Art Basel Miami Beach 2014: The 25 Events You Simply Can't Miss

25 Must-See Art Happenings At Art Basel Miami Beach 2014

Going to Art Basel Miami Beach? Now's the time to strategize for the art onslaught to come. Trust us, once you step foot in that humid Miami heat it's hard to huddle over your laptop. Luckily, we've compiled a handy itinerary sure to meet all your art viewing and late night partying needs.

The following list of 25 happenings doesn't include the Art Basel Miami Beach fair itself, nor any of the many satellite fairs, but rather the exhibitions, performances and parties sprinkled along the way. It's a sparkly selection, containing everything from Marina to Miley. Stay safe out there and check back for more Miami coverage throughout the fair.

Wednesday, December 3

1. Pedro Reyes' "Sanatorium"
Reyes' unusual installation takes the shape of a pop-up "clinic," in which "therapists" help viewers in whichever capacities they desire, offering everything from hypnosis to trust building games.
Opens Wednesday, December 3. Miami's Institute of Contemporary Art, 4040 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami.

pedro

2. MoMA PS1's Zero Tolerance
Named after the 1990s policy under which New York City took a tough stance against vice and crime, "Zero Tolerance: Miami" features an array of international artists whose works reflect the relationship between freedom and control, namely in relation to political dissidence, urban redevelopment, social policy and gay rights. Artists include Doug Aitken, Joseph Beuys, Yoko Ono and Pussy Riot. Curated by Klaus Biesenbach and Margaret Aldredge.
Wednesday, December 3 until Sunday, December 7. 9AM-6PM. YoungArts Gallery (1st and 2nd floors).

3. MEƎM 4 Miami
Contemporary artist Ryan McNamara's "MEƎM 4 Miami: A Story Ballet About the Internet" is a multi-layered investigation into the internet as a space for communication, self-creation and infinite information. "A fully immersive experience that questions the very possibility of a singular, individual 'experience', the performance plays with abrupt changes in pacing, music, and choreographic styles –- from classical to contemporary –- mirroring the close proximity different modes of spectacle now have to one another."
The performance will take place at 8pm and 10.30pm on Wednesday, December 3 and Thursday, December 4, with a by-invitation performance on Tuesday, December 2, at the Miami Grand Theater at Castle Beach Resort, 5445 Collins Avenue.

ryan mcnamara

4. SELECT Fair
This year's SELECT Fair features "The Conductor," a performance piece by Rashaad Newsome featuring Mykki Blanco investigating the gestural language of hip hop. Also, Rachel Mason's "Starseeds" -- doll sculptures of the artist's heroines -- will be on view!
Wednesday, December 3 until Saturday, December 6. 7PM. SELECT Fair 7200 Collins Ave.

saya

5. Miley Cyrus and Jeffrey Deitch
Tommy Hilfiger, Jeffrey Deitch and V Magazine are hosting an Art Basel opening night party. Miley Cyrus is performing.
Wednesday, December 3. 10PM - 12:00 AM at the Raleigh Hotel, 1775 Collins Avenue.

6. EDITION Opening Party
Celebrating the opening of The Miami Beach EDITION with music by Horse Meat Disco. The invite-only party is hosted by the hotel's designers George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg of design firm Yabu Pushelberg.
Wednesday, December 3. 11PM. Basement at The Miami Beach EDITION, 2901 Collins Avenue.

7. Artsy Dance Party
Carter Cleveland, Wendi Murdoch, Peter Thiel, and Dasha Zhukova are hosting an Artsy Dance Party in the Miami Design District, featuring artist Shen Wei and a DJ set by Theophilus London.
Wednesday, December 3. 10:30PM to 1:00AM at The Moore Building, 4040 NE 2nd Avenue.

theophilus london

8. Queen of the Night

The 2014 Celebration of Women in Art combines dance, cuisine, fashion, circus, theater and nightlife in an immersive, lady-centric experience. Millie Brown, known for her vomit art, Natalie White, known for her topless art and Sophia Wallace of the CLITERACY project are all slated to participate. The event will benefit Brooklyn Museum’s Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art and School of Doodle.

Wednesday, December 3. 10 PM. Paramount Hotel. Purchase tickets here.

queen
Photo by Matteo Prandoni

Thursday, December 4

9. Lynda Benglis Artist Talk
The ever-influential Lynda Benglis will kick of Art Basel's Conversations series. The artist will discuss her notorious advertisement in the Artforum November issue of 1974, and how the (art) world has changed (or not) in the 40 years since.
Thursday, December 4. 10AM-11AM. Miami Convention Center, Hall C auditorium, entrance through Lobby C, 1901 Convention Center Dr.

lynda benglis

10. Marina Abramovic on Materials for Immateriality
The performance art goddess will join Patrizia Moroso, Creative Director of Italian design brand Moroso, Udine and Patricia Urquiola, a Milan-based designer, in a conversation moderated by Sam Keller.
Thursday, December 4. 3PM-4PM. Miami Convention Center, Hall C auditorium, entrance through Lobby C, 1901 Convention Center Dr.

marina abramovic

11. Instagram as an Artistic Medium
ForYourArt founder Bettina Korek moderates a conversation between Klaus Biesenbach, Simon de Pury, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Kevin Systrom and Amalia Ulman, who will discuss the creative possibilities of the art world's favorite social media vessel.
Thursday, December 4. 5PM-6PM. Miami Convention Center, Hall C auditorium, entrance through Lobby C, 1901 Convention Center Dr.


