Day 1: Miami Art Basel 2009 Coverage, Thursday December 3rd

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Arriving in Miami yesterday afternoon to a humid 80-degree city. KiptonART had only an hour to prepare for the long evening ahead. Our founder, Kipton Cronkite, has been asked to provide local coverage on “How to Basel” for local Beach Channel TV on a story looking at a New Yorker’s perspective on Art Basel.  We headed directly down to the public displayed “Oceanfront” exhibit, which was being held on the Beach. The purpose of the space is to present works of art that are either performance or media related. The installation itself is of plastic fabric, wrapped around tall scaffolding and made to look like giant boxes placed next to one another. Tribal beats coon from them, in playful rhythm. There is a relaxed communal feel with beanbags and tables both placed tightly next to one another urging you to socialize.  As the sun sets, lights shine from inside the boxes and patterns of graffiti and bricks begin to appear. The fluorescent boxes turn to resemble a brightly lit shantytown against the darkening sky. It is a city within a city. This installation is a powerful reminder of the existence of poverty amongst the wealth (The Setai and W Hotels are directly around the corner). It brings spectators into an environment and mindset where many will not venture, especially on this trip. Miami itself is a town where there is a strong division of class, with economically stable neighborhoods bordering impoverished areas. There is a positive aspect with lively music coming from within the ghetto, though the boxes themselves are empty.

From an exhibition on the importance of poverty and gentrification, we headed to the high class Whitney party on the beautiful docks of The Standard Hotel (after chowing down sliders at the Raleigh). The Whitney, a favored museum of Kipton’s, was honoring the upcoming Biennial and co-curator Gary Carrion-Murayari with hosts Brooke Garber Neidich, Beth Rudin DeWoody, and Adam D. Weinberg. Though the setting was gorgeous, the atmosphere was stuffy and I’m not referencing the humidity; perhaps the lack of music made it uninviting. However, friendly familiar faces were seen such as Lisa Anastos, Anastasia Rogers, Suzanne and Bob Cochran, tennis player John McEnroe, André Balazs, Joanne Cassullo, New York party girl Sophia Lamar and 2002 Biennial photographer Vera Lutter.

Leaving the party, and feeling a bit down from the energy (or lack thereof) we shot in a cab to a private house on Sunset Island.  Jason Binn and Miami Ocean Drive Magazine, teamed up with the residents of the home, Gert and Ulla Elfering to pay homage to Colombian photographer Efren Isaza. Isaza’s fashion prints and images fixate on futuristic designs and styles. The guests themselves seemed to have come from one of his prints with innovative looks worn by the best of them. Pushing the envelope was a women covered head to toe in a dark traditional burka…from the front. As she turned a backless burka was revealed. The young lady and I began an intense conversation; her standing up for the design saying that many women feel “backless” in countries where the traditional dress is enforced, while I argued that women may feel empowered by this way of life and who are we to mock their beliefs. The controversial outfit was designed by Miami’s Lei Marco. Two true heroines of fashion were the lovely models that were in origami gowns standing tall on platforms looking over the pool. The dresses were more runway material than regular eveningwear, with each lady looking like a stunning work of art in statue form: something that great fashion should always resemble. The Elfering’s home was stocked with their personal collection exhibiting photographs one would tend to find in a modern Miami setting: A close up of giant glossy red lips, large picture of George W. Bush trying to work a rubiks cube, and Queen Elisabeth sitting on the loo. Kipton had chance to interview Jason Rosenfeld of Michelle Rosenfeld Gallery located on the Upper East Side. Rosenfeld has a positive view on the art market pointing out that younger collectors are purchasing works more frequently this year than last.

Shortly thereafter we found ourselves in the heart of the design district where Gen-Art partnered with the Aqua Art Miami. Gen-Art, a company that focuses on supporting emerging talents in all art arenas (and whose tagline “Access to Emerging Talent” which I hadn’t seen until last night, is similar to KiptonART’s “Giving Artists Access”) hosted an outdoor rock concert at the Aqua Art fair, where gallery booths gave way to contemporary works. The School of Visual Arts booth was our first stop. KiptonART has had a wonderful relationship with SVA with many of our artists hailing from the talented school, such as current featured artist Emily Korman. A photograph favorite was of Aaron Boldt’s Untitled, which portrays an updated human version of Lewis Carol’s Alice in Wonderland’s white rabbit holding the recognizable pocket watch and umbrella. Another Day in LA gallery (kudos for the name) has a series of material with offensive sayings inscribed on them by a team of artists known as Fallen Fruit. Fallen Fruit are three young gay men who have YouTube videos that advocate the importance of growing produce as a way to help the environment. They also give lessons via the Internet on how to make your own jam. They took comments that people left on their videos and carved them into the tools used to make the jam: “wut a fag” and “dipshit liberals. always looking for a handout” are only a few terms of endearment that are shown. Artist Jamie Adams’s oil on canvas jeanniebigbed is a powerful work of photo-realism showing three young women on a large bed, and is part of the Philip Stein Gallery’s booth from St. Louis. What I have noticed from the up-and-coming contemporary art scene is that many pieces project anger with shock value. The young generation has always been tied to revolutionary angst and negative views on harsh world, but it feels so repetitive (Many wanted change, and they got it…be inspired). If one must create shock value work, which is a major part of today’s contemporary market, then at least add some joyfulness to make the piece more interesting (not Polaroid’s of girls in panties and graphic sexual notes about raping hanging next to them).   Stay tuned for more coverage from Miami Art Basel tomorrow! 

Day 2 Coverage
Day 3 Coverage

Images from top - down, left to right: Zev's half-eaten macaroon; The Oceanfront Installation; Kipton Cronkite dwarfed by origami model; Entrance to Aqua Art Fair; Aaron Boldt's Untitled; Fallen Fruit's wut a fag


                   Burka dress                                   Kipton Cronkite interviewing Jason Rosenfeld


                          Jamie Adam's jeanniebigbed                                                                        SVA Booth