Black and Basel: Here’s Sugarcane’s guide to Miami Art Week 2022
Sugarcane Magazine is collaborating with the Miami Herald again for the 2022 Black and Basel guide to list locations with work by artists of the African diaspora.
Art Week Miami is not only the perfect time to explore new ideas, but to support the work of the world’s best creatives, some of whom live in our backyard. Onajide Shabaka is at the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center. Mark Fleuridor is showing at YoungArts Foundation as well as Oolite. Chire Regans is at New World College. These are just a few of the local artists representing Black artistic excellence during this week.
International Black artists are in town, too, being showcased often at more than one exhibition. Broaden your horizons with international artists at Untitled Art Fair to buy Nigatu Tsehay’s work at Addis Fine Art Gallery, or view Simone Leigh’s Trophallaxis at PAMM. Visit the number one Black art fair in the United States, Prizm Art Fair, to buy work from N’Namdi Gallery or Prizm’s curated work featuring Deborah Jack, Francisco Maso and La Vaughn Belle; go to the Betsy Hotel to see work by Nadia Huggins.
This year, I’m excited to see work by three contemporary artists of Haitian descent: North Miami’s Didier William displaying work as his first solo museum show at MOCA North Miami; Kathia St. Hilaire at NSU Art Museum in Fort Lauderdale; and Hervé Télémaque at ICA Miami. Art Basel Miami Beach is our recommended spot for must-see galleries such as Rele Gallery based in Lagos/Los Angeles, Marian Ibrahim Gallery from Chicago/Paris and Jenkins Johnson Gallery, Brooklyn, New York/San Francisco.
Plus, Art Basel features at least five galleries owned by Black women, always a reason to celebrate this week. I also plan on visiting Housing at New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) to see Taína Cruz.
Realistically, no one can attend every event, but you can use this guide to create a schedule that helps you support Black artists.
Art Fairs
Art Basel 2022 Miami Beach
Private showing: Nov. 29-30; Open to the public: Dec. 1-3
Miami Beach Convention Center, 1901 Convention Center Dr., Miami Beach
The fair that brings art collectors from all over the world to Miami Beach will feature 255 galleries from 30 countries and territories. There are several galleries showing work by Black artists. And there are galleries from the African continent to support, including Afriart Gallery, Goodman Gallery and Stevenson Gallery.
Point Comfort Art Fair + Show
Nov. 27-Dec. 4
Historic Ward Rooming House, 249 NW Ninth St., Miami
Hampton Art Lovers presents Point Comfort, a platform for African-American masters of American fine art.
Ink Miami Art Fair
Nov. 30-Dec. 4
Suites of Dorchester, 1850 Collins Ave., Miami Beach
A great way to start your own collecting is with works on paper. It can be less expensive but still valuable. Stop by Island Press for pieces by Julie Mehretu.
NADA Miami
Nov. 30-Dec. 3
1400 N. Miami Ave., Miami
New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) host a conversation Dec. 2 at 2 p.m. with Joeonna Bellorado-Samuels, director of Jack Shainman Gallery and founder of We Buy Gold — a roving gallery presenting exhibitions, commissioned projects and public events, with four gallerists who are included in the Curated Spotlight section: Chela Mitchell (Chela Mitchell Gallery), Ali Rossi (Olympia), Paige Wery (Tierra del Sol Gallery), and Graham Wilson (Swivel Gallery).
Black-owned gallery HOUSING will present Taína Cruz, in her first stateside solo exhibition. Drawing upon ancestral knowledge and the modern influences of growing up in Harlem, Cruz incorporates and remixes contemporary imagery with ancient wisdom to create her dynamic and Creole visual language.
Prizm Art Fair: Vernacular À La Mode
Nov. 29-Dec. 4
Main Fair: Design District, 4220 N. Miami Ave.
Global/Borderless Caribbean Pavilion: Little Haiti Cultural Center, 212 NE 59th Terr., Miami
To celebrate its 10th anniversary year, PRIZM presents Vernacular À la Mode, curated by William Cordova, Marie Vickles, and Mikhaile Solomon, with presentations by select galleries and artists. Vernacular explores how vernacular modes of artmaking originating in global African contexts have influenced the cultivation of fine art practice worldwide.
