I’ve been wanting to visit Miami during Art Basel for years now, and it finally happened this year! Below is a roundup of all the art exhibits I saw, along with where to stay, play, and drink during your cultural experience!
Where to stay:
The best place to check into during Art Basel is def on Collins Ave. I split my stay in two hotels, the surfcomber and the betsy hotel. I love that hotels now collab with local artists by putting installations in their lobby or lounge areas. Both of these hotels did just that, which helped us get to know some awesome local talent.
Art Exhibits:
Museum of Graffiti: My friend, Mikey, actually tipped me off about the brand new Museum of Graffiti and I’m so glad he did. This is the first thing we did after dropping our bags off at the hotel. The museum is located in the Instagrammable neighborhood of Wynwood and it’s the very first museum dedicated to the art of graffiti. Co-founder Alan Ket was kind enough to walk us through the museum, and by far this was my favorite thing I did during my Art Basel experience. Growing up, graffiti was a pretty big deal in the streets and I’ve always wondered where and how it all started. The museum starts on the exterior, which is covered in murals painted by artists from all over the world. Each piece is so special, as is every artist behind it. As we walked throughout the museum it was pretty incredible to learn about the history of the colorful and unique art form. I got to know all about the OG graffiti artists who started tagging in the New York subways in the early 1970s and early ’80s, which I thought was really cool. The museum features around 11 outside murals by artists that include Rambo, Ghost, Doves, and more. I learned all kinds of fun facts about the graffiti movement and truly left feeling inspired. A must-see during your Miami or Art Basel visit.
Miami Convention Center: Art Basel Miami Beach takes place at the Miami Beach Convention Center, which is huge! The majority of the art exhibits are on display in the main exhibition hall, but there are also fun outdoor installations nearby in Collins Park and SoundScape Park. We had such a great time strolling around the convention center and discovering up-and-coming creatives from around the globe. The convention center has a bar area as well as a mini cafe in case you need to hydrate or fuel up during your visit.
Pink Beasts: One of the main al fresco installations that stood out to us was “Pink Beasts” by Fernando Laposse in collaboration with fiber artist Angela Dammam. The Mexican designer created a trail of pink tassels that are suspended throughout parts of Miami Design District. The cute sloths hanging on trees and around hammocks were constructed from agave fibers that were dyed with an insect-derived hue and sustainably woven by Mayan women.
Order of Importance: This super cool beachside installation was created by Argentinian artist Leandro Erlich. The sprawling piece featured 66 life-size cars and trucks next to the ocean at Lincoln Road, and a whopping 250 tons of sand brought the installation to life. The entire work took around three months to make and made to resemble a traffic jam on Miami Beach. The goal was to bring awareness of the climate change crisis, which we all know is very real!
Where to eat/drink: During breaks from all the amazing artistic eye candy, you are def going to want to also visit a few cocktail bars and restaurants to keep the party going. For food, I recommend visiting The Social Club which is located inside the surfcomber hotel. It’s a casual restaurant with great food and pretty cocktails. We also got the chance to eat at Bar Centro located inside SLS south beach. Lovely elixirs and delicious guacamole! Now if you are looking for more of a speakeasy scene, make sure to visit Swizzle Rum Bar & Drinkery. This hidden little gem is one of my favorite spots in Miami. We went back twice and would have gone a third time if we had the time! Incredibly beautiful cocktails that taste so yummy! The bartenders are some serious eye candy themselves and more than willing to give you advice on what to order. I’m always down for the bartender’s choice!
There you have it! My first ever Art Basel experience. Can’t wait to be back next year. If you have not been yet, I think you should make this part of your 2020 bucket list :).
