Thinking about skipping out on the Basel pretension by spending a few days submerged in mud at the Standard Spa? Well, look for an escape elsewhere, because the boutique hotel is just as infected with the Basel bug. There'll be floating boob sculptures in the pool, art porn in the guest rooms, and even arted-up towels in the spa, which seem too pretty to use to wipe mud from your delicate parts.
And just in time for Art Basel, The Standard Miami Beach is opening a bookstore within their existing shop teeming with glossy art books. Rafael de Cárdenas, the architect behind the igloo-like exhibition space at O.H.W.O.W., designed the new retail space. And this isn't just another pop-up venue for Miami's high season. The O.H.W.O.W. Book Club will remain open year-round, selling the gallery's series of art books as well as those published by The Standard. That's right, the lux hotel on the bay side of Miami Beach is now also a publisher.
Last month, the Standard released their first book What Me Worry, by artist/writer/musician Andrew Kuo.
Claire Darrow, the Standard's creative director, is a collector of
Kuo's work, and the book includes his paintings, photos, recipes, and
diary entries. Attend the book party on December 4 at the Standard
Hotel.
But the boutique hotel's Basel calendar doesn't stop there. In addition
to the O.H.W.O.W. Book Club, there'll be an installation called Scratch
Mine in Room 40, just to the right before entering the hotel's garden
area. Brooklyn artist Sante D'Orazio will not only transform the guest
room but will screen a never-before-seen film that he describes as a
moving painting.
In it, squiggles and scratches become the subject of
the video as porn plays in the background. The artist states "Nudity is
an excuse to scratch out people's faces and privates [and also serves] a
found guide to place marks on the surface of the image." As most hotel
rooms have seen their fair share of porn, let's hope D'Orazio flips this
visual cliché on its head.
Outside, in the Standard's pool, keep an eye out for Olaf Breuning's
Boobs & Flowers, a floating sculpture that no one would describe for
us so you'll have to check it out for yourself. It's part of the Six
Scents Video installation series exploring childhood memories and the
influence of adolescence on identity. The videos will screen outside at
the hotel, but you'll also a chance to take them home. (Product alert!) Buy one of the
Six Scents unisex fragrances ($149), and you'll get a portrait by German artist Robert
Knoke and a DVD of the short films. Smelling good never felt so high-brow.
Lastly, there's yet another retail opportunity in the form of beach
towels designed by everyone's favorite bad girl artist, Tracey Emin, and
that lovable, abstract expressionist Jasper Johns. For the fifth year,
the Artist Towel Series -- part of WOW (Works on Whatever) -- will be
used at the Standard Spa during Art Basel. And you can take one home for
$95. Here they are:
The O.H.W.O.W. Book Club at the Standard (40 Island Ave., Miami Beach) opens December 2 and remains open indefinitely. See Scratch Mine and the Six Scenets Videos from December 2 to 5. The What Me Worry book party is Saturday, December 4. Visit standardhotels.com.