Those featured include Dudley Alexis, Alexis Alleyne-Caputo, Kimberly Becoat, La Vaughn Belle, Leonardo Benzant, Jeremy Biggers, Kimberly Camp, Christa David, Francks Deceus, Mark Delmont (Artlovetrap), Alanis Forde, Yrneh Gabon, Napoleon Jones-Henderson, and Latoya Hobbs.
Untitled Art Fair
Nov. 29-Dec. 3
Ocean Drive & 13th Street, Miami Beach
Untitled Art Fair returns this year with a diverse offering and is curated by Natasha Becker, Miguel A. López, Estrellita Brodsky and José Falconi.
Look out for “Slow Looking: These Views Are Our Tools,” by Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo; conceptual artist Yelaine Rodriguez’s third iteration of her immersive altars, which also incorporates digital offerings to Shango from various Afro-diasporic artists working within video art; and artist and storyteller Adrian Burrell’s project using film, oral histories, primary sources and photography to explore his family history.
AfriKin Art 2022
Nov. 30-Dec. 2
Maison AfriKin (Near Opa-Locka Executive Airport), 655 Ali Baba Ave., Opa-locka, FL 33054
AfriKin Art 2022 will use art to transform the historical Moorish-inspired neighborhood of Opa-locka with “The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born.” The annual art exhibition highlights “Black Art in a Black City.” Programming includes a VIP opening, films, panel discussion, dance performance and more.
Art Beat Miami
Nov. 30-Dec. 4
Various Locations
Art Beat Miami is an annual satellite art fair presented by Little Haiti Optimist Club and Welcome to Little Haiti, showcasing emerging and renowned artists from Haiti and around the world. Art Beat Miami in-person galleries will be accessible from Nov.30-Dec. 4 and online from Nov. 30-Jan. 31. Visit artbeatmiami.com for details.
CONTEXT Art Miami
Nov. 30-Dec. 4
One Herald Plaza at Northeast 14th Street, Miami
CONTEXT Art Miami continues to create and push boundaries in the conversation about contemporary art, showcasing works from 75 innovative galleries from more than 20 countries, including Nigeria, Japan, Turkey, Australia, France, South Korea and Chile, among others. Expect work from Derrick Adams at Surovek Gallery, Belkys Ayón at Cernuda Arte, and Hebru Brantley at Corridor Contemporary.
Scope Art Fair
801 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach
Scope Art Fair leads when it comes to accessible art, art technology and experiential exhibitions. This year is no different. The Miami Beach iteration always features African diaspora artists. This year, make it a point to go to Black-owned Knowhere Gallery to purchase works by Black artists.
Red Dot and Spectrum Miami
Nov. 30-Dec. 4
318 NW 23rd St., Miami
September Gray – Fine Art Gallery, Ephraim Urevbu, and Scott Jeffries are among the many exhibiting at Red Dot/Spectrum Miami that you shouldn’t miss.
Opa-locka Community Development Corporation
Dec. 1-4
Opa-locka ARC, 490 Opa-locka Blvd.
OLCDC has a series of Art Week events including exhibits of Haitian art masters and Mali’s Abdoulaye Konaté. Celebrity chefs will be on site so you can have dinner after viewing world class art. Also, an Africa Becoming Panel Discussion is slated to address techniques and aesthetics informed by West African traditional practices and how the arts have played a transformative role in local communities.
Artz 305
Dec. 2-4
Homestead-Miami Speedway, One Ralph Sanchez Speedway Blvd., Homestead
Powered by Commissioner Kionne McGhee, South Miami-Dade residents will enjoy the opportunity to immerse in the culture during Miami Art Week. Explore family-friendly exhibitions.
Museums and galleries
Sugarcane Magazine Presents: Molasses
Dec. 2, 2 p.m.
Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami, 770 NE 125th St., North Miami
Our new series, Molasses, kicks off with a conversation with artist Didier William and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Dean of The Yale School of Art, Kymberly Pinder, Ph.D. Didier is a world-renowned artist from South Florida. We spend time discussing his art and career trajectory.
Saatchi Yates
Nov. 22-Jan. 2
35 NE 40th St., Miami
Saatchi Yates Gallery is showing a powerful solo exhibition of new paintings by contemporary Ethiopian artist Tesfaye Urgessa at the gallery’s temporary space in the heart of Miami’s Design District.
