Those well versed in the art and design worlds know it’s not December without a quick trip to the MIA to see our industry turn out in full force for Art Basel Miami Beach, Design Miami/, and the accompanying festivities that take over the city all week long.
Naturally, Surface readers are invited to the cocktail party we’re co-hosting with Luminaire and Lasvit in the Design District. We’ve also rounded up a spate of editor-approved goings on, including Cartier’s “Time Unlimited” exhibition, an AI-powered maze by Sebastian ErraZuriz, and a sweeping career survey of Gary Simmons’s hip-hop, horror, and science fiction-inflected practice over at the Pérez Art Museum. For those not traveling to Miami, we’ll be recapping everything here on SurfaceMag.com and on Instagram, so be sure to follow along.
Gustaf Westman Popup at the Standard Spa Miami Beach
The Standard Spa will debut a month-long popup exhibition of the Swedish designer’s curvaceous furniture and decorative pieces. Westman’s viral Curvy Mirror and other key works from the former architect’s trove will bring the spa’s Scandinavian-inspired café space to life with color and a distinct sense of playfulness.
The institution will host two artists—Basil Kincaid and Alejandro Piñeiro Bello—as part of its acclaimed artist-in-residence program, supported by the Knight Foundation. Each will enjoy a solo exhibition to celebrate the culmination of their time, spanning the St. Louis-based Kincaid’s quilting, collaging, and photography that examines relationships between ancestry and place using found materials to the Havana-born Piñeiro Bello’s richly detailed paintings that capture the Caribbean diaspora’s vibrance, resilience, and mystic splendor.
(Dec. 4 to Nov. 2024) 1100 NW 23rd St, Miami
Studio Santos and Le Closet Present: The Art House x Tina Frey
Studio Santos and Le Closet present The Art House: the debut of Tina Frey’s newest works with an exhibition of her brick collection. The RSVP-only showcase will also include a 10-year retrospective of the San Francisco-based product designer’s collectible furniture and objets, best known for their playfulness of form and vibrant colors, with lighting design by Milan-based Halo Edition.
Surface will proudly co-host an invite-only cocktail party celebrating the opening of The Art House on Dec. 6, featuring live art installations by C.K Reed and cocktails by Tepozán Tequila.
ErraZuriz returns to Miami Art Week—and a frequent muse—with Maze: Journey Through the Algorithmic Self. The site-specific installation at Faena Beach will immerse guests in an AI-generated maze in the name of exploring the technology’s societal implications and will be accompanied by a book further expanding on the installation’s guiding theme. The artist and designer will also unveil a new sculpture, Battle of the Corporate Nations, at Faena Cathedral, which will see the likenesses of Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos immortalized in marble and depicted in a Renaissance-inspired struggle for power.
(Dec. 5 to 10) Faena Beach and Faena Hotel Cathedral, 3201 Collins Ave, Miami Beach
Historic Hampton House Museum of Culture & Art: “Gimme Shelter”
The history-focused art center animating Miami’s legendary Green Book Hotel launches its visual arts program with a group exhibition of contemporary works co-curated by Beth Rudin DeWoody, Zoe Lukov, Maynard Monroe, and Laura Dvorkin. More than 25 artists including Derrick Adams, Sanford Biggers, Nick Cave, Lauren Halsey, and Carrie Mae Weems highlight the idea of shelter as integral to collective creation, reflecting on America’s history and the importance of celebrating sites of refuge for Black Americans, people of color, and migrants.
(Dec. 5 to Jan. 22) 4240 NW 27th Avenue, Miami
“Gary Simmons: Public Enemy” at the Pérez Art Museum Miami
Simmons has played a key role in situating questions of race, class, and identity at the center of contemporary art and is noted for his early application of appropriated pop-cultural imagery. His first major career survey features nearly 70 sculptures, paintings, photographs, installations, and wall drawings he’ll create on-site that analyze and expose histories of racism in visual culture while drawing heavily on genres like hip-hop, horror, and science fiction.
(Dec. 5 to April 28) 1103 Biscayne Blvd, Miami
Superblue and JR: The Chronicles of Miami
The experiential art destination will debut The Chronicles of Miami, a new large-scale mural by artist JR and exhibited on the museum’s exterior façade. Art accessibility is a cornerstone of the photographer-muralist’s practice, and in keeping with his philosophy, The Chronicles of Miami will be viewable free of charge. Superblue ticket holders can explore “The Machine Behind the Art: Inside JR’s Printing Press,” a complementary exhibition that can be viewed alongside ongoing shows by Es Devlin, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, teamLab, and James Turrell.
(Dec 6-9) 1101 NW 23rd St, Miami
Cartier: Time Unlimited
Celebrating the French maison’s legacy in watchmaking and its creative synergy with Miami’s dynamic art sphere, “Time Unlimited” offers an immersive look at the shapes, spirit, and techniques that inform Cartier’s coveted timepieces. Guests can marvel at spectacular displays of historic Cartier watches—the Santos de Cartier, Baignoire, Panthère de Cartier, and Ballon Bleu among them—and view a captivating film produced in collaboration with Jake Gyllenhaal.
