What to See at Art Basel Miami Beach 2015

Early each December, Florida's idyllic Miami Beach is transformed into a veritable mecca of contemporary art for Art Basel Miami Beach, becoming a temporary, sun-splashed home to kitsch sculpture parks, galleries, elaborate parties, fashion happenings and pop-up shops that warrant at least an Instagram post or two. Now in its 14th year, the vibrant fair is larger than ever before, playing host to a vast number of artworks, installations and immersive experiences for the discerning art lover to enjoy. Here, we showcase the seminal highlights.

The Sensual Sculpture by Sterling Ruby
Contemporary artist and sculptor Sterling Ruby is staying true to his namesake at Art Basel Miami Beach this year by exhibiting Red Lips, a monumental piece of work which depicts a tubular mouth in two parts, and stands in PUBLIC’s sculpture garden in Collins Park. It’s in good company – elsewhere, the park is hosting site-specific installations and performances such as an enormous sculpture of a deer nonchalantly grazing by Tony Tasset and a performance by a female Tai Chi master.

The Sonic Composition by Ryan McNamara and Devonté Hynes 
Musical maestro, singer, songwriter and composer Devonté Hynes, AKA Blood Orange, is collaborating with esteemed Brooklyn-based performance artist Ryan McNamara on an immersive performance at the Pérez Art Museum Miami on the evening of the 3rd December. “Blending sculpture, sound and choreography, the two artists, assisted by Miami-based musicians and dancers will respond to South Florida sites of displacement and fantasy,” the museum explains of the project. “High rises at the Ocean’s edge, Opa-locka, a recovering neighborhood with a dense concentration of Moorish architecture inspired by One Thousand and One Nights; Vizcaya, an opulent estate on the shores of Coconut Grove characterized by faux-historic European opulence; and Coral Castle, an otherworldly monument made by a Latvian immigrant in the fits of unrequited love.”

Consisting of a multi-layered composition by Hynes, accompanied by choreography and sculptural elements created by McNamara, it promises to be an utterly novel experience, transporting viewers beyond the usual realms of Miami Beach kitsch, to somewhere all the more evocative.

The Edible Installation by Jennifer Rubell
Jennifer Rubell has made elaborate, open-to-the-public, food-based installations her bread and butter (excuse the pun) at Art Basel over the years – nowadays they are one of the most highly anticipated elements of the fair – and now in their 12th year, 2015’s offering looks set to be as intriguing as ever with “Bread, butter, and a couple engaged to be married” the only clue as to what it will entail. “For many, her breakfast is as important as any fair,” Miami New Times reported earlier this week, “Yet appreciating it doesn't require an outlandish outfit, a Basquiat in your collection, or a degree in fine arts. If you're looking for aesthetic satisfaction, you won't leave hungry. If you're simply in need of food, then come and eat.” 

While you’re there, we’d also highly recommend stopping in at the Rubell Family Collection’s exhibition of women artists from its extensive collection, entitled No Man’s Land. So enormous is the spread of works on show that the pieces will be rotated throughout the duration of the exhibition. 

The Psychedelic Experience by Assume Vivid Astro Focus
In a move that’s both forward-thinking and downright fun, the Faena Beach Hotel has commissioned three leading modern artists to create bespoke installations for its beachfront property. The most adventurous of the three comes courtesy of buzzed-about French-Brazilian duo Assume Vivid Astro Focus, who have conjured up a psychedelic disco-cum-interactive art installation, in an image-saturated circular rink designed to encourage social interaction. If the wildly tessellating graphics and fluorescent skates weren't enough to entice you, the sensational live DJ set should at least encourage a shy dance at the sidelines. 

The Classical Offering by Miami Art Masters
Miami Art Masters makes a fittingly grand debut at Art Basel Miami Beach 2015 with an exclusive appointment-only exhibit in a 12,000-square-foot private residence by Touzet Studio, designed to reimagine the esteemed Parisian Hôtel Particulier for the 21st century. In addition to classic Old Masters such as Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Bartolomé, Esteban Murillo and Lo Scarsellino, this carefully curated fair also boasts a selection of contemporary artists such as Cecily Brown and Tracey Emin. 
Hibiscus Island (between Miami and South Beach), December 3–6, 2015. 

The Novel Act by Chloe Wise 
Chloe Wise, the American artist best known for fashioning fascimile interpretations of iconic luxury accessories from oil paint and urethane, lends her uncanny culinary flair to the luxury boutique hotel Nautilus, who have teamed with Artsy for an avant-garde brunch. Here's hoping that her lauded 'Baguette No. 5' or 'toasted Prada tote' make a guest appearance among the sensational spread of collectable baked goods. 

The Mirrored Meditations by Kimsooja 
The incredible installations of Korean-born artist Kimsooja are what she calls meditations on painting, each of her works presenting "a mirror that wraps identity, space, and time." By using literal mirrors, and light diffracted through a translucent film, she transforms the environments she inhabits into canvasses for her fantastical rainbow spectrums. Accompanied by a soundtrack of her increasingly-anguished breathing, these spaces offer a transcendental immersion and a multi-sensory exploration of self which celebrates “meditative isolation as a space of sanctuary.“ This year at Miami Basel, Kimsooja’s cerebral concept translates into a series of images presented at the Kewenig Booth, which capture her 2006 project at Madrid’s Palacio de Cristal: To Breathe – A Mirror Woman.