All eyes are on Florida this week as Art Basel Miami Beach stands to close out a particularly rocky year for the art market. While understandable nervous energy has been swirling around the success of the fair, we are happy to report from the ground that the opening has felt as sunny and bright as the weather outside the convention center. Preview days were busy and bustling as collectors and gallerists reconnected throughout the 286 booths hailing from 38 countries.
In response to the precarious market and soaring overhead costs associated with showing at fairs such as this, Art Basel scaled down booth footprints in its main Galleries section, leaving room for 20 additional presentations. Under the new leadership of native Detroit dealer and gallerist, Bridget Finn, this move prompted the addition of 34 new exhibitors, the largest infusion of new blood in over a decade. Here’s what spoke to us:
Diego Vega Solorza in Positions
Diego Vega Solorza, “Basoteve” (2024), courtesy Llano Gallery.
The geographic location of the fair makes for strong representation from Latin America, particularly in the Positions sector where young galleries present solo presentations from emerging artists. One such presentation from Mexico City’s Llano Gallery has been commanding more attention than most. There were numerous gasps and double takes as we perused Basoteve, the combination of x-rated videos, photographs, and sculptures helmed by established Mexican dancer and choreographer, Diego Vega Solorza. In reference to his upbringing in Sinaloa, Mexico, where horseback riding is synonymous with masculinity, the works depict masked dancers interacting with an extended saddle, which is also available for purchase.
Bold Iconography at Templon
Photo by Charles Roussel.
Similar themes of horsemanship and masculinity were explored in a presentation from the ever-playful Templon. American artist Will Cotton’s The Siren’s Offer (2024) depicts a mermaid tempting a cowboy, another feather in the cap for the artist’s portfolio of masterful painted explorations of mythology and iconography. Across the way, Dutch multimedia artist Robin Kid evokes familiar American symbolism—Uncle Sam, ketchup, guns—in We Too Have A Job To Do! (Searching For America). A combination of oil on canvas, stainless steel, and aluminum, the impressive wall work spans approximately 9 x 10 feet. Distinctive sculptural explorations of the human form also tracked across the sizable presentation, including works from Hans Op de Beeck, Eric Fischl, and Jim Dine.
Mirrored Reflections at Proyectos Monclova
Photo by Mark Blower.
Perhaps our favorite corner of the massive convention center floor is the one carved out by Mexico City gallery, Proyectos Monclova. In celebration of the vast artistic traditions derived from Mexican heritage, the gallery features works by Gabriel de la Mora, Eduardo Terrazas, Yoshua Okón, Iván Krassoievitch, Hilda Palafox, Manuel Mathar, Alejandra Venegas, Germán Venegas, and Edgar Orlaineta. Foregrounded by a pair of striped marble totems by Iván Krassoievitch Esquerra, a series of show-stopping reflective works by Gabriel de la Mora made from thousands of mirror fragments initially drew us in. Beyond the cerulean-painted gallery wall, a stunning collection of paintings by Hilda Palafox depicts intimate portrayals of female figures among architectural forms.
Antonis Donef at Meridians
A fairgoer standing before Antonis Donef’s 40-foot work, “Untitled” (2014–2020), courtesy Art Basel.
Athens-based Kalfayan Galleries, in collaboration with Galeria Casado Santapau, debuts Greek artist Antonis Donef in the fair’s Meridians sector, marking a first for Greek representation in this area dedicated to large-scale works. With Untitled (2014–2020), a colossal collage crafted over six years, Donef showcases his distinctive and meticulous process of repurposing archival books and periodicals into intricate calligraphic tapestries.
Zhu Jinshi at Meridians
Courtesy of Art Basel.
Nearby, Pathway (2024) is a monumental paper work by Chinese-born German artist Zhu Jinshii, presented by Basel newcomer, Pearl Lam Galleries. Made of 16,000 sheets of traditional Xuan paper, the work is suspended by steel frames and threads of bamboo and cotton, arranged in a disjointed configuration that allows visitors to enter and be enveloped by the semicircular works.
Texture and Textiles at Kaufmann Repetto
Kaufmann Repetto, booth H24. Installation view, Art Basel Miami Beach, 2024.
A bold assemblage of suspended paintings on canvas by Argentine-Swiss painter, Vivian Suter, initially drew us to the vibrant gallery presentation of New York and Milan-based Kaufmann Repetto. We hung around a while to take in the many layers of Blue We (2024), a mesmerizing textile composition of cotton, polyester, silk and Lurex by Los Angeles artist Pae White. Also on view is new painted work from Philadelphia-based artist Corydon Cowansage. It’s a big week for Cowansage, who also worked in collaboration with Gucci to create three large-scale murals across Sweet Bird North Plaza in Miami’s Design District.
Kennedy Yanko at James Cohan
Courtesy James Cohan Gallery.
Occupying the coveted corner real estate of James Cohan’s presentation, art world it-girl Kennedy Yanko’s In Ochre (2024) makes use of paint skins and found metal to create an inviting statement. Her signature paint skins defy conventional materiality, created by manipulating gallons and gallons of paint at the point of near dryness. The sculptural work finds itself in good company, flanked by Song of Flowers, a geometric abstraction of landscapes hand-embroidered on textiles from Palestinian artist Jordan Nassar, and Arenal, a spatial negotiation of brightly hued organic shapes by Costa Rican artist, Federico Herrero.
A Kabinett Presentation for Zilia Sánchez
Courtesy Galerie Lelong & Co.
A highlight of the fair’s Kabinett sector, which promotes art-historical showcases, New York and Paris-based Galerie Lelong & Co. has keyed in on the life’s work of Zilia Sánchez. Renowned for her shaped canvases, the Cuban artist has honed her craft through a career spanning over seven decades. The presentation includes a series of small-scale paintings as well as marble and bronze sculptures that echo her signature explorations of geometric abstraction and the female form. Although recently realized, much of the work is derived from plaster maquettes made decades earlier, presenting a vignette that traces a throughline of the artist’s life which has been split between Havana, New York, and San Juan.
