Miami Art Week Is Done, But There's Still Plenty to See

Earlier this month, Art Basel and Miami Art Week returned to nearly pre-pandemic levels of pandemonium. The winner of the week was perhaps the hype around non-fungible tokens. Seriously, the amount of NFT-based activations that happened in Miami was absurdly comical. Only time will tell if those were wise investments or just another in the long line of get-rich-quick schemes Florida is famous for.

But New Times is going to let you in on a little secret: Locals only really had to worry about the parties last week, because any true Miami Art Week veteran knows that the best time to check out the art is after everyone's gone home.

After the fairs have packed up and the hangover has subsided, plenty of art remains in the city. And best of all, you have it all to yourself.

Local museums were buzzing with exclusive parties, panels, and exhibitions. Most of the shows the premiered during Miami Art Week will be on view through at least spring 2022.

Highlights include the Museum of Contemporary Art's "My Name Is Maryan," a comprehensive show that spans four decades of work by the Polish-Jewish artist Maryan S. Maryan (born Pinkas Burstyn). Curated by Alison M. Gingeras, the exhibition features never-before-seen works by the artist and is on view through March 20, 2022.

At the Institue of Contemporary Art, Miami, don't miss out on "Serious Moonlight," the survey of the work of Betye Saar, featuring site-specific installations created from 1980 to 1998. Known for her radical Black feminist work, ICA has several pieces that haven't been shown to the public in decades. It's on view until April 17, 2022.

Further out west, Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum-FIU has over 180 pieces of art and other ephemera by singer-songwriter and Nobel Prize-winner Bob Dylan. "Retrospectrum," on view until April 17, 2022,  spans six decades of Dylan's visual-arts career. If you're only familiar with Dylan's music, the show is a great way to dive into the 80-year-old's other talents.

Many of Miami's private collections also reopened in time for Miami Art Week. At De la Cruz Collection, Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz welcome the public to "There Is Always One Direction." The group exhibition gets its name from Gabriel Orozco's piece Four Bicycles (There Is Always One Direction), which is on display at the couple's Design District gallery. Also on view are the works of Hernan Bas, Vaughn Spann, Christina Quarles, and Christopher Wool.
Over in Allapattah, the Rubell Museum's "Infinity Rooms" features the immersive work of Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama. Only two "Infinity Rooms" are currently on view in the Southeastern U.S. The museum also shows Kusama's Narcissus Garden, featuring 700 stainless steel spheres flowing along the 200-foot central hall. Also, catch solo exhibitions by Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe, Reginald O'Neal, and Cajsa von Zeipel.

Miami galleries put on some incredible shows for Miami Art Week, and most will still be on display through the end of the month. Primary's group exhibition "OMGWTF" features the work of Oona Brangam-Snell, Tim Brawner, Andrej Dubravsky, Loren Erdrich, Gao Hang, Cody Hudson, Ted Lawson, Mía Lee, Tuilelaith-Fionnuala Onòra, Ryan Schneider, Mr. StarCity, and Wade Tullier. The show bills itself as unpredictable, built on the instinct and intuition of the artist on display.

Mindy Solomon Gallery has "Caroline Larsen: The Gilded Lily" and "Super Future Kid and Yvette Mayorga: A Walk in the Park" on view for the remainder of the month. "The Gilded Lily" is the first solo exhibition for the Canadian artist known for her portraiture of vases with a colorful explosion of flowers. Meanwhile,m "A Walk in the Park" features the work of German artist Super Future Kid and Chicago multidisciplinary artist Yvette Mayorga, both using color to explore childhood nostalgia.

"Petropias" at LnS Gallery features the work of Venezuelan-born, Miami-based artist Tony Vazquez-Figueroa. The exhibition is the culmination of three years' work by the multimedia artist, featuring paintings, photography, and sculptures. The artist hopes to immerse the viewer in his work that explores the worldwide impact of the petroleum industry.

If you want to get outside, the Miami Mural Festival brought together artists like Ron English, Case MaClaim, Queen Andrea, Magnus Sodamin, Finok, Hoxxoh, Krave, and Ryan the Wheelbarrow to paint over 500,000 square feet of wall space in Wynwood and downtown. The event officially wrapped up on December 5, but murals don't disappear overnight. The festival's website provides a handy interactive map of all the street art displayed. Grab a bike and wander around the neighborhoods and make a day of it.