Miami Art Week 2023: Traditional and Digital Worlds Collide
A wave of energy and innovation crashed into Miami this month
Natan Elkanovich, Leonel Messi (2023) at Context Art Miami
Miami Art Week 2023, culminating in the iconic Art Basel, wrapped up last weekend leaving an indelible mark once again on Miami's vibrant landscape. The week transformed Miami into a pulsating hub of creativity, attracting a global assembly of artists, collectors, gallerists, celebrities, and art aficionados.
With a plethora of events citywide, I dove into the whirlwind, experiencing a curated selection of events that provided insightful glimpses into the evolving realms of art, technology, and creative expression. Here are some highlights.
RIFLESSI: The Spirit of Craft Nouveau
My journey began at the enchanting Vizcaya Museum and Garden, hosting RIFLESSI a partnership between TRAME, a pioneering gallery that combines technology and craft, and ARTXCODE, the arthouse representing generative artists. Here, the past and present danced in harmony, a reminder that amidst relentless change, the essence of art remains constant: seeking new and innovative ways to express the truth.
The setting - Miami's historic jewel, the 1920s villa, once James Deering's residence and now a city treasure - added to the allure. The exhibition skillfully maintained the venue's integrity, with mobile displays featuring pieces from generative artists Jeff Davis and Martin Grasser. In his exhibition titled “Optimism” Davis, who has exhibited in Sotheby’s and Phillips, used stained glass to showcase his generative artwork, drawing from the style of Frank Lloyd Wright. Grasser’s “Portraits” used Venetian mirrored glass to showcase his typography-inspired generative work. The atmosphere buzzed with energy, gathering a diverse crowd of artists, gallerists, and collectors. While many reminisced about the NFT golden age of a few years ago, they were nonetheless excited for the possibilities of the art displayed this year.
Context Art Miami: A Global Kaleidoscope
Later that week, I ventured into Context Art Miami, an Art Miami satellite event. Unlike the more imposing Art Basel, Context felt more accessible, held in One Herald Plaza waterfront venue in Downtown Miami. The fair showcased contemporary, modern, and pop art from around the globe.
THANKYOUX “SELF VS SELF” (2023) at Context Art Miami
Here, technology was subtly interwoven into more traditional mediums. A standout was a piece by NFT artist ThankYOUX, embedding a dynamic NFT into an oil painting, symbolizing the evolving synergy of art and tech. A portrait of Takashi Murakami, synonymous with the crypto art explosion, underscored this blend of old and new.
Proof: From Collective to Community
My ongoing journey with Proof, a collective that initiated my dive into the creative tech world, continued. Evolving from a group of a thousand enthusiasts into a focused community, Proof has navigated the web3 market's highs and lows throughout the last few years, and now concentrates primarily on art.
Human Unreadable immerses audiences and collectors in a three-act, embodied, generative art experience. The acts weave together code, choreography, blockchain, generative art, cryptography, and performance into an evolving conceptual experience - the slow recovery of the human. The work brings flesh and viscerality into code and vulnerability [as a feature] into long-form on-chain generative art. Each artwork is driven by the motion data of its underlying unique, on-chain choreographic sequence.
This year, we gathered in an intimate gallery in Wynwood, to see Human Unreadable Act II, the latest ground breaking algorithmic work by the duo Operator as well as a sneak peak of Grails, Proof’s art discovery project in which holders choose their favorite artwork without knowing who the artist is. The small, cozy gathering allowed for genuine connections with those curious about the fusion of art and technology.
Key Insights from Art Week 2023
Reflecting on this year's experiences, three major insights stand out:
1. Digital art and more traditional mediums like photography and painting are colliding and having babies, creating works that reflect the tension of the world that we are living in, one in which we as humans are trying to figure out how to coexist with the rapid changes of technology
2. The NFT market's correction has sifted out the speculators from the superfans, and allowed those truly passionate about the space to remain, creating more authentic connections
3. Despite technological advancements, nothing surpasses human connection - engaging with artists and immersing in their work remains to be a unique experience
As we look to the future, these trends underscore the enduring power of art and technology to continually redefine the boundaries of creative possibility.