The Bass: The Harvesters
Nov. 27–Dec. 4
The Bass Museum of Art, 2100 Collins Ave., Miami Beach
In this solo exhibition, Jamilah Sabur weaves a series of interconnected works that examine climate change.
ICA Miami
Nov. 28–March 12
ICA, 61 NE 41st St., Miami
“Big Butch Energy” is a new installation by Nina Chanel Abney, whose work explores how gender perception and performance are inspired by the legacies of social ritual and the circulation of visual culture. Also on display at ICA is “Denzil Forrester: We Culture,“ 20 paintings and a dozen drawings from the artist’s first seven years of production — 1978-1985 — and early works by Hervé Télémaque.
Trophallaxis
Through Feb. 12
Pérez Art Museum Miami, 1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami
Simone Leigh’s work highlights the female body — particularly the Black female body — as a culturally loaded signifier. The presentation marks the first time this work is shown since it was acquired for the museum in 2018 with funds provided by PAMM’s Collectors Council.
The Front Room Exhibition
Through Jan. 13
Panel Discussion: Dec. 7, 7 p.m.
New World Gallery, 25 NE Second St., Miami
Christina Friday, Loni Johnson, and VantaBlack (Chire Regans) use their distinct multi-disciplinary practices to erect and consecrate a space that centers liberation from the deep social practice of self-containment and self-negation. Curated by Pamela “Zee” Lopez Del Carmen.
Didier William: Nou Kite Tout Sa Dèyè
Dec. 1, 8-10 p.m.
Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami, 770 NE 125th St., North Miami
The first major solo museum exhibition for the artist will feature over 40 paintings and a newly commissioned sculpture. Outside, don’t miss VantaBlack: To What Lengths, a sculptural installation on the MOCA plaza featuring larger-than-life-sized braids and seating.
First Frequency
Nov. 29-Jan. 22
The African Heritage Cultural Arts Center, 6161 NW 22nd Ave., Miami
Amadlozi Gallery at the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center presents First Frequency, an African diaspora art exhibition created by Bayunga Kialeuka. Exhibitors include Boris Anje, Precy Numbi, Sesse Elangwe, Nicole Grace, Kingtsey, Aurelia Djena, Hako Hankson and more.
If These Streets Could Talk: A Historic Exploration of Black Miami
Dec. 1- 3
The Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater Cultural Arts Complex, 819 NW Second Ave., Miami
An exhibit dedicated to telling the true and remarkable story of Black Miami, it explores the origins of the city, the development of Colored Town and its heyday, and the stories of the people who lived here.
Sunshine featuring works by Mark Fleuridor
Nov. 28–Dec. 10
YoungArts, 2100 Biscayne Blvd., Miami
Miami native Mark Fleuridor (2015 Visual Arts & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts) creates layered reconstructions of family, friends, home spaces and tropical plants to arrive at abstracted environments that investigate the underlying theme: the cycle of life.
I Want To Be Wonderful
Dec. 3
Coral Springs Art Museum, 2855 Coral Springs Dr., Coral Springs
Christina Nicola’s works navigate her internal dilemmas, acting as a visual archive of her ever-evolving identity in real time.
HistoryMiami
Through December
101 West Flagler St., Miami
Rahsaan “Fly Guy” Alexander, a DJ and Miami native, presents CAPTURE: A Portrait of the Pandemic. Along with the photography, the exhibition will also showcase Rahsaan’s short documentary film “PIVOT: A 2020 Story,” an introspective look at how he rekindled his passion for photography. Also on display at HistoryMiami is the exhibit Stories of Resistance from Black Miami: From Civil Rights to BLM.
Miami is Not the Caribbean. Yet it Feels Like it.
Until Dec. 11
Oolite Arts, 924 Lincoln Road, 2nd Floor, Miami Beach
Oolite Arts presents a group show that explores the presence and influence of Caribbean culture in Miami. The exhibition, curated by Danny Báez, asks artists of Caribbean heritage for their answers to questions that include whether Miami can be considered a Caribbean city and whether life in Miami reflects the cultures of its Caribbean diaspora.
