Art

Unmissable Gems at Miami's Art Fairs

These standout artworks caught my eye at Art Basel Miami Beach, NADA, Untitled Art, and the new Open Invitational.

Valentina Di Liscia

December 6, 2024 — 4 min read

Zhu Jinshi, "Pathway" (2024) (all photos Valentina Di Liscia/Hyperallergic)

MIAMI — I have made it to Friday without forgetting my press pass in an Uber or developing cafecito-related heart palpitations, and by Miami Art Week standards I'd call that a win. Yesterday we discussed serious matters, like the financial sustainability of the art-fair ecosystem, but today we are tired and regret having that third margarita at Bacara, so we will look at art.

I saw a dizzying amount of standout work at Art Basel Miami Beach, NADA Miami, and Untitled Art, but the week's most underrated ticket was the Open Invitational, a new fair for nonprofits and galleries focused on artists with disabilities, or "progressive art studios." Co-Founder David Fierman, whom I caught up with during Monday's opening night, emphasized the importance of centering different ways of seeing the world.

"There's a lot of purity in this work that is lacking in some of the higher echelons of the market," Fierman told me. "Let's have a story where people make a positive impact on people's lives and do it in a really sustainable, human-to-human way."

On that note, and without further ado, I'm sharing below my favorite works at Art Basel Miami Beach, NADA, the Open Invitational, and Untitled Art — from Mapuche artist Seba Calfuqueo's ceramics to Michael Angelo Mangino's pithy text paintings and Alissa Alfonso's whimsical sculptures.