5 Days in Miami for Art Basel 2016
I’m remembering my Days in Miami with joy, and even with a little nostalgia, as I write this post in this gray and cold Turin. For those who do not follow me on social (Instagram @lauracomolli), last month I had been 5 days in Miami during Art Basel 2016, one of the most important art fairs in the world… Here’s my travel diary!
Visiting Art Basel, with its more than 75 art galleries coming from all over the world (for a total of 4 thousand artists represented), was a really interesting experience that made me discover a whole new passion for contemporary art!
Among the various works that definitely impressed me there is the one conceived by Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari from the magazine TOILETPAPER with the support of the Italian brands Gufram and Seletti. “Maze of Quotes” is the title of their installation, structured in three different environments: three incredibly surreal settings adorned with colorful wallpapers, furniture, chandeliers, tin pots, golden curtains…
Then I got enchanted in front of “No Future Plans” by Ben Skinner and one of the many colorful paintings, which unfortunately I cannot remember the name.
Many hotels in Miami hosted artworks to celebrate Art Basel. The Faena Hotel Miami Beach was home to “Gone But Not Forgotten” by Damien Hirst: the golden skeleton of a three meters high mammoth!
I stayed in Miami Beach, at the Grand Beach Hotel, which was super nice and offered delicious food. I highly recommend it: the view from the balcony of my bedroom was truly priceless!
The beach was beautiful too! There was the turret of Baywatch… I could not resist!
After sunset nothing stops in Miami: its skyline is tinged with red and people goes to one of the many clubs on the famous Ocean Drive.
My fave place in Miami is definitely Wynwood. From Miami Beach, after reaching the mainland by walking long avenues where there are magnificent villas, you reach Downtown. There you can take the Metromover, the elevated subway, to get around the length and breadth of the neighborhood. A must stop is at Wynwood Art District, a former industrial area that has been turned into a magnificent open-air gallery. You can imagine my joy in front of the bright, beautiful colors of the murals, especially those with cakes! Definitely you have to visit Wynwood at least once in life, to see all the amazing street art that offers!
Art Basel 2016 was held from December 1st to 4th, but I had one more day available in Miami before returning to Italy. I took the opportunity to enjoy a relaxing morning in South Beach, which is the southernmost part of Miami Beach where the buildings are replaced by the colored houses in Art Déco style!
Here I spent a wonderful day eating pizza on the beach and then going at Pink Berry to enjoy one of their ice cream… Delicious!
As you can see from the pictures, in the choice of my outfits, I preferred light clothes and super comfortable sneakers. December in Miami resembles our Italian June: temperatures are around 25/27°C. It’s hot but there is no stuffiness! It was ok wearing only a dress, although in the evening I always brought with me a leather jacket. I was lucky that there was the wind only on the last day, which has slightly lowered the temperatures. I loved the climate!
My experience at Art Basel 2016 was really beautiful, and if you’ve never been there, I will recommend going this year!
Happy Wednesday to all of you!
