Art lovers rejoice! Art Basel is returning to Miami Beach this month for its largest show to date. The famous annual art festival will be celebrating its 20th anniversary on Thursday, December 1, through Saturday, December 3, and will feature tons of innovative and exclusive exhibitions on top of satellite events being brought to the city for Art Week. We’ve already started planning how to make the most out of the art-packed days. that’s why we’ve put together this list of the best art experiences you should totally head out to this week. Check them out:
1. Pinta Miami
Explore the artwork of emerging and established Latin American artists at Pinta this week, through December 4. Coconut Grove’s The Hangar will be home to the art fair which is split into several sections, each with their own curators. Spend your afternoon perusing the art, listening to local DJs, lounging outdoors — all while enjoying drinks and bites from the Bayshore Club! You can get your tickets here.
2. Spectacular Spectacular: An Outrageous Burlesque Experience
A dazzling show featuring Miami’s most talented entertainers will open at Brickell’s Flamingo Theater Bar — just in time for Art Basel! Burlesque production Spectacular Spectacular features an enthralling narrative, astounding acrobatics, and even an aerial show. So book your tickets and enjoy these stunning performers in a classy and seductive performance unlike any other you’ve seen.
3. NightGarden: A Magical Light Experience
Don’t let the visual magic end at Art Basel; take a stroll through NightGarden too! Art goers can use the code ARTBASEL20 on the Fever app to enjoy the dazzling light show at the best price. Each year, the NightGarden transforms the 83-acre Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden to take you on a magical journey through rainbow colored paths, technicolor flowers, interactive technology and so much more. You can book tickets here.
4. Louis Vuitton’s Art Basel Miami Beach Exhibit
On view through December 3, Louis Vuitton’s Art Basel Miami Beach exhibit features two wax figures of Yayoi Kusama, created by the artist herself; a panda figure sculpture by Takashi Murakami on a vintage Louis Vuitton trunk; paintings by Richard Prince and Alex Katz; a photo by Jean Larivière; and the now iconic Artycapucines collection. As a celebration of the Maison’s long-standing relationship with Yayoi Kusama – and to mark the 10-year anniversary of their first collaboration – exclusive new pieces are also on view for the first time to serve as a teaser of the upcoming collaboration. Find it inside the Miami Beach Convention Center during the acclaimed art fair.
5. Leandro Erlich: “Liminal”
This Art Week, Pérez Art Museum (PAMM) is presenting an immersive exhibition of iconic artworks by Argentine artist Leandro Erlich. The exhibition will feature 16 works, including the mind-bending Swimming Pool that visitors can interact with. It may look like a regular swimming pool, but you can view it from either above or “underwater.” The installation will run until September 4, 2023. Learn more here.
6. Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: “Pulse Topology”
Superblue Miami and BMW have partnered to bring “Pulse Topology” to the city, a stunning biometric artwork by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. It’s composed of 3,000 lightbulbs, suspended at different heights, with each lightbulb flickering to the pulse of a previous participant. The Superblue exhibit also features the artist’s interactive pulse treatment inside the fully electric BMW i7 through Sunday, December 4. Inspired by conversations with BMW engineers and designers, Lozano-Hemmer harnesses the technology behind “Pulse Topology” to visualize visitors’ heartbeats through light, sound, and graphics as they sit inside the vehicle.
7. Filmgate Interactive Festival
Taking place December 2 through 5, FilmGate returns to Downtown Miami and Miami Beach to showcase immersive visual experiences that push the boundaries of storytelling. Over the four days, creators, producers, tech companies and curious audiences will have access to over 30 interactive experiences, 15 labs and talks, interactive exhibits, 4 dome experiences, a financing market, b2b meetings, music, live events and a sunset cruise closing ceremony, accessible to all ages. Locations include The Frost Science Museum, The SouthEast Financial Center, O Cinema South Beach and more.
8. Aerobanquets RMX mixed-reality art and culinary experience
Is this really the future of dining? Superblue and Meta Open Arts have partnered to present Aerobanquets RMX by Mattia Casalegno. At Superblue, set in a space designed to look like a dining room set in the future, guests will eat all while wearing a VR headset and listening to a narration by top chef Gail Simmons. The unique culinary experience engages all of the senses and will coincide with Art Week, running until December 4. Read more here.
9. Scope Art Show
Taking place through December 4, South Beach’s Scope returns for its 21st edition and will display works from over 150 exhibitors. The contemporary art fair also marks the 10th anniversary of The New Contemporary, the fair’s multidisciplinary initiative—and this year’s is planned to be the largest to date.
10. Random International: Living Room
Commissioned by Aorist, experimental art collective Random International has unveiled ‘Living Room,’ a new light-based installation found in a pavilion at Faena Beach. On view until December 4, it explores how blockchain technology can revolutionize how visitors experience and collect art and builds on the group’s iconic Rain Room, which allows visitors to walk through a downpour without getting wet. Click here to learn more.
11. Aqua Art Miami
Back for its 16th edition at the Aqua Hotel on Collins Avenue, Aqua Art is the premier location for art aficionados to procure works by young, emerging and mid-career artists. A roster of well-respected international galleries will showcase the fresh artists’ works in the intimate exhibition rooms, which open into the beautiful courtyard of the classic South Beach hotel. The art fair will be open to the public from December 1 to 4.
12. Spectrum Miami & Red Dot Miami
This year, Spectrum Miami and Red Dot Miami are joining hands to bring the art fairs under one roof at the Mana Wynwood Convention Center. Returning for a 12th year and 17th year respectively on Nov. 30 to Dec. 4, see the artwork of more than 1,000 artists showcased by over 280 exhibitors. Both shows will cover 150,000 square feet of indoor exhibition space, all within walking distance of Wynwood’s coveted restaurants, bars and retail. Click here to learn more.