Any Art Week brings the thrill of discovering the bold and the exquisitely crafted. For designers, architects, and art aficionados alike, it’s a playground where creative boundaries blur, and the lines between traditional fine art, design, and craft dissolve into moments of pure inspiration. This year, I’m offering a personal and admittedly biased perspective, inviting you to see the latest in the art market through an unexpected lens. Let’s break it down into three sections: NEW TAKES ON ABSTRACT & FIGURATIVE, CRAFT IS NOW, and I DARE YOU.
NEW TAKES ON ABSTRACT & FIGURATIVE
Approachable, Emotional, and Timeless
Abstract and figurative paintings and sculptures are always thriving, and this year’s fairs reimagined them in fresh ways. Swiss-born Peter Scherrer, working out of an old warehouse in San Pedro, California, brings his graphic designer’s eye to his layered creations. Scherrer’s process of repeatedly painting over his canvases creates a visual depth that mirrors the complexity of our personal and collective histories. His artworks, exhibited at Spectrum Miami, are timelessly modern—perfect for collectors who want layers of story behind their acquisitions.
Left to Right, Brad Howe, Moncho 1929, Miguel Osuna, Brad Howe
At SCOPE my partner Leonardo Ledesma and I, of Art Seen, exhibited selections fitting this category, including Moncho 1929’s Passing and Botánica series, which celebrate the spiritual and cultural syncretism of Latinx traditions. His vibrant paintings blend heritage and modernity, creating sanctuaries of empowerment alive with color and meaning. Brad Howe’s exuberant sculptures expand the language of form, introducing a unique new painting technique on his three dimensional steel structures that merge abstract shapes with figurative gestures through layers of sanded automotive paints.
Across town at Aqua, Kirsten Sims’ ebullient paintings brought pure joy. Her depictions of everyday life scenes in a naive painting quality emit humor and warmth, simply happiness on a canvas. Similarly, Graeme Luey’s Only Human series for Hashtag Gallery embraces imperfection and sustainability, transforming discarded textiles into deeply tactile and intimate expressions. These are the kinds of acquisitions I’d purchase or place in a project simply because they made me smile.
CRAFT IS NOW
Celebrating Textiles, Embellishment, and the Art of the Hand
Craft continues to grow in popularity, with textile, embroidery, and embellishment taking the lead. Once limited to legendary artists like Sheila Hicks, the fairs now present a vast array of techniques, media, and interpretations (the more recent embrace of “craft” aligns with representation and with the feminine in art history, but that’s for another article). While clients often feel safer with traditional painting, craft—beading, weaving, knitting, quilting—adds texture, dimension, and visual intrigue, making it worthy of collecting as both investment and as design enhancement.
At Art Basel, SMAC Gallery exhibited South African artist Simphiwe Buthelezi, whose embellished creations—reminiscent of jewelry for the wall—explore Zulu spirituality through materiality and form. Her pieces are luxurious, deeply rooted in heritage, and unforgettable highlights of the fair.
Frans Thoka’s mixed media designs, incorporating South African prison blankets, displayed by Artyli Gallery at SCOPE, elevate the humble blanket into a sophisticated canvas. The neutral tones and layered scenes that impart a solemn awe, balancing narrative depth with technical brilliance. I loved these works!
Our advisory, Art Seen, also featured textile-focused selections at SCOPE, including Miguel Osuna’s intricate embroideries. Osuna’s work merges contemporary abstraction with textile craftsmanship passed down by his matriarchs in Mazatlán, Mexico. His textured compositions evoke emotional landscapes of memory and introspection, bridging the monumental and the intimate in a way that captivates collectors.
Let’s not forget Justin Dingwall, whose hauntingly beautiful mixed media creations, exhibited by Inside-Out Gallery at SCOPE, incorporate thread and textile with photography. Dingwall’s art transcends decorative craft to provoke deep emotion.
Finally, Marