative artist Erin Armstrong (illustrated), and Phaan Howng who was showing her work at NADA with Dinner Gallery. I illustrated one of her paintings “Mayaimi Dreams”. Her concept is super-interesting to me. She’s fascinated with how plants can create the facade of a healthy environment, camouflaging colonialist legacies and the slow violence of human environmental disruptions.
At NADA, Miz greeted us at the entrance with her “Baffle ‘Em with Bullshit” Captains hat. (Illustrated) [Art featured in my illustration from Nada: Yaron Michael Hakim’s ‘Self-Portrait as a Pink-Fan Santa Marta Ara Rubrogenys’ from SARGENT’S DAUGHTERS gallery. Hyper Lemon Chair, by Sculpturelandia @ Chicago based gallery Cleaner Gallery] I spoke with the founder of Cleaner Gallery, Ryan, for a while about Chicago and how he chose the name for his gallery.
I appreciate the galleries that want to talk about the work they are showing as well as their personal lives. At the Dale Zine pop-up truck (illustrated) Dale showed us his locket necklace and I gave him a suggestion of what to put inside it.
At Design Miami, I talked with Morgan from Objective Gallery in NYC, about the Chair by Sam Klemick. (Both illustrated) I liked this gallery because each exhibited works bear traces of the human that made them; they are alive in method, construction, spirit: hammered copper and chiseled marked wood; spider leg lamps and flowerhead lampshades. Pieces I found most memorable included in my illustration: “Lilypad Lamp” by Autumn Casey at Future Perfect gallery. “Rub In” Rubber chair by Sudheer Rajbhar for Aequo Gallery. “Glum Armchair” by Max Lamb for Gallery Fumi. “The Bloom of Bones Light” by Tadeeas Podracky for Sarah Myerscough Gallery. “The Strawberry Tree” by the Haas Brothers, “Confectionary Sun” by Chris Bogia with Donzella. “ I met Christ years ago in L.A. He designed an installation for the windows at Hermès on Rodeo Drive during Frieze Week. I love his work. It’s imaginative and alive.
In the Design District, I popped into The Capsule x Basic.Space “Memphis Miami featuring Katherine Bernhardt,” Katherine is one of my favorite painters, and seeing her work translated into rug designs was super-cool. I talked with Noah from Basic.Space (illustrated). “The space of Memphis Miami is in a bubblegum hue and showcases our beloved Memphis Milano designs: the legendary Tahiti lamp by Ettore Sottsass, the geometric Brazil table by Peter Shire, the solemn Palace chair by George Sowden. All of these pieces are part of Katherine Bernhardt’s collection,” he said.
I decided to walk to Art Basel from Wynwood, which was a mistake because my self-tanner bled through my white tank top. I quickly problem-solved by buying a delightfully tacky T-shirt from the tourist surf shop. We saw a lot of Warhols, Picassos and Calders. [Illustrated from Basel: Yogi and the Lalanne Sheep sculptures. Installation by Theaster Gates with Gray Gallery. Glass Roy Lichtenstein sculpture with Gray Gallery]
Untitled Art Fair was my favorite fair. When I went into the bathroom a girl was stripping down out of her gown into a bikini so she could go for a swim in the ocean just steps away. I helped her unzip. Then a woman walked in with a cool denim jacket with David Hockney’s “The Splash” painted on the back. It turned out to be my new friend Ellen from Helen’s Wine, who we spent the afternoon tasting wine with. We would go walk around the fair, talk to galleries, come back to sip wine, and repeat! [Illustrated: Delta Amex Rest Lounge with Jon and Vinny’s food and Helen’s Wines. I illustrated Ellen from Helen’s wines at her tasting counter and Jiri Geller’s Touch too much (Ruby Red) with Makasiini Contemporary gallery.
What I love about making these illustrations is that it connects all of the people I met and the art we saw, forever binding us. It’s a time capsule, a way to remember a week like no other. The beauty of Miami Art Week isn’t just in what’s hanging on the walls—it’s in the stories that unfold in between, the moments you can’t curate.
Illustration copyright held by CK Reed, 2024. All rights reserved. For licensing inquiries, please contact [email protected].
