Art Basel, Miami Beach 2024
Art Basel Miami Beach 2024 reaffirmed its position as a leading global art fair, uniting prominent galleries, collectors, curators, and artists to honor innovative contemporary art. Since its launch in 2002, the fair has been crucial in shaping the global art economy, promoting cultural exchanges, and highlighting both up-and-coming and established artists. As a major fixture in the international art calendar, Art Basel Miami Beach displays outstanding works in painting, sculpture, digital media, and performance, while also facilitating conversations about trends, market shifts, and the changing significance of art in society. This year’s event upheld those traditions, featuring an engaging array of thought-provoking installations, pioneering projects, and notable sales that continue to uphold the fair’s heritage. Below are the highlights and key takeaways from the fair.
Fredric Snitzer Gallery
Since its inception in 1977, Fredric Snitzer Gallery has played a pivotal role in shaping Miami's contemporary art scene. As one of the early advocates for contemporary Latin American art in the United States, the gallery boasts a rich history of showcasing extensive exhibitions by renowned avant-garde Cuban artists and, more recently, a wider representation of the Caribbean diaspora.
For the 2024 edition of Art Basel, the gallery showcased a solo exhibition featuring the works of Hernan Bas. His paintings capture moments at the intersection of youth and adulthood, innocence and experience, and the public and private realms. Nestled within a dynamic landscape of both interior and exterior spaces, the figures portrayed are imbued with potential. The androgynous young men depicted engage in rituals of courtship, love, and death, reflecting a theatrical heightening of emotion that highlights the contrast between intellect and physicality.
Sies + Höke
Sies + Höke is a prominent contemporary art gallery located in Düsseldorf, Germany, recognised for displaying works by both established and emerging artists from Europe, the United States, and Latin America. The gallery is well-known for its curated exhibitions that showcase diverse media, with a particular emphasis on conceptual art.
In its 2024 edition, the gallery presented a vibrant collection of contemporary works across various mediums. Notable pieces included ‘On the Other Other Side Board' from the *OOOSB* series by von Bismarck, which transforms animals and plants into altar-like imagery using wood shavings, glue, and fabric. Under an astounding 300 tonnes of pressure, real objects are rendered two-dimensional. Another highlight was ‘Showing Hands’ by the Düsseldorf-based artist duo of Hedda Schattanik and Roman Szczesny. At first glance, this piece appears to depict a pair of hands, but a closer look reveals an intricate array of details and scenescapes.
Tanya Bonakdar
Over the last twenty years, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery has forged a prominent contemporary program representing over thirty esteemed artists around the globe. Focused on showcasing works across diverse media such as painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, photography, and video, the gallery maintains a robust exhibition calendar, presenting more than ten rotating shows by its artists annually.
At Art Basel, the gallery displayed pieces from Uta Barth, Math Bass, Monica Bonvicini, Sandra Cinto, Nathalie, Mark Manders, Yuko Mohri, Ernesto Neto, Lisa Oppenheim, Amalia Pica, Magali Reus, Sherrill Roland, Analia Saban, Tomás Saraceno, and Lisa Williamson. Notable works included ‘The Self-Conscious Orbital Force’ by Olafur Eliasson, an installation featuring partially silvered glass spheres of various sizes that exquisitely capture and reflect light and their environment, and ‘The Enchanted Garden' by the talented duo Nathalie Djurberg & Hans Berg, which includes a series of sculptural flowers showcasing a delicate beauty and an untamed, organic logic of their own.
Nara Roesler
Nara Roesler is a prominent Brazilian contemporary art gallery that showcases influential Brazilian and international artists from the 1950s, alongside notable mid-career and emerging talents who engage with the ideas presented by these historical figures.
At the fair, the gallery featured significant artworks, including ‘Letters’ by Lucia Koch. This installation consists of small rectangular metal frames that hold colored filters, projecting vibrant shadows onto the wall. Additionally, a suspended sculpture from the Asterisms collection by Brazilian artist Artur Lescher emphasizes transparency as a key characteristic of each piece. The sculpture's suspension creates a visual tension, where the weight of the object seems to dissolve into a sense of lightness, complemented by its sleek, polished materials.
Continua
Galleria Continua is a contemporary art gallery located in a former cinema in San Gimignano, established in 1990 by Mario Cristiani, Lorenzo Fiaschi, and Maurizio Rigillo. Nestled in this historic town, away from the hustle of larger cities, it cultivates new dialogues between rural and industrial settings, as well as between local and global perspectives and both established and emerging artists.
The gallery has showcased an array of works by renowned artists including Adel Abdessemed, Ai Weiwei, Anish Kapoor, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Carlos Garaicoa, Eva Jospin, Jorge Macchi, JR, Julio Le Parc, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Nari Ward, Pascale Marthine Tayou, and Yoan Capote.
Pedro Cera
Pedro Cera is a prominent Portuguese gallery, with an additional site in Madrid, centered on contemporary art. It represents artists from diverse backgrounds across Europe, Latin America, and the United States. The gallery's programming includes a continuous series of exhibitions at its Lisbon location and participation in international art fairs.
Among the broad array of works displayed in various mediums, those by Manuel Chavajay particularly stand out. As a Tz’utujil Maya artist, his creations are deeply rooted in his indigenous heritage. The collection ‘Ch'umil kaj / estrellas en la vía láctea’, translating to ‘stars on the Milky Way’, reveals stunning scenes when the viewer looks into the vessel. Additionally, the striking pastel works of Portuguese artist Bruno Pacheco typically depict isolated figures navigating unknown landscapes or engaging in activities that remain mysterious to the observer.
