Art Basel 2016
You don’t have to say it. I know. I’ve been gone for a minute. The past six weeks have been absolute madness and I needed to take a short break. Eventually, I will give you a rundown of all of the happenings in my life, some good and some bad. But today, I wanted to take you with me to Art Basel in Miami. If you want to see more, keep reading.
The Festival
The month of December started with a trip to Miami for Art Basel, an annual international art fair. This art fair actually originated in Basel, Switzerland and was started by three artists Ernst Beyeler, Trudi Bruckner and Balz Hilt in 1970. It made its Miami Beach debut in 2002, which made Art Basel – Miami the hottest fall art show in the country. I mean, who doesn’t want to go to Miami in December with 75-80 degree sunny weather? It is THE perfect locale, with expanding art shows from the Miami Beach Convention Center, to South Beach, to the Wynwood Art District. If you love art, Art Basel is something you simply must experience.
This year was my first experience with Art Basel and I was impressed with the set up. Some friends and I attended to support a friend who had a few pieces that were showing at a local hotel. That’s the great thing about this event. There is literally art all around the city at different satellite venues, which makes it fairly easy to explore art without really trying. The crowd is……..well artsy, and I was here for it. Tons of eclectic outfits, accessories and shoes on attendees made my heart sing "bad and boujee". I wanted to just stand around and take pictures of the people, but I just couldn’t figure out how to do so without looking creepy.
There are roughly 70-80K people in town for this event a year, which doesn’t necessarily include all of the people who are in town for the satellite art shows, the celebrity parties, and other art related events. As I mentioned earlier, the crowd is still extremely artsy and their attendance was still very much about the art. However, given the amount of celebrities that were in town for this event this year, I can see the crowd changing rapidly to include a higher percentage of party goers and celebrity stalkers. I give it another 2 years of being an authentic show where the art lovers actually outnumber the attendees who are not. I’m sure the snobbiest of art aficionados probably felt this way years ago. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this event and I highly recommend it as something you should do at least once. It’s a quick 2 or 3 day trip. Check out the photos below and let me know if you’ve been or plan to attend in the future in the comment section below. Enjoy!
Just landed in Miami and ready to see some art!
Here's a full look at the entire outfit.
Jumpsuit: Zara
Sandals: Zara
Melanin: God
Walking to the Miami Beach Convention Center for Art Basel 2016. The Uber couldn't get close to the center, so we had a long walk. My pendant is crooked, but I'm still cute.
Finally made it and the convention center is packed.
I love this picture because I love Dolly Parton. Everyone loves Dolly.
Andy Warhol
Dolly Parton
1985
Acquavella
This is one of my favorite pieces in the show.
Sanford Biggers
Witness
2016
Marianne Boesky Gallery
That side eye is something serious.
Kehinde Wiley
Equestrian Portrait of Isabella of Bourbon
2016
Stephen Friedman Gallery
The bead exhibit put me in a great mood!
There was also no shortage of political and social justice pieces on display at Art Basel this year.
Sam Durant
End White Supremacy
2008
Blum & Poe
Okay......well now tell us how you really feel, since you seem to be holding back.
Artist: Unknown
The next morning, we stopped for brunch at the highly reviewed Morgans Restaurant. The table beside us was acting foolish, which is the reason for the look.
The waffles and stuffed french toast were fabulous. Definitely worth the long wait to be seated. Skip the chicken, which we decided to add on for protein. It needed some Tony's, Lawry's, hot sauce or something. It was just ungood.
Next stop was Hotel Croydon to check out the pieces on display by my friend Shawn Artis, known for his style of immortalizing iconic figures on canvas. This is my favorite piece by him, mainly because this is my favorite rap artist, Kendrick Lamar. Isn't this a dope piece?
And how could we forget about Biggie. LOVE LOVE LOVE this! Another painting by Houston based Shawn Artis.
And what's a trip to Miami without a trip to the beach!
Later that night, we ventured to midtown Miami to view the art at Wynwood Walls in the Wynwood Art District. There was definitely a lot more art to see, and not enough time.
I love this piece.
Brandye and I striking a pose on this art really cool art installation that I'm not so sure we should have been sitting on. This was an amazing trip that I will be attending for years to come.