Haitian Heritage Museum
4141 NE Second Ave., #105c, Miami
Artist Markenzy Julius Cesar explores our interconnection with water as individuals and as communities through his work in his show Markenzy Julius Cesar: Flesh and Water. Opening event Dec. 1, 6:30-9:30 p.m. The second installment of Black Women in Art: The Noire Perspective Part Deux takes place on Dec. 2 at 10 a.m. — a conversation engaging with industry leaders from our own backyard and leaders from across the United States for a dynamic panel discussion.
Locust Projects
Nov. 29-Feb. 4
3852 North Miami Ave., Miami
Locust Projects presents Room for the living/Room for the dead, a new, site-specific, commissioned project by Miami-based artist T. Eliott Mansa. This will be the last installation in the Project Room before Locust Projects relocates to Little River. The exhibition opens to the public during Miami Art Week with a Meet the Artist Reception on Nov. 29 from 7-9 p.m.
Green Space Miami
Until Jan. 14
7200 Biscayne Blvd., Unit 1 and Unit 2, Miami
ChromaTone: Voices from Miami presents more than 70 artists offering their reinvention of an iconic symbol of Miami, the historic “Coppertone Girl” billboard. The original 1950s billboard — restored and standing just one block from Green Space Miami on Biscayne Boulevard — depicts a white-skinned, pigtailed, blonde beach baby and her dog, which is playfully tugging at the girl’s bikini bottom to expose a tan line.
Special projects
Veo Veo, I See I See, Mwen Wè Mwen Wè
The Lawson E. Thomas Law Office Building, 1021 NW Second Ave., Miami
Miami MoCAAD offers a showcase of work by mural artists and oral history excerpts using technology to create fun, immersive educational experiences. This mural wall project will illuminate Overtown’s history and community.
Germane Barnes: Rock | Roll
Miami Design District, 140 NE 39th St., Miami
Miami-based architect and designer Germane Barnes’ installation, Rock | Roll, is a multifaceted project throughout the Design District that draws on the vibrancy of Miami Carnival to honor the BIPOC communities that contribute to Miami’s polyethnic culture.
The Betsy Hotel
1440 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach
The Betsy-South Beach, one of the preeminent global arts hotels, presents exhibits curated by Betsy co-owner Lesley Goldwasser that feature works by Black artists, including photography by Tamary Kudita (Zimbabwe), Nadia Huggins (Trinidad/Tobago) and a mixed media collection by Ray Tenorio (Cuba) as well as the premiere of a dance work by Peter London (Trinidad/Tobago).
William Kentridge’s ‘The Head & The Load’
Dec. 1–3
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami
William Kentridge’s “The Head & The Load” will immerse audiences in a powerful story about Africans in World War I, with the wings and backstage of the opera house reconfigured to become a site-specific performance space. Immediately following the Saturday matinee performance, there will be a 30-minute conversation with show creator William Kentridge, his collaborators and cast members from the production.
Black Art Yacht Experience
Dec. 1, 8 p.m.-midnight
1635 N Bayshore Dr., Miami
$297–$497
Miami-based curator and art advisor Ludlow Bailey, managing director of CADA (Contemporary African Diaspora Art) and Kellee Baker, attorney and founder of BAYE (Black Art Yacht Experience), host an innovative art experience designed to celebrate the extraordinary achievements of Black global creatives and to provide a platform to discuss key issues concerning the flourishing CADA sector through art talks, exhibits and live entertainment.
AIRIE Art + Environment Summit
Dec. 2, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
The Carter Project, 3333 NW Sixth Ave., Miami
AIRIE hosts the inaugural AIRIE Art + Environment Summit, a series of conversations and an immersive installation focused on how artists engage diverse audiences in environmental issues and make the outdoors a space of belonging for all. In partnership with the Women Photographers International Archive (WOPHA), the event will highlight artists delving into discussions and narratives of identity, climate activism and ecological futures through their artistic practices.
Full Set Society
Dec. 4
65 NW 21st St., Miami
The daylong pop-up hosted by Full Set Society will feature surprise live performances, an exclusive gallery experience featuring artwork by premiere Black and Brown artists and friends of “The Set,” and riveting chat-backs with local and national culture makers across every art form.
