A Letter from Guest Editor Sarah Arison
It is my pleasure to welcome you to Whitewaller’s annual Miami Art Week edition. I am honored to be a guest editor and share my excitement about the fairs, exhibitions, and events that shine a light on the vibrant arts scene in my hometown. I look forward to this week all year. I love the energy and creativity that animates the city as artists and art lovers convene in Miami to celebrate artistry and inspiration. It lives up to its promise: “the art experience of a lifetime.”
For my tips on what to see, I must start with YoungArts, as it is a place that is especially close to my heart. This year, the YoungArts Gallery (2100 Biscayne Boulevard) will feature a solo exhibition by Isabella Mellado (2014 YoungArts Winner in Visual Arts). The show, “Desde el Charco,” curated by Luisa Múnera, YoungArts senior manager, artistic programs and curator, features more than 30 works—including new pieces created specifically for the exhibition—that analyze and redefine the artist’s sense of self and the communities they inhabit, specifically in the nexus of queerness and latinidad. I recently attended the world premiere of a listening session by the multidisciplinary artist James Sprang (2008 Visual Arts) at BAC in New York, which will be a must-experience when it travels to Miami in partnership with YoungArts for Miami Art Week.
I encourage you to check out new works by YoungArts award winners on view throughout the fairs and galleries, and in pop-up exhibitions around town. I know I will! I am certainly visiting the solo exhibition “Poetics of Place” by Cornelius Tulloch at Locust Projects and checking out Piper Bangs’s new paintings with Nino Mier Gallery at NADA. YoungArts will also have a fair booth this year at NADA with works by a variety of emerging and mid-career artists that would make great additions to your collections.
Sarah Arison’s Top Fairs and Exhibitions
Untitled Art Fair in Miami Beach will also have works by some of the most outstanding artists around the world, including YoungArts award winners. This year the fair is especially dedicated to looking deeply at women in the arts and new artistic mediums. YoungArts will be part of the programming at the fair with a panel discussion.
Art Basel Miami Beach is the center of Miami Art Week and, of course, cannot be missed. I have my list of gallery favorites ready and marked on the fair map. I highly recommend some prep time! Of the gallery shows on view this year, I will be stopping by Primary in Little River, checking out David Castillo in the Miami Design District presenting a solo show by Su Su, as well as seeing solo exhibitions by Katie Stout and Yasue Maetake at Nina Johnson.
Miami arts institutions will once again make for a truly inspiring week, with “Gary Simmons: Public Enemy” at PAMM, “To Weave the Sky: Textile Abstractions” at El Espacio 23, and solo exhibitions by Sasha Gordon at ICA Miami and Basil Kincaid at the Rubell Museum. MAZE: Journey Through the Algorithmic Self, a site-specific installation by Sebastian Errazuriz, will surely be an interesting interactive experience on Faena Beach.
It will be a jam-packed week, from seeing innovative art to attending incredible cultural events. But I do make sure to include some self-care in the agenda. Fortunately, Miami is a perfect city for that—from relaxing on the beach to savoring lunch and strolling through public art installations in the Miami Design District, there is no shortage of downtime activities to enjoy when you need to take a little break and have some time for yourself.
I hope you have an amazing experience at Miami Art Week this year, see some truly impressive art, and meet friends old and new. Because I am always in mom mode, I also want to remind you to pack your water bottle, throw a snack in your bag, wear comfortable shoes, and have an extra portable phone charger. Trust me, you will want to take lots and lots of pictures! And if you see me around town, please do say hi.
—Sarah Arison
President, Arison Arts Foundation
Isabella Mellado, “Forward,” 2022, courtesy of the artist and YoungArts.
