Heading out to enjoy Miami Art Week? Here are some works of art you can’t miss

Planning to spend your weekend on the art scene? Here are must-see works that, in a few days, will be gone. Catch them while you can.

Name of Work and Artist: Alex Katz

Name of Fair: Art Miami

Booth Name & Number: AM321 David Benrimon Fine Art

Narrative: The distinctive, unidimensional paintings by American Alex Katz look effortless — an ease that has taken decades to perfect. This presentation includes canvases plus cutouts of women frolicking on the beach in an air of innocence that seems long past.

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Name of Work and Artist: “L’Hermite” and “Le Pendu” by Devan Shimoyama

Name of Fair: UNTITLED

Booth Name & Number: De Buck Gallery, B46

Narrative: If you’re wondering what the cool kids are buying, check out these glittery textured canvases. Famed photographer Zanele Muholi even snapped smartphone shots.

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Name of Work and Artist: Banksy

Name of Fair: Art Miami / Context

Booth Name & Number: S16 Gallery, booth A20

Narrative: Created as part of Banksy’s 2015 “Dismaland” theme park, “Dream Boat” sculpture is so finely sculpted you can see the hope and despair on the faces.

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Name of Work and Artist: Coral Morphologic video projection

Where: On the facade of the Knight Concert Hall at the Arsht Center (best seen from Biscayne Boulevard)

Narrative: Miami-based reef preservationist collective Coral Morphologic transforms images of corals into still and video images, reminding us of the beauty of nature. This week, you can see an ever-”morphing” series of images projected onto the Knight Concert Hall. Don’t forget to drive.

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Name of Artist: Chris Bradley

Fair: NADA (New Art Dealers Association)

Booth: 1.08, Ackerman Clarke

Narrative: Baguette as bird house, pretzel as lock — food stuffs return to the art fairs in a new, more durable format than the Art Basel banana of years past.

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Name of Artists: Works by various artists

Location: LMVH pop-up, 56 NE 40th Street, No. 8, Miami Design District

When: Through Dec. 4; artist talk Dec. 2 at 1 p.m.

Narrative: Luxury brand owner LMVH returns with its second diversity and inclusion exhibition, with works by South Florida physically disabled artists Glenneisha Darkins and Cruise Bogle — both mouth painters — and portraits by Roger J. Carter, a black artist who creates images out of unexpected objects such as plastic army men and computer keys.

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Name of Work and Artist: Various artists, including newly commissioned work by South Florida-based Loni Johnson, Naomi Fisher, Jillian Mayer, Jamilah Sabur and Fountainhead resident Nereida Patricia, along with international artists Ana Mendieta and Marina Abramovic

Location: “Boil, Toil + Trouble” temporary exhibition by Art in Common, founded by Zoe Lukov and Abby Pucker, 21 & 39 NE 39th Street, Miami Design District

Narrative: In pre-pandemic times, Zoe Lukov curated art for Faena. Now an independent curator based in Los Angeles, Lukov follows last year’s “Skin in the Game” pop-up show with her current exhibition center on the power, destructiveness and ephemeral nature of water. Some works are inspiring, others downright disturbing. The show spans two side-by-side buildings; don’t hesitate to pull aside the dark curtains to slip inside.

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Artists: Alexandre Diop, twins Elliot & Erick Jimenez, and others

Location: Spinello Projects,

Narrative: If you’re wondering what all the fuss is about Diop, just open the door at Spinello Projects. These are works that need to be seen up close. Be sure not to miss the highly original photographs of the Jimenez twins. (You can see more work by Diop at the Rubell Collection this season.)

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Name of Work and Artist: “Illustrious Reflection,” Hirotomi Maeda

Name of Fair: Design Miami

Booth Name & Number: Ippodo Gallery of Tokyo and New York. Booth Number: G/36

Narrative: Japanese master metalsmith Hirotomi Maeda was tapped to create a work to commemorate the ascension of Emperor Naruhito to the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019. It’s easy to understand why he was chosen for the honor. Maeda usually takes three months to create one vase, painstakingly hammering intricate designs of waves or geometric shapes into the metal. His “Illustrious Reflection” vase is made from a gold-silver-copper alloy and lists for $100,000.

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Name of Work and Artist: “The Trash Bag Sofa,” Harry Nuriev

Name of Fair: Design Miami

Booth Name & Number: Harry Nuriev. Booth Number: C/03

Narrative: Don’t put this sofa out with the trash — it’s worth $50,000. Nuriev, that delightful designer from New York who created a sumptuous and sexy silver bedroom for the fair last year, is again having a laugh. This time, he created a nine-piece sofa with what appears to be those ubiquitous black garbage bags found on city streets. But his bags are stuffed with pellets similar to those found in beanbags, and the material he chose is far sturdier than any plastic garbage bag.

