Art Basel Miami (and the dozen satellite art fairs that accompany it)is a mixed bag. The air of exclusivity is palpable; nearly every stretch of Miami proper and the beach is dotted with invite-only events, exclusive this-and-thats, and temporary structures touting works of art that only the 1% could afford.
But if you can get past that (and the traffic), you’ll see that Miami Art Week is actually wonderful. When else will a 45-foot-tall metal sculpture of a woman overlook Lincoln Road? When better than before the holidays to win $1M just for making it into the hoops of a basketball tree (34 times, to be exact).
The city comes ALIVE with public art installations and the best part is, we can enjoy almost every single one of them for free. Here are some can't-miss public installations and exhibitions, arranged by neighborhood to help you plan your art scouting.
South Beach
R-Evolution on Lincoln Road
Artist Marco Cochrane’s 45-foot-tall, 32,000-pound female silhouette pays a visit to Lincoln Road after premiering at Burning Man in 2015. She glows in the sun, lights up at night and has 16 motors in her chest to simulate breathing, but perhaps what’s more impressive than her sheer stature is the way Cochrane built her by hand using a medieval enlargement tool called a pantograph. She’s stunning, but try not to get all hot and heavy; the point of the installation is to see past her “sexual charge.”
Location: 400 Block, Lincoln Road
Dates: Nov 14 – April 2024
No Vacancy, Miami Beach
This juried art competition presented by the City of Miami Beach and the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority places local artists on a platform and invites the public to experience Miami Beach’s famed hotels as fleeting art destinations in their own right. Now in its fourth year, No Vacancy has tapped 12 artists to create site-specific works across 12 iconic Miami Beach hotels like The Betsy, Faena, Esmé and The Catalina. Installations will be on view from November 16 through December 14, when the winner will be announced.
Location: Various, largely along Washington and Collins Avenues and Ocean Drive
Dates: Nov 16 – Dec 14
HOUSE OF TILLY at The Standard
AI can be alarming, but there’s something disarming about experiencing it at The Standard. HOUSE OF TILLY is a collaboration between designers and Tilly AI, the world’s first AI designer, that showcases five ideas for living all set within a house-like structure. Unlike ChatGPT which churns data and delivers what you need like a fast food order, Tilly was designed to understand and respond to emotional intelligence to support human creativity. As Tilly3.0 is programmed with voice recognition, you can test out her humanity (and even source local recommendations and tips) inside the lobby of The Standard.
Location: The Standard Spa, 40 Island Ave, Miami Beach
Dates: Dec 5 - 10
Dirt's Dive at Faena at Faena Art Project Room
If you frequent Over Under, then you'll recognize Kelly Breez's work. ‘Dirt’s Dive,’ is the Lake Worth native's homage to dive bars as a center point of authenticity and community, which are disappearing more and more throughout South Florida. Inspired by Edward Kienholz and Alex Katz’s work, as well as her native tropical lands, she's created a fantastical bar scene, incorporating local anectodes and personal history into her watering hole of whimsy. If you decide to check it out on Wednesday, December 6, there will be live music, cocktails, and a food truck experience with Paul Qui from 6:00–9:00pm.
Location: Faena Art Project Room, 3420 Collins Ave
Dates: Nov 17 - Feb 9
IKEA Open House
Will there be meatballs? What about those donut lights that are trending on Tiktok? Skip the trek to Doral and head to the IKEA Open House on Lincoln Road, their first debut at Art Basel. This immersive event promises to showcase the brand's iconic products, designs, and food in ways you’ve never seen before.
Location: 430 Lincoln Road
Date: Dec 8-9, 12-4pm
Shawn Kolodny x Creed Public Sculpture on Española Way
Shawn Kolodny, who’s known for his Dippin Dots’-like massive spheres, has partnered with fragrance brand House of Creed to debut two installations during Art Basel: one at Creed’s Design District store and the other on Española Way. As the spheres are entirely mirrored, Oglers can become a part of their piece as they stare at their own reflection. And do inch up close; the work has been sprayed with a scent of Creed.
Location: At the intersection of Española Way and Drexel Avenue, Miami Beach
Dates: Dec 4 - May 10
Design District
Utopia in Miami Design District
The Design District always delivers whimsical and fun installations during Basel, so you might say the work of this year’s Annual Design Commission winner mushrooms across the neighborhood. Lara Bohinc’s ‘Utopia’ calls us to reimagine a city where nature thrives in harmony with human presence, and so she’s created these funky bulbous forms out of cork that you could interact with like furniture pieces. There will also be 900 egg-shaped bird houses hung around the District’s tree-lined streets, which you know the local parrots are going to LOVE.
