Miami Art Week 2018: A Guide to Local Galleries at Art Basel and Satellite Fairs

Art Basel and the satellite fairs host visitors from all over the globe each Miami Art Week, solidifying the Magic City as the ultimate destination for art. South Florida-based galleries put in the work all year to make the 305's art scene shine and also make the rounds at the main and satellite fairs. Here are local gallery highlights at ten popular fairs this Miami Art Week.
Art Basel. Of the more than 200 international galleries at the main fair this year, two are from Miami: David Castillo Gallery and Fredric Snitzer Gallery. At David Castillo’s booth, visitors can see complex works from several artists of color. In Xaviera Simmons’ Sundown (Number Nine), the artist stands in front of floral wallpaper while holding a black-and-white photo. The title of the piece, which is part of a larger series, references “sundown towns,” where African-Americans are not welcome after dark. Fredric Snitzer Gallery will present a series of spectral black-and-white photos by Zeke Berman and a purple-painted bronze sculpture by Jon Pylypchuk titled American Moses. Thursday, December 6, through Sunday, December 9, at Miami Beach Convention Center, 1901 Convention Center Dr., Miami Beach; 786-276-2600; miamibeachconvention.com. Tickets cost $40 to $500 via artbasel.com.

Untitled, Miami Beach. The art fair on the sand will present four Miami-based organizations exhibiting during Miami Art Week. Girls Club, a feminist alternative space dedicated to art for social change, will present an installation to protest workplace exploitation through wage theft, inequality of pay, and the trafficking of workers brought to the United States through the B1 domestic service workers visa program. The durational performance will involve a collection of red aprons that read, “Never Not Working.” The Bass, Pérez Art Museum Miami, and ArtCenter/South Florida will also present specially curated projects. Wednesday, December 5, through Sunday, December 9, on the beach along Ocean Drive at 12th Street, Miami Beach; 646-405-6942; untitledartfairs.com. Tickets cost $25 to $35 and are free to children under 12.

Pulse Contemporary Art Fair. At Indian Beach Park, Pulse will offer three Miami galleries. In a nonprofit booth, YoungArts will present works by alumni who have won for visual arts or photography. In James Balo’s colorful digital collage, a young boy is duplicated across a diagonal. Balo is studying for a bachelor of fine arts at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, where he hopes to use his art to increase awareness of mental illness and emotional and domestic abuse prevalent in the lives of children of color. Pulse will also feature Momentum Fine Art, where photographer Aristotle Roufanis will accompany his work, and Mindy Solomon Gallery. Thursday, December 6, through Sunday, December 9, at Indian Beach Park, 4601 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; 212-255-2327; pulseartfair.com. Tickets cost $25 to $100.

Prizm Art Fair. Prizm, which is curating a show with a "currency" theme in relation to Africa and the African diaspora, will host two Miami-based galleries in addition to ones from Atlanta, New York, the District of Columbia, and London. Emerson Dorsch Gallery will exhibit a monumental muslin tapestry with floral and landscape motifs by Paula Wilson. N’Namdi Contemporary, owned by art-scene veteran Jumaane N’Namdi, will present artist Patrick Quarm as he paints two hyperrealistic male figures on African print fabric. Monday, December 3, through Sunday, December 9, at 169 E. Flagler St., Miami; prizmartfair.com. Tickets cost $15 to $150.

Art Miami. At its relatively new location downtown, Art Miami will host nearly 20 local galleries at this year’s edition. One standout is Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, run by the legendary local gallerist herself, whose booth will present the curated show "Animals Real and Imagined" to pay homage to animals that are threatened or extinct because of pollution, poaching, and ecosystem deterioration. For the piece Wisdom, artist Enrique Gomez de Molina sculpted a hybrid animal resembling a walrus out of sustainably sourced beetle wings, waterbucks horn, pheasant feathers, porcupine quills, foam, wood, and glass. Visitors can expect to see other invented or suggested animal pieces in diverse media at Steinbaum’s booth. Tuesday, December 4, through Sunday, December 9, at 1 Miami Herald Plaza at NE 14th Street, Miami; 800-376-5850; artmiami.com. Tickets cost $35 to $275.

