Art for the people
Citizens of Miami descended on Jungle Plaza in the city’s Design District earlier this week to see the unveiling of the French artist JR’s vast mural featuring more than 1,000 people from neighbourhoods that “make up the fabric of Miami”, the artist writes on Instagram. Proud participants filed into the public square—where the Brazilian pop star Anitta was playing a DJ set—keen to see themselves in the work. We caught up with one of the featured Miamians, Kayla Alexis Demirci, who tells us that “it was amazing to see myself as a mural and my story and picture being shared with the world physically and virtually! As a roller-skater, I was so happy to tell my story.”
Art as life indeed.
Pulling strings: curator Zoe Lukov demonstrates Naama Tsabar’s installation piece at the Historic Hampton House Museum
Safe space pushes artistic boundaries
One of the highlights this week on the Miami art circuit was the opening of the Gimme Shelter show at Historic Hampton House Museum of Culture & Art, at the city’s legendary Green Book hotel. An exhibition of works by artists such as Carrie Mae Weems and Charles Gaines draw on the ethos of the “iconic site as a safe space”, says a statement. The venue is steeped in history: Martin Luther King Jr. is believed to have practised his “I Have a Dream” speech for guests at the hotel’s poolside stage before delivering it to the world in Washington, DC in 1963. The collector Beth Rudin DeWoody co-curated the new exhibition with Zoe Lukov, Maynard Monrow and Laura Dvorkin. Lukov was on hand at the opening to demonstrate how to “play” a work by the artist Naama Tsabar—pinging the strings of a shattered instrument while laying gracefully prostrate. Brava.
Flowers, one of Johnny Depp’s dream-inspired works at Art Miami © the artist, courtesy of Castle Contemporary
In Miami, dreams come true
The stars are out at the Art Miami fair this week with celebrities-turned-artists keen to make a splash. First up is the James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan, who is showing a number of works from his So Many Dreams collection with Olea, a technology platform. The movie dreamboat is delighted with his fair debut, posting on Instagram: “Please be sure to join my collector waitlist.” (We’re on it, Pierce.)
Meanwhile another Hollywood star, Johnny Depp, will also be selling his arty wares at the fair. The Pirates of the Caribbean star is showing a series of editioned works at Chase Contemporary/Castle Contemporary called The Bunnyman Genesis, featuring a sinister silhouetted figure who appeared to Depp while he was snoozing. “He was a benevolent creature, like he was there to warn me in my dream,” said Depp.
The heat is on: Grethe Skou models Michael Seri’s climate change-inspired design
Some like it hot
The Untitled Art fair opened with a bang on Tuesday, bringing a host of colourful characters to Ocean Drive. These included the artist and designer Michael Seri and his “muse” Grethe Skou, who was dressed in a fetching black-and-yellow assemblage by Seri, covered in tape emblazoned with the words “Hot Hot Global Warming”—bringing the climate crisis issue to the heart of the occasion. Seri runs a gallery in New York, saying online that his “idiosyncratic objects reflect my life experiences and Dada philosophy”. The pair were later seen heading to the beach, post-fair. Let’s hope the sweltering midday sun didn’t ruin Grethe’s heat-themed outfit…
Career change: the DJ helps out at artist Lucy Sparrow’s stand
Fatboy Slim wins praise
Visitors to Scope Art Show in Miami Beach may recognise a new retail assistant on one of the stands. Norman Cook, aka the DJ Fatboy Slim, is helping UK artist Lucy Sparrow sell “bagels” and other all-American foodstuffs, but with a twist—they’re all made from felt.
Norman was relishing his role as “sprinkle trainee”, adding that he was new to the game, but “give me a couple of hours and I’ll be running the shop”. The textile bagels cost between $50 and $250, with Miami ice sundaes ($200) fast becoming the must-buy item of the show. Norman is known for hitting the decks but seemed a dab hand behind the counter. There is only one thing to say—we have to praise you like we should, Mr Cook.
Star quality: Ezra Collective wow the crowd at the White Cube party
Ezra Collective delivers a sweet set
One of the hottest tickets in town during Miami Art Week is always the White Cube party at Soho Beach House, and this year’s bash was no exception. Glamorous guests such as the art adviser Amy Cappellazzo and dealer Ben Brown gathered at the seaside marquee, which was guarded by a throng of burly men (“who are all those hunks standing by the sea?” quipped one guest).
Tiny pots of tiramisu, snapped up by partygoers in need of a sugar rush, were the most sought-after sweet treat on the night. But the icing on the cake was an appearance by the British band Ezra Collective. The act was in the White Cube tradition of bringing top pop stars to Miami—Neneh Cherry and Chaka Khan have rocked up for past editions. This prompted one partygoer to ask: “Who’s next, Beyoncé?”