Miami Art Week: Looking Back

by Gabriella Mazza

Being part of Miami Art Week is nothing short of electrifying. This year, Agora Gallery showed the work of 33 artists at Red Dot Miami, one of the many Art Basel satellite fairs located in Wynwood, the city’s bustling art district. Art is practically ubiquitous there, covering every square inch of wall space at hotels, restaurants, stores, and condominiums. Graffiti artists can be seen at work at all hours of the day and night.

One morning, before heading to the fair, I noticed a white coffee cart parked just outside our building. By the time I returned, the cart was adorned with an intricate pattern of lush tropical greenery from top to bottom. This type of impromptu creativity is very common during Art Week.

At Red Dot, the atmosphere was as lively as in the streets. In our 1100 sqft booth, we featured painters and sculptors from the Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Guests were fascinated with the diversity of techniques and styles on display: the surreal narratives woven by Spanish painter Rosana Largo Rodríguez, Jodi DeCrenza’s flower wonderlands, or Nora Pineda’s Mexican-folk-inspired ceramics.

The fair was a success. The iconic bunny sculptures by Chilean-Lebanese pop artist Bech were an absolute hit. Mark Schiff’s infectiously joyous lilies sold like hot cakes, and Belle Roth’s travel-inspired paintings, Singapore Day 11 and Singapore Day 12 were barely on the wall a day before someone snatched them away. The real star of the show, however, was Longyearbyen Warming, a kinetic piece by New York-based art collective BREAKFAST, which raises awareness about climate change. The artwork attracted an ongoing flow of curious visitors and thought-provoking conversation, as onlookers engaged the piece with photos, video, and movement.

Sunday is usually the busiest day of all, as collectors rush to make up their minds about their favorite art piece. New York Photographer Danny Johananoff, French painter Garese, and Miami Photographer Juan Murcia were all a part of this last-minute buying enthusiasm. Sales continued to flow in even after the fair, as is customary, and we expect more to come in the near future.

In the past decade, Miami has become one of the premier art destinations in North America, home to a burgeoning art scene and a growing pool of collectors. And even though the incessant club music put our ears to a severe test come Sunday, Miami Art Week proved to be an invaluable opportunity for the gallery and our artists.

Adiós Miami, we will be back next year!

Gabriella Mazza, Artist Liaison, is a multilingual interpreter and visual artist originally from Italy. Gabriella provides language, copywriting and cultural adaptation services to better promote prominent designers, artists, and photographers. She is actively involved in the Queens and Brooklyn art scenes, curating and participating in shows, organizing gallery crawls and open studios, and providing opportunities for artists to grow. Currently, she is working on a new series of paintings on rebellious underwater creatures.