Location: Throughout Miami Design District
Dates: November 2023 - March 2024
Stardust Pavilion by Flare
Some people collect art and NFTs others collect pavilions. Stardust is a 217 square-foot, 10-foot-tall mirrored pavilion created by design studio Flare, and it's the first of a series of collectible structures like this Not to be compared to a mirror house, natural light penetrates its glass walls of this zen-like structure, which will be open through January 2024.
Location: 95 NE 40th St
Dates: Nov 2023 - Jan 2024
Reclining Mermaid by Elliot & Erick Jiménez
“Reclining Mermaid’ is a billboard by Elliot & Erick Jiménez, a first-generation Cuban-American twin photo duo. The work is a portrait of Yemaya, the deity syncretized with our Lady of Regla in Cuba, and ruler of the seas. Her eyes reflect the history of Cuba’s colonialism and blending of Spanish and West African traditions. “Reclining Mermaid” is part of “Southern Histories,” a series of large-scale works at culturally significant sites to commemorate under-recognized historical narratives connected to Miami’s roots in the American South, Latin America, and the Caribbean. It was produced in collaboration with Spinello Projects and commissioned by Fringe Projects with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Location: Corner of NE 2nd Ave. & 40 St., Miami, FL 33137
Dates: Permanent
“VALLE DE LÁGRIMAS / VALLEY OF TEARS” by Swampspace Gallery X Spinello Projects
“Maria, No!” VALLE DE LÁGRIMAS (1987) is a montage of ten lurid canvases that pay tribute to Mexican telenovelas of the 1970s. The exhibition is a major formative work by queer Cuban-American painter, Adolfo Sanchez, who succumbed to aids in 1990. Created by Swampspace in partnership with Spinello Projects, VALLE DE LÁGRIMAS is one of eight exhibitions and projects for GAY ERA, a series that highlights works by artists that embody the rich tapestry of queer experiences, narratives, and artistic expressions.
Location: 3940 N. Miami Ave., Miami, FL 33127
Dates: December 4-9; 11am-5pm
Wynwood
Live mural paintings, talks and a reclaimed subway car at Wynwood Walls
There is A LOT happening at Wynwood Walls this year, with most of the hoopla happening in the days leading up to Basel. From November 21st through December 4th, there will be sculpture unveilings by Dan Lam and Ron English, talks with prominent figures in the art world, a solo exhibition inside the GGA Annex Gallery by international artist Kai, and the launch of Street Sessions, which are 30-minute "Watch & Learn" session with artists as they paint new murals inside the Walls. During Art Week proper (December 5-Sunday, December 10), there will be daily events at the Wynwood Walls Shop. As for the reclaimed subway car, they've transported it 1000 miles from Virginia (because apparently that's where subway cars go to die?) and will feature it as a permanent installation within The Walls furthermore. This is the only event on this list that isn't free. Tickets are $5 to $12. Purchase here.
Location: 3940 N. Miami Ave., Miami, FL 33127
Dates: Nov 21-Dec 10
The Art Of Hip Hop at Museum of Graffiti
2023 marks the 50th anniversary of hip hop, and where better to pay tribute to the genre during Art Week then at the Museum of Graffiti? Art of Hip Hop is an immersive exhibition spotlighting the visual unsung heroes of Hip Hop culture. We’re talking photographers, album cover artists, graffiti visionaries, and logo designers. After making stops in Austin for SXSW and Seoul for UrbanBreak, Miami’s exhibition weaves in rare vintage ephemera from Hip Hop’s first NYC DJ, Kool Herc, to Miami’s own pioneer Uncle Luke, and will highlight Miami’s own hip hop scene, as captured through the lenses of photographers Derick G and Esdras T. Thelusma.
Location: Museum of Graffiti, 299 NW 25th St., Miami, FL 33127
Dates: Permanent
Arts & Entertainment District
CJ Hendry’s Hoops
CJ Hendry is known for her hyperrealist art and super immersive exhibits (check out her 2018 project Monochrome), and she’s come to Miami to launch her very first public art installation. Hoops is a basketball tree at Margaret Pace park – a place where both basketball players and dog owners rule. Hoops stands at a towering 20 ft with 34 hoops reminiscent of chandeliers hanging from the sky. And here’s a kicker: anyone who successfully sinks 34 baskets in a row in each hoop and captures it on video may win $1 million!!!
Location: Margaret Pace Park, 1745 N Bayshore Dr
Dates: Dec 5 – 9