Art Basel Miami Continued

Karolina Jablonska, A Chicken Soup 2023

Kat Lyons, Chorus 2023

Kehinde Wiley, Portrait of Ya Fatu Conteh, 2023

Louisa Gagliardi, Absorbed, 2023

Manuel Mathieu, Paris Index 1, 2023

Marielle Plaisir, A World of Utopias, 2023

Mickalene Thomas, High Priestess No.3, 2023

Ndidi Emefiele, Play Station III, 2023

Nicholas Hlobo, Umsitho weengwenya, 2023

Olivia Sterling, It all gets too much, 2023

Oscar Murillo, Manifestations 2022

Phoebe Boswell, Future Ancestors, 2023

Piotr Uklanski, Untitled Stunner X, 2021

Rebecca Ward, float, 2023

Sofia Mitsola, Pink Mink Hoodie, 2023

Thomas Hart Benton, Edge of the Field 1943-1961

Tomasz Krecicki, Fingers, 2023

Traccey Emin, Deep Feeling, 2023

Wahab Saheed, Comfort Zone 2023

Wangari Mathenge, While She Sleeps, 2023

Zandile Tshabalala, uPhiliswa, 2023

Revisiting Art Basel Miami 2023

Arthur Jafa, Untitled, 2023

Caroline Coon, Paul Murray, Muse 1982

Chantal Joffe, Ombrellone B14B, 2023

Cheryl Pope, Portrait of 4 Women in Striped Room, 2023

Chie Fueki, Painting, 2023

Ching Ho Cheng, Sybao Portrait, 1972

Dennis Kardan, Time Left, 2021

Derek Fordjour, Tiempo Agogo, 2023

Dindga McCannon, Mother and Child, 2022

Francis Picabia, Olga I, 1938

Georg Baselitz, Sujet populaire contraire, 2007

George Condo, Untitled, 2018

Gideon Rubin, The Kiss 2023

Gordon Parks, Untitled, Chicago, Illinois, 1953

Grace Weaver, Hotel Amour 2023

Heather Guertin, Hollow Wave 2023

Hernan Bas, The Groundskeeper, 2014

Honore Sharrer, The Play, 1997

Joyce Kozloff, Paris and Brooklyn, 2015

Kaloki Nyamai, Twenda kulika osene, 2023

Celebrating Diversity at Art Basel Miami 2022

From Poland to Peru it was an outstanding show at Art Basel Miami 2022. Polish painter Wilhelm Sasnal's tenebrous painting left many questions unanswered. All we see are shoes and legs, maybe platform sandals suggesting it might be summertime but even that Sasnal leaves us to question. Who are these people and why are they meeting. It could be anywhere, a get together of sorts, the shadows overwhelming what little we can decipher. Meanwhile Marius Bercea's Fruitful monologues is an idyllic vision of the Romanian landscape juxtaposed against a young couple relaxing by the side of the lake. They are detached from the land and dressed up and far from a conversation. Oblivious to each other, they are there to be looked at, a contrast one could say between the country and the youthful ambition of the subjects themselves. Israeli artist Doron Langberg's Ilan's Garden is a luscious take on nature unhinged and in full bloom. It is a restful place despite its wild roots. The colours are vibrant and alive and show a sensuality of sorts underneath it all. African American artist Kerry James Marshall's Supermodel is a magnificent rendering of a young black woman in her undergarments. Marshall who paints in three shades of black wanted to give light to the conspicuous being we see before us. She's stripped of a background and instead asks us to see her for what she is. She's not a supermodel and the opposite of that stereotype. She's rendered deeply and her details deliver slowly to the viewer. We don't know who she is but wonder why she's dressed they way she is. We want to see more of her but Marshall keeps us guessing. It's easy to see why Sean Combs paid $21.1 million for one of Marshall's paintings. He paints black subjects with dignity and an aura of mystery always questioning their place in art history. That is why his legacy is well cemented and storied in our time. Danish artist Alexander Tovborg's Madonna of Solitude is a great abstract work full of bold colours and biomorphic shapes. We can see a face but that is all, the body is cut apart and we wonder we are looking at. The question is religion, but whose? There are no clear answers, the work remains mystical to the viewer. Peruvian artist, William Cordova, paints like Caio Fonseca and his Untitled, 2022 painting shows similar genius. His triangular shapes seem arbitrary at first but then blend well and we see they are intentional. Cordova paints between different cities always questioning the identity of each one. What we see is his interpretation of those locations. I wish I could write about all of these works as they all have something to offer but I'll let the viewer ask their own questions. Please enjoy these works and wait for more.

 1 Wilhelm Sasnal, TBD, 2022, Polish

Revisiting Art Basel Miami 2022

Art Basel Miami is one of the more important art fairs around and this year it proved itself to be one to remember. It was full of diversity with artist displayed all the way from Cameroon to Cuba. It was difficult to choose a select few but somehow I managed. It featured emerging as well as developed artists with household names such as Julian Schnabel and Susan Rothenberg. An artist that I interviewed years ago, Jeffrey Gibson was on display and you can view our interview here. I'm glad to see him doing well and selling well too. Alas, Raelis Vasquez's Amidst is a beautiful portrayal of a youth standing in the water almost waiting for his portrait to be made. It is rich in colour and shows an innocence captured with every brushstroke. Patrick Martinez, LA Tile and Stone's is a bold painting showing a rich colour field reminiscent of Mark Rothko. It would look good in any home. The show also included one of my favourite artists Elliott Puckette whose Untitled work is full of sinuous lines, the type she is well known for. Davide Balliano is another artist I am quite fond of with his tubular shapes he reminds one why abstract art is so highly prized. Kehinde Wiley's Morpheus 2022, is a wonderfully rendered work of a young black woman set reclining against a backdrop of flowers. We wonder what she is thinking about and the answer remains a mystery. Another great work is Ruth Ige's At the gathering, 2022, whose display of a faceless woman piques our interest. With her delightful dress we can't help but wonder who it is. Dread Scott's B Ball Youth on Rim, 1994 is hopeful take on a group of youth enjoying their daily game in dire surroundings. It's a reminder of social stratification in America which can be curtailed with the right energy and belief in oneself. Please enjoy these and the rest as they all share a high degree of skill and talent. Not all of them can be written about but you get the idea of why they're here. 

1. Raelis Vasquez, Amidst, 2022, Dominican

Art Basel in Miami

In case you missed it, here's a small peak of what was on offer at Art Basel in Miami last December. It may not be London or New York but with warmer temperatures and shorter flights, Miami is an ideal winter getaway. This year the fair will run from December 1-4. While that may be some months away it would certainly be worth planning for.

1.  Adrian Paci, At sea, 2015, Galerie Peter Kilchmann