Art Basel, Art Miami, Pulse, Scope, Untitled and lots more - It's been an exciting week in Miami for Hang-Up!
Check out our interview below. We caught up with Ben & Carla!
Which fairs did you manage to get to?
Ben: We have seen a lot of art in the past few days! Art Basel is the main event obviously and then we checked out Art Miami, Context,
Untitled, Pulse, Scope and various other satellite fairs and openings.
Carla: We tried to catch as many as possible in the time we had - there’s so much to see you really can’t do it all so we picked
the ones we’d read up on and went for it!
Gallery Director Ben and The Connor Brothers Mike Snelle | Keith Haring, Scope Art Fair
Were there any noteworthy prints or releases at Art Basel?
Ben: Art Basel is more big pictures/paintings than editions but there were a few prints and releases at the fair that were of interest
for us including KAWS, Chuck Close, Jeff Koons, Harland Miller and Jenny Holzer.
Carla: We saw the new Harland Miller release ‘Armageddon’ which was pretty special. The KAWS set of 9 was also great. My favorite new
release was the Jeff Koons ‘Gazing Ball’ collection - they were really interesting for Koons.
KAWS | Art Basel
Harland Miller | 'Armageddon' | Art Basel
Art Basel seems to be ‘the’ fair - What was the overall hype/event?
Ben: Art Basel has a real energy about it. It is a true collectors fair where you can see some of the best contemporary art from some
of the best galleries in the world under one roof. It is a huge space with so much to see. It is the biggest fair that I have been to. To really do
it justice you need a couple of days just for Art Basel. We were lucky enough to have been invited down for the opening by a client and collector from
the UK who was very generous with his hospitality.
Carla: Art Basel was great. To be able to see the latest works by the world’s leading artists and galleries all under one roof was special.
As Ben said, we managed to catch the first day preview event which was lucky. We also went back for a second feed as it’s so huge. Basel is indeed
‘the’ fair if you want to catch the sought after pieces.
Art Miami?
Ben: Art Miami was a good fair for me. It seemed well run with some really good galleries showing. We were there to support The Connor
Brothers who had a very successful sell out showing. There were lots of other strong booths all round at art Miami. It was nice to catch up with gallerists
and to see a few Banksy paintings in the mix as well.
Carla: If you can’t get into Basel, you do Art Miami. Based in the super cool downtown suburb of Wynwood, it promises a real varied selection
of works from Banksy, Haring and Damian Hirst originals, to new releases by up and coming artists. It has a nice feel about it - the lighting is softer
than most fairs which means you can easily browse all day. The fair was really relevant to Hang-Up in terms of artists so we met a lot of new clients.
The Connor Brothers were aso displaying at one of the fairs biggest and busiest stands so it was great to see them killing it in the US!
The Connor Brothers | Art Miami
Banksy Love Rat On Wood | Art Miami
Keith Haring | Art Miami
Untitled?
Ben: This was my favourite of the fairs. It had a bit of DIY outsider art feel to it which I like. There were a number of really cool
project spaces and installations outside of the galleries and the booths were on the most part interesting and well curated with a broad selection
of international galleries. I would have happily bought many paintings there! Higlights for me include the work of Monica Kim Garza on the New Image
Art booth along with the Harlan Levey Project stand.
Carla: I was really impressed by the calibre of artists at Untitled. The quality of paintings in particular felt really fresh and forward-thinking.
No stand was the same and I was introduced to many new and exciting practices. It was really buzzing. I think for emerging artists, this is the fair.
. I wish we’d had a bit more time there as it’s the last fair we saw.
Monica Kim Garza | Untitled
Soho Beach House - Miami - Charming Baker - Research informs us his plane landed on the beach!! Tell us more…
Ben: We were staying around the corner from Soho House so popped into see Charming Baker’s new installation. He was commissioned to make
193 original portrait duck drawings which were all hanging on the first floor. There was also an installation of a crashed plane outside on the beach
from Charming Baker.
Also the sunday brunch at Soho Beach house is ridiculous. Literally the best brunch ever!
Carla: I keep thinking about that brunch....Yes Bakers plane was installed on the beach outside Soho Beach house which was pretty cool.
He then filled the upstairs space with a load of duck drawings in collaboration with Jealous Gallery. Our place was about 2 blocks from Soho Beach
house so we ended up there a couple of times as the parties always seemed fun low key (unlike a lot of super glossy parties we saw..!), the food’s
great and it was just really convenient.
Charming Baker Installation | Soho Beach House Miami
Eat, sleep, art, repeat…How much does this resonate?
Carla: I wouldn’t necessarily place it in that order but yes it’s pretty full on…You need some stamina. To see so much incredible
art in a short amount of time, and then hit the beach for cocktails was excellent. The city never sleeps.
Ben: It is an intense week for sure. The jet lag makes it even harder for the first few days as your exhausted when things are just warming
up but there is a such a great energy about the place you find a way to power through. I don’t think I have ever seen as much art in such a concentrated
period though and for that I am grateful. Thank you Art Miami.
Let's break it down now..
First impressions?
Ben: Amazing art, a people watcher’s paradise, hot, glitzy and slightly mental (but in a good way)
Carla: I couldn’t of summed it up any better!
Lauren Baker | Fucking Amazing Neon | Scope
Best fair?
Carla: Tough one - Art Basel for the sheer amount of world renowned, brilliant art and art galleries. Untitled for emerging artists
and fresh ideas.
Ben: I ditto that but would add in Art Miami which was also a great fair.
Carla: Me too.
Art Miami
We have to ask about the infamous after parties… Any gossip?
Ben: Believe it or not we were pretty restrained. Of course, we went to some good parties but we really were pretty low key compared to
everyone else it. It’s a 24 hour town so there is always something going on especially over art basel week. We did have quite a big night on Friday
but I believe they say what happens in Miami stays in Miami so my lips would be sealed on that one….
Carla: If we’d hit all the after parties we would have seen no art! I don’t know how people do it. Plus - you think we’d spill any gossip...?!
Best thing you ‘stumbled’ across?
Carla: Untitled Art Fair as we weren’t going to go and were really impressed. We stumbled across a wicked old fair ground installation
on the beach on the first night and climbed an elephant. You can literally walk along the beach at whatever time of the day and see so many weird and
wonderful things.
Ben: It’s always nice to stumble into friends and collectors and that happened a lot over the week.
After this week, what would your tips be for a newbie going in 2018?
Carla: Plan ahead - speak to people who have been before. Prioritize your fairs as traffic is mental and can take ages to get a few meters,
make sure you squeeze in as much art as possible but also make time to relax and re-coup so you can make room for it all. Wear sunscreen. Have a few
disco naps. And just enjoy it!
Ben: Yes planning ahead is pretty crucial. And try and get some rest before you go because it’s a long long week (in a good way!)
More hype from Miami..
'I Can Feel' by artist Suzy Kellems Dominik - A celebration of femininity and freedom!
Italian installation artist Stefano Ogliari Badessi's 'Cosmic Egg' getting a lot of attention at Scope!
Jeff Koons 'Picasso' | Art Basel
Miami, it's been fun!
We hope you've enjoyed this week's blog. If you have any questions, please contact us on info@hanguppictures.com
Best regards,
Hang-Up Team