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Name of Work and Artist: “ATM Leaderboard,” MSCHF

Name of Fair: Art Basel

Booth Name & Number: Perrotin. Booth Number: J3

Narrative: First it was bananas, then pigeons. Once again, the Perrotin gallery is up to mischief — this time with a 30-member Brooklyn-based collective called MSCHF. The collective installed a fully functioning ATM, complete with cash and a leaderboard that ranks people who use the machine by order of the balance of their bank accounts. Images of individuals using the machine appear above the ATM on an illuminated leaderboard, complete with how much money they have on hand. The installation also celebrates each transaction with cheers and confetti. The bigger the balance, the bigger the celebration. By the end of the first day at the fair, the biggest bank account rang in at nearly $3 million. This unique work lists for $75,000.

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Name of Work and Artist: “Chair, ”María José Arjona

Name of Fair: Art Basel’s Meridians Section

Booth Name & Number: Rolf Art. Booth Number: M17

Narrative: Colombian artist María José Arjona has everyone looking up. “Chair” is a durational performance piece in which Arjona is reclined on a horizontal chair suspended several feet in the air for several hours. While in the chair, Arjona moves her arms and legs extremely slowly and pauses in between movements. In fact, she moves so slowly, many visitors watching the performance could not tell if she was a mannequin, a robot or a real person. The artwork, which debuted in 2011, deals with concepts of “object-hood,” memory and “the body’s critical role when addressing movement, in a given space, as a form of political choreography,” according to the artist.

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Name of Work and Artist: “Bowl with Eggs (Yellow),” Jeff Koons

Name of Fair: Art Basel

Booth Name & Number: White Cube. Booth Number: E8

Narrative: Art Basel visitors were keen to take photos posing next to this massive work. Sitting smack in the middle of European gallery White Cube’s booth, “Bowl with Eggs” is hard to miss. The matte, mini-fridge-sized eggs sit in a glossy yellow bowl the size of a hot tub. The artwork by famed contemporary artist Jeff Koons can be interpreted as a celebration of life, growth and birth. Mathieu Paris, the senior director of White Cube London and Paris, said it is one of Koons’ masterpieces. The work was listed for $5,000,000.

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Name of Work and Artist: “MC-HAPPINESS,” Lucy Sparrow

Name of Fair: SCOPE

Booth Name & Number: Booth Number G023

Narrative: It’s the cutest fast food joint in town. British artist Lucy Sparrow will take your order at her plush version of a McDonald’s that she made by hand out of felt fabric. The artist said she is a big McDonald’s fan and wanted to bring the joy of the golden arches to the art fair. Each french fry, apple pie and hamburger has a little smiley face, making them too cute to eat. Good thing they’re inedible. You can order your felt combo meal to go, though it costs much more than anything off the dollar menu. Sparrow’s Happy Meal costs $500.

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Name of Work and Artist: “Patria y Vida” by Antonia Wright and Rubén Millares

Location: On the beach at Faena Hotel Miami Beach, 3201 Collins Ave.

Narrative: These Cuban-American artists know the importance of protest. “Patria y Vida” is a sculpture of jumbled up barricades that are typically set up by police to block off demonstrations. The work, which celebrates the right to peacefully protest, was inspired by the anti-government protests in Cuba that sparked last summer. The phrase “Patria y Vida” became a rallying cry for Cubans on and off the island. The artwork, which is located right on the beach, is illuminated with LED lights at night. In this piece, the barricade becomes a symbol of global resistance.

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Name of Work and Artist: “Ni de aquí, ni de allá (Not from here, not from there),“ Studio Lenca

Name of Fair: Untitled Art Fair

Booth Name & Number: Y.ES Contemporary and Gallery RED Mallorca. Booth Number: SP15

Narrative: Jose Campos, a Salvadorean artist who goes by Studio Lenca, shows off his mastery of color and bold message in a blush pink booth. Campos, now based in London, grew up undocumented in California before moving to the United Kingdom. His experience informs his work, like “Chisme,” a series of large scale wooden cutouts. On one side of the figures, Studio Lenca painted people with rich brown skin, brightly colored outfits and large brimmed hats. He collaborated with Central American and Mexican immigrants associated with WeCount!, an organization that advocates for immigrant workers and their families, to paint the other sides of the figures. One of the wooden cutouts is on display at Untitled. The rest will be acquired by a museum in New York. The artworks represent immigrants “taking up space” to be seen and heard.