12. PAMM's One Year Anniversary
DJ collective Future Brown will perform for the first time in the U.S. featuring R&B star Kelala at the Pérez Art Museum Miami to celebrate the museum's one year anniversary.
Thursday, December 4. 8PM-12AM. Pérez Art Museum Miami.

13. Daniel Arsham's "Welcome to the Future"
Ohio-based artist Daniel Arsham brings his site-specific installation to Locust Projects, transforming the gallery into an excavation site by digging a trench in the gallery floor and filling it with the muted debris of 20th century media.
Opening reception Thursday, December 4. 7PM-10PM. Locust Projects, 3852 North Miami Avenue.

daniel arsham

14. Stevie Nicks' Selfies
Angel of our dreams Stevie Nicks will grace the aptly named Dream South Beach with her bewitching self-portrait collection taken between l975 and 1987.
Exhibition, presented by Morrison Hotel Gallery, runs from Thursday, December 4 until Friday, December 5. Dream South Beach, 1111 Collins Ave.

nicks

15. Slow Motion Walk
As part of Marina Abramovic Institute’s (MAI) programming, YoungArts presents a Slow Motion Walk, in which the public is invited to join performance artist Brittany Bailey in walking as slowly as possible to truly consider each and every step as a deliberate motion.
Thursday, December 4 through December 7. 12PM-6PM. YoungArts Jewel Box.

16. FKA Twigs Performance
The alien dreamsicle known as FKA Twigs is performing with hip-hop producer Clams Casino on the YoungArts Campus. Tickets are available here.
Thursday, December 4 on the YoungArts Campus. Doors open at 7PM.

fka twigs

Friday, December 5

17. Zaha Hadid IRL
Zaha Hadid will be the guest of honor at One Thousand Museum’s groundbreaking ceremony, which will mark the start of work on the 709-foot tower, built by Zaha Hadid Architects.
Friday, December 5. 11:30AM-1:30PM at One Thousand Museum, 1000 Biscayne Blvd.

zaha hadid

18. Shen Wei's "In Black, White & Grey"
Chinese-born artist Shen Wei, the MacArthur and Guggenheim Fellow who choreographed the Beijing Olympics' opening ceremony, is holding a site-specific performance along with his exhibition "In Black, White & Grey" at Miami's Freedom Tower. Tickets are free but must be reserved here.
Friday, December 5, 1PM and 8PM. Saturday, December 6, 1PM and 8PM. Sunday, December 7, 1PM. The Freedom Tower, 600 Biscayne Blvd.

19. Theo Jansen talks Strandbeest
A Strandbeest is a kinetic creature that lives on the beach, eating wind to survive. Listen to its creator, Theo Jansen, discuss his work with Lena Herzog and Trevor Smith.
Friday, December 5. 3PM-4PM. Miami Convention Center, Hall C auditorium, entrance through Lobby C, 1901 Convention Center Dr.

strandbeest

20. "Big Eyes" Screening
See Tim Burton's upcoming film about one of the most epic art frauds of all time, starring Christoph Waltz as Walter Keane and Amy Adams as Margaret Keane. Admission is free but seating is limited.
Friday, December 5. 8:30PM. Colony Theatre, 1040 Lincoln Road.

21. VH1 + SCOPE Party
Ring in the weekend with VH1 and SCOPE at their annual party, with interactive works by artist and calligrapher Aerosyn-Lex Mestrovic, who will hand-paint hundreds of feet of Japanese synthetic paper. Danish singer-songwriter Nabiha will perform and Swizz Beatz will DJ.
Friday, December 5. 8PM-11PM. 1235 Washington Ave.

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22. James Blake Performance
English electronic producer and singer makes his Miami debut at YoungArts Campus.
Friday, December 5 at YoungArts Campus. Doors open at 8PM, performance runs 10PM-12PM. 1235 Washington Ave.

Saturday, December 6

23. Pedro Reyes Artist Talk
Mexico City-based artist Pedro Reyes joins Alex Gartenfeld, Deputy Director and Chief Curator of ICA, Miami, in conversation.
Saturday, December 6. 2PM-3PM. Miami Convention Center, Hall C auditorium, entrance through Lobby C, 1901 Convention Center Dr.

24. "Pose and Propaganda"
This ongoing exhibition at the Wolfsonian-FIU explores political posters from the contemporary Middle East and Afghanistan, analyzing how certain poses and expressions are used to communicate meaning.
Ongoing. The Wolfsonian-FIU Museum, 1001 Washington Avenue.

25. Julian Schnabel Artist Talk
American artist and filmmaker Julian Schnabel joins Bonnie Clearwater in conversation. The two will host a brunch at the NSU Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale earlier in the day from 11AM to 2PM, for VIP cardholders only.
Saturday, December 6. 4PM-5PM. Miami Convention Center, Hall C auditorium, entrance through Lobby C, 1901 Convention Center Dr.

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