(Dec. 7 to 22) 45 NE 41st St, Miami
“A Train of Thoughts: Figuration and Conceptualism in Craig Robins Collection”
The co-founder of Design Miami/ and developer of the Miami Design District’s trove of more than 1,300 works of contemporary art and innovative design gets an annual rehanging, this time focusing on figuration and conceptualism. His taste for the abject and hyperbolic figurative image—in tandem with institutional critique of art based on ideas—spurs unexpected dialogues by placing pieces by Marcel Duchamp, Marc Newson, Simone Leigh, Urs Fischer, Zaha Hadid, Samuel Ross, Marlene Dumas, and Nicole Eisenman in conversation with one another.
(Opens Dec. 5) 3841 NE 2nd Ave, Suite 400, Miami
Basel House at Fabel
The Wynwood restaurant will host four days of immersive programming during Miami Art Week. Highlights include an artist talk between Ben Uyeda, Matty Mo, and Sebastian Errazuriz, hosted by Surface editor Nate Storey, on Dec. 8. at 4pm. Expect a star-studded lineup of dinners and brunches including the Art Hearts Fashion x Fabel dinner, Brunch En Blanc—an all-white themed brunch—and wellness programming.
(Dec. 6 to 9) Fabel Miami, 50 NW 23rd St, Miami
NRVLD: The Art of Wellness
Miami Beach’s Kimpton Surfcomber hotel will cater to the wellness-minded throughout the week with daily Barry’s fitness classes, lounges for recovery and co-working, complimentary beach-side rides by Moke, as well as cultural programming such as live music and art exhibitions. Invitations can be requested at NRVLD.co.
(Dec. 6 to 9, 9am to 6pm) Kimpton Surfcomber, 1717 Collin Ave, Miami Beach
GOOD TO KNOW.FYI Presents: Caribbean Dreams
Curatorial collective GTK.FYI, known for their emphasis on collaborating with local communities, will present Caribbean Dreams, an exhibition and event celebrating Caribbean culture. The group show will feature works by Alejandro Pineiro Bello, Joiri Minaya, Amy Bravo, and more; food by performance artist and chef DeVonn Francis; and DJ set by Cuban artist Jose Párlá.
Independent curators Raina Marie and Coco Dolle teamed up with web3 marketplace Artwrld to present PWW3, a series of panel conversations with prominent female leaders in the Web3 space around positive impact and education.
American Express puts a playful spin on high art with an immersive beachfront installation at the Miami Beach EDITION designed by creative studio PlayLab, Inc. The showcase will feature shoppable art inspired by iconic toys and realized in the form of collectibles by artists Salehe Bembury, Eny Lee Parker, Surin Kim, Serban Ionescu, and Kumkum Fernando. Platinum cardholders can take in the exhibition over cocktails and bites and DJ sets on location.
(Dec 7 to 9, 11am to 5pm) Beachfront of the Miami Beach EDITION, Miami Beach
Looking Glass: An Evening with Surface, Luminaire, and Lasvit
Surface has teamed up with Luminaire and Lasvit to bring its dedication to exemplary design to life with an exhibition at the Luminaire Lab in the Miami Design District. Readers are invited to join us and our partners in shining a light on the artisans and makers behind a series of boundary-pushing installations. RSVP to attend.
(Dec. 8, 6 to 9pm) Luminaire Lab, 201 NE 39th Street, Miami
BMW x Alex Israel: “REMEMBR”
Alex Israel and BMW will present ‘REMEMBR,’ an interactive, AI-powered participatory video installation at the Art Basel Miami Beach Collectors Lounge. Seven custom-designed screens will showcase hyper-memories of Israel, allowing visitors to share their own memories through AI technology developed by Israel that collects, filters, composes, and choreographs a visitor’s phone content. The exhibition will also feature the new all-electric BMW i5, which played a fundamental role in inspiring Israel for the collaboration.
(Dec. 8 to 10) Miami Beach Convention Center, 1901 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach
Lego Lounge at W South Beach
Tattoo artist Keith McCurdy—who has inked the likes of Rihanna, Lebron, and more—hosts Lego’s Center for Creative Flow lounge in the ballroom of the W South Beach. There, guests can catch a reprieve from the hustle and bustle of fairs and party-hopping by engaging their creative energies with Lego-building as well as food and drinks from the renowned culinary teams at the W South Beach. RSVP to attend.
(Dec. 10, 12 to 3pm) W South Beach, 2201 Collins Ave, Miami Beach
Tequila Don Julio: Felipe Pantone, “Por Amor”
The digitally savvy muralist and sculptor is embracing both heritage and future-facing innovation at Miami Art Week with “Por Amor,” an homage to Mexico. The exhibition will be grounded in Pantone’s affinity for exploring new mediums through his practice, and is executed in collaboration with contemporary Mexican luminaries including photographer Thalia Gochez. RSVP required to attend. (Dec. 7, 12pm-4pm) 1415 Euclid Ave.
