Art Basel

In early December, I attended Art Basel in Miami Beach for a weekend filled with art, design, and inspiration. This year saw a wealth and breadth of diverse artists, especially Latin American and African artists, and a focus on inclusion in art. I even had the privilege of attending an exciting talk on the subject with artist Glenn Ligon. I want to share with you some of the exciting artists and spaces I discovered and visited on this trip. One of the absolute highlights of the trip was the opening of the new Rubell Museum. 

The Rubell’s new space in a former DEA warehouse showcases some of the family’s impressive 7,200 piece collection by over 1,000 artists. The museum’s wide-ranging inaugural installation features works from the past 50 years, highlighting artists and movements from across the globe. The exhibit puts pieces by powerhouses like Jeff Koons, Yayoi Kusama, and Keith Haring in dialogue with one another. I had the occasion to take a private walk-through of the new space, where I fell in love with works by Kehinde Wiley and the Rubell’s current artist-in-residence, Amoaka Boafo.

(Me in front of Kehinde Wiley's Sleep)

Of all the art I saw this trip, I especially loved getting to see the works of dynamic and diverse artists exhibited across Art Basel and the surrounding art fairs. Here are some of my favorites, which I hope you will love too!

Amoako Boafa (@amoakoboafo)

(photo courtesy of @amoakoboafo)

Boafa is a Ghanaian painter based in Vienna, Austria known for his unique style of finger-painted portraits. He worked as a pallbearer in Ghana to put himself through art school, but has seen a rise in popularity recently, with the Rubell family making him the first Artist-In-Residence at their new museum.

Kehinde Wiley (@kehindewiley)

(photo courtesy of @kehindewiley)

Wiley is Nigerian-American artist, perhaps best known now as Barack Obama’s portraitist, who paints naturalistic portraits of black people in backgrounds inspired by a wide range of artistic styles. 

Oscar Murillo 

(photo courtesy of David Zwirner)

Murillo, a Columbian artist and recent co-winner of prestigious Turner Prize, whose art, spread across multiple visual media, explores ideas of globalization and cultural exchange. He is perhaps best known for his “banner paintings,” pieces of painted, unstretched canvas hung like flags. 

Zanele Muholi (@muholizanele)

  (photo courtesy of @muholizanele)

They are a South African visual artist documenting black LGBTQI South Africans so as to rewrite the queer history of South Africa. Muholi found great success at Untitled, Art Miami Beach, with 20 sales for the Yancey Richardson Gallery. 

Gerald Lovell (@geraldlovell)

(photo courtesy of @geraldlovell)

Chicago based artist Lovell was born to Puerto Rican and African American parents. His dynamic portraits use the impasto technique to convey meaning and significance in his works, highlighting the human over the material.

Constant standouts to me will always be @dougaitkenworkshop and especially @jonasbrwood, who had a record sale opening day from @davidkordanskygallery and recently collaborated with @louisvuitton on a brilliant limited edition collection.

I hope these wonderful artists inspire you like they have for me. Art Basel fuels so many ideas for KK Promotions and excites me about the intersection of art and branding. When thinking of swag, be inspired, be artistic, be open! #swagwag