Remember in years past when you wished you could enjoy all the art without the crowds and the traffic? Well, dreams do come true. This year’s art fair programming will be almost entirely online. No doubt, the virtual showrooms will make it more difficult to duct-tape bananas to gallery walls. But they’ll allow you to get closer than ever to the artworks. Zoom in all you want, there will be no one around to tell you “please don’t touch the art.”
There are a few notable exceptions. Design Miami/ is bringing a hybrid event to the venue where the fair launched in 2005: the Design District’s Moore building. From Nov. 27 through Dec. 6 the design fair will set up shop inside the building with more than 139 pieces — including 57 works shown as part of the exhibition Podium, which explores the theme “America(s).“ Pieces range from historic artifacts to contemporary ceramics inspired by artist Isaac Scott’s photographs of Black Lives Matter protests in Philadelphia. The Liberty City Roots Collective will screen-print T-shirts on site in partnership with Emmett Moore and 4WorthDoing, and designs from more than 50 contributors including designer Virgil Abloh.
Timed tickets are required for the exhibition and cost $22.50. All works shown within the fair will also be displayed online. But the fair will be complemented by a series of free pop-up shows and satellite exhibitions scattered throughout the 18 blocks that span the open-air neighborhood. Guests will be treated to immersive exhibits including a rooftop lounge designed by Takashi Murakami.
Pinta Miami will present artwork from more than 400 artists via an immersive digital platform and virtual components including LiveTalk — a series of conversations with art collectors discussing contemporary Latin American art. The virtual programming continues with guided tours and the series “Open Files,” which features short video interviews with artists. Pinta is also hosting private, in-person pop-up events.
This year, your shoes can stay sand-free for UNTITLED, ART. Usually held in a pavilion right on the shore, the curated Miami Beach fair will exhibit 60 galleries from 30 cities and 18 countries in a virtual format that will include live panel discussions via Zoom and social media. The online fair will run Dec. 2-6, with a VIP Preview on Dec. 1 at 11 a.m.
Curated by the fair’s artistic director, Omar Lopez-Chahoud, this year is an ode to contemporary artists from the Caribbean. Visitors to the online viewing rooms will have access to a floor plan that will allow them to navigate through the virtual fair. You’ll even be able to sign and comment in a virtual guest book and chat online with gallerists in real time.
Some highlights include a panel in Spanish on Friday with Belizean artist Katie Numi Usher and Johna Mijail from the Dominican Republic as they talk about themes including politics, race and cultural activism.
Similar themes are woven into this year’s PRIZM art fair, now in its eighth edition. The fair is also entirely online this year at prizmartfair.com and will run Dec. 1-21. Exclusively dedicated to contemporary art from Africa and the diaspora, PRIZM will feature 45 artists and 12 galleries. This year’s theme, “Noir, Noir: Meditations On African Cinema And Its Influence On Visual Art,” looks at the intersection between African film and contemporary art and is inspired by Senegalese film director, producer and writer Ousmane Sembene — a longtime advocate of the need for spaces that protect African culture. Programming will include a series of films and talks that kick off Dec. 3 and are yet to be announced.
The week’s marquee fair, Art Basel, will exhibit no less art than usual via its Online Viewing Rooms this year, which will run Dec. 4-6 with preview days Dec. 2-4. The lineup includes more than 2,500 works from 255 galleries spread over 30 countries and territories. This year’s showing boasts a strong representation of female artists including Guatemalan artist Regina José Galindo, Kurdish artist Zehra Doğan and historic works by Faith Wilding and the Louisiana-born video and performance artist Tina Girouard.
The City of Miami Beach will continue its Legacy Purchase Program this year, acquiring an artwork presented by one of the participating galleries in “OVR: Miami Beach.” The viewing rooms will be available via Art Basel’s website, artbasel.com/ovr, and its mobile app.
Those who miss walking the halls will enjoy SCOPE art show’s Immersive Miami Beach programming, running from Dec. 1-6. Make sure to increase the volume on your speakers to listen to artist chats and the echo of your own virtual footsteps at scope-art.com. SCOPE will welcome 34 exhibitors and programming that will include talks by Paul Laster, Tyler Shields, the Black Artists and Designers Guild, and Eva Woolridge, along with videos from ICA Boston and Art24. A full schedule is available on the art fair’s website. After-hours, the platform will transform into a virtual nightlife experience featuring curated music.
Art Miami is back for its 31st year with a show available exclusively on the online platform artsy.net. The show runs Dec. 2-20.
Anyone looking for an in-person experience can also join this year’s JADA Miami Art Fair at 1250 Normandy Dr.. JADA will offer tours that follow social distancing and COVID-19 regulations, as well as virtual options to enjoy more than 120 pieces, including paintings, multimedia installations, murals and sculptures from artists all over the world Dec. 3-6.