Context Art Miami. Context is Art Miami’s cool younger sister, with galleries that exhibit new and emerging contemporary artists. The Design District gallery Markowicz Fine Art will sell several works by street artist Kai in the spirit of antiestablishmentarianism. In a cement relief a bit larger than a sheet of paper, Kai has sculpted his famous smiling stick figures shaking hands while holding weapons behind their backs. Eternity Gallery, located in Brickell City Centre, will present a mesmerizing op art, or optical art, installation of the evil eye by artist Emmanuelle Rybojad. Other Miami-based galleries set to exhibit at Context include ArtLabbé Gallery, Bel Air Fine Art Gallery, DS Projects, MAC, Oliver Cole Gallery, and Projects Gallery. Tuesday, December 4, through Sunday, December 9, at 1 Miami Herald Plaza at NE 14th Street, Miami; 800-376-5850; contextartmiami.com. Tickets cost $35 to $275.

Spectrum Miami and Red Dot Miami. Relocated to Mana Wynwood for this year’s edition, Spectrum and sister fair Red Dot will each host one South Florida gallery. At Spectrum, the Fort Lauderdale-based gallery and artist agency Artblend will exhibit a painting by Hee Sook Kim, a professor of fine arts at Haverford College, made with rhinestones, acrylic, and oil paint that suggests a floral or corporeal shape. Contemporary Art Projects, located on Biscayne Boulevard, will show a large-scale photo of an aged bottle of Chanel No. 5 by the Dutch artist Anouk. Wednesday, December 5, through Sunday, December 9, at Mana Wynwood, 2217 NW Fifth Ave., Miami; reddotmiami.com; spectrum-miami.com. Tickets cost $10 to $85 and are free to kids 15 and under.

Satellite Art Show. Instead of taking place in an art deco hotel in Miami Beach, Satellite will offer three Miami galleries, along with dozens from the States and one from the United Kingdom, in 33,000 square feet of open-air space in the Ice Palace Film Studios parking lot. Artist duo Milagros Collective will roll up to the fair in an art RV and present ice-cream cone sculptures while giving visitors a chance to relax in an art-therapy spa. Tailgate Project, which will be at Satellite for the first time, will transform a pickup truck into the ultimate mobile performance venue, complete with a stage, stripper pole, outdoor grill, and live music. Local cocktail lounge and music venue Electric Pickle will provide music. Thursday, December 6, through Sunday, December 9, at 18 NW 14th St., Miami; satellite-show.com. Tickets cost $25.

NADA Miami. NADA, located next door to Satellite’s tent, will present one Miami Beach gallery this year: Central Fine. For its booth, the gallery has curated the show "Invention," in which each work references something ephemeral and ineffable. In Georgia Sagri’s photo series Diana Speaks With Animals, a nude woman wanders in front of the barred window of a house with an overgrown yard. Myrlande Constant’s colorful, feminist voodoo flags use a beading technique seen in wedding dresses or haute couture. Thursday, December 6, through Sunday, December 9, at 1400 N. Miami Ave., Miami; 305-347-7400; newartdealers.org. Tickets cost $10 to $40.

Aqua Art Miami. At Aqua, visitors can check out seven local galleries scattered throughout the rooms of the namesake Miami Beach hotel. The Midtown-based Mid4Art will show work by local artists including Carmine Bilardello. In his series of oil paintings, Bilardello depicts celebrities such as John Belushi, Andy Warhol, Gloria Estefan, and Annie Lennox by layering paint and masking tape. Other local galleries at the fair include Blackship, Wynwood 28, Robert Fontaine, Irreversible Projects, Wolf & Nomad, and John Sanchez Studio. Wednesday, December 5, through Sunday, December 9, at the Aqua Hotel, 1530 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; 800-376-5850; aquaartmiami.com. Tickets cost $20 to $275.