Art | Basel | Miami — Miami
Cheong Kwon, le 7 décembre 2008

Greetings from sunny Miami.

Here is the quick and dirty on this year’s installation of Art Basel Miami Beach. Standouts at the fair: Deitch projects’ four large scale portraits done by Francisco Clemente in his signature watercolor style but in oil. A dazzling silk screened neon semiotic masterpiece by Ryan Mcginness was great on the eyes, particularly followed by a gentle portrait of Obama titled « Beatific Barak » from Kurt Kauper. Obama was everywhere.


Everyone was buzzing about Aaron Young’s 24 carat gold chain link fence, purchased by an Italian collector, that gated in the dealers at Bortolami Gallery. Mary Boone held court in her booth, apparently in negotiations at a filled conference table. Barbara Kruger was the mainstay in Boone’s booth where she has a commanding floor piece.

Although there is still reeling about the economic crisis and a downturn from the frenzied pace of last year, reportedly sales are steady and dealers are not walking away anxious or unhappy.

Barbara Gladstone presented a well rounded selection. Particularly of interest was the shift in Matthew Barney, whose dada inspired drawing on a vintage Time magazine cover of Marilyn Monroe is the first in a series of works which are to be paired with upcoming performances with an Egyptian subtext.

Then there were the endless satellite art fairs, the most notable of which was Scope where the sales were strong. Kazakstan artist Almagul Menlibayeva at Chelsea gallery Priska C. Juschka Fine Art showed hauntingly cinematic photographs of what first appears as floating nude female bodies hanging from chandeliers with muslin covered heads.

At Design Miami, Christina Grahales took a leap by devoting her booth to Chilean designer Sebastian Errazuriz whose steel chaise lounge from Design Art London resonated well with a newly presented custom skull embedded resin interior secretary and massive tree table.

Mikhail Gorbachev’s art era was displayed at the Bass Museum of Art show, « Russian Dreams », where AES+F’s lightbox digital portraits of unclaimed corpses (dressed in haute couture) drew a massive crowd.

As for parties, every night was a steady stream of hotel events at the Setai, Delano, and Raleigh. Visionaire presented « Surpise » at the transformed Raleigh in a star studded panorama where Marilyn Manson (who debuted his watercolors this week) mixed with Cecila Dean, Orlan and Bruce Weber. The issue of pop up’s is a collaboration with Krug, and a massive fountain of oversized champagne flutes with cascading champagne sparkled like hell. The cup overflowith. Unfortunately the champagne ran out a mere few hours into the party, only to be followed by focused vodka consumption. The pop up’s were presented twofold : on acrylic plinths under a glittery insulation ceiling dotted with lanterns, and with bare chested boys dressed in bow ties holding the issue on a stage poolside. Lady Bunny spun.

All in all, great fun was had.

Alas, no photo of ABMB regalia, as one of my cameras was robbed.

* Photo : Elaine Lancaster at Visionaire Surprise Party, Miami Beach, by Cheong Kwon