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Name of Work and Artist: “Pulse Topology,” Rafael Lozano-Hemmer

Location: Superblue Miami

Narrative: This gorgeous, immersive installation by the Mexican-Canadian artist known for his participatory works is made up of 3,000 light bulbs suspended from the ceiling, each one blinking to the heartbeats of museum visitors. Stick your hand under a sensor, and the installation will add your heartbeat to the mix. The exhibit, presented by BMW in partnership with Superblue, is included with admission to the museum

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Name of Work and Artist: ”Orient Express Revelation,” Maxime d’Angeac

Name of Fair: Design Miami

Booth Name & Number: Orient Express presents Orient Express Revelation, exclusively revealing the future Orient Express train imagined by Maxime d’Angeac. Booth Number: X/04

Narrative: The closest most of us will get to a journey on the Orient Express will be the virtual reality experience at Design Miami. Visitors will get the chance to experience what it would be like to sit in the sumptuous dining and sleeping cars while looking out at the Bosporus as the train slips into Istanbul. D’Angeac, a brilliant architect based in Paris, redesigned the entire interior of the train, transforming each sleeping car from 10 cabins with a communal bathroom to three cabins, each with its own shower. Also, Miami fairgoers get the first look at the planned Presidential Suite. It occupies an entire rail car and includes that rare train luxury – its own bathtub – as well as a kitchen and private butler. If all goes according to plan, passengers will be able to take the trip of a lifetime aboard the new and improved Orient Express beginning in 2025.

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Name of Work and Artist: ”Swimming Pool VR,” Leandro Erlich Studio

Name of Fair: Art Basel

Booth Name & Number: Galleria Continua. Booth Number: J4

Narrative: From the artist who brought the famed traffic jam in the sand to Miami Beach three years ago, is an interactive work that provides a fully immersive experience into the deep end of the pool. Wearing a virtual reality headset enables one to feel as if it is possible to breathe underwater. Look up and see a grand cupola. Look to the left while exiting through a back portal and become one with the universe. On display is the earth amid a galaxy of stars. This work comes in an edition of 5 and lists for $95,000 each. BONUS: Can’t get enough of art by Erlich? Stop by the Pérez Art Museum Miami, which presents a survey of the artist’s work through next September.

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Name of Work and Artist: “Munanfinda,” José Bedia

Name of Fair: Art Basel’s Meridians Section

Booth Name & Number: Fredric Snitzer. Booth Number: M8

Narrative:José Bedia’s monumental installation, whose title means “the forest” in the Kikongo language, is nothing short of phenomenal. The centerpiece is a vintage crocodile skin pinned spreadeagle to a wall. On an adjoining wall is the outline of a spirit figure shot through with real arrows. A stanchion of Ceiba tree branches connected with a cordon of Monarch butterfly chrysalises transects the space. The chrysalises sound like rattlesnakes when shaken and are used in a hunting ritual known as the Deer Dance. This unique installation lists for $225,000

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Name of Work and Artist: Christo

Name of Fair: Art Miami

Booth Name & Number: AM320 Archeus / Post-Modern

Narrative: One of the finest renditions of “Surrounded Islands” you’re likely to see has just come on the market from a private collection. See it before it goes back behind closed doors.

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Name of Work and Artist: Works by Michel Majerus, Thomas Bayrle, Jorge Pardo and Olafur Eliasson.

Name of Fair: Art Basel Miami Beach

Booth Name & Number: neugerriemschneider, E10

Narrative: This Berlin-based gallery has combined works by major contemporary artists to create an eye-popping booth that will make you smile. (And no, Olafur Eliasson’s giant sphere isn’t a disco ball. Look closely to explore the interplay of diaphanous panes with mirrored glass.

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Name of Work and Artist: Amanda Keeley’s interactive work, “All Is Well, All Is Well, All Is Well.”

Name of Fair: UNTITLED

Booth Name & Number: Just inside fair entrance

Narrative: Miami-based Keeley’s spinning wheel, based on a Tibetan prayer wheel, is a meditation for the ill, those in trouble, and everyday citizens living in stressful times. Her wish: That it find a home at a cancer center or other treatment facility.

Name of work and artist: “Quantum Field,” Athlone Clarke

Name of location: Prizm Art Fair

Why it matters: Inspired by the Dogon people, “Quantum Field” explores the history of a people believed to be one of the first to study astronomy. That history pushes back on the notion of African people being primitive.

Name of work and artist: “Defiant 015 (Nickolas)“ by Jeremy Biggers

Name of location: Prizm Art Fair

Why it matters: A painting of a photo taken at a recent Afropunk Festival, “Defiant 015 (Nikolas)“ showcases Biggers’ portraiture skills at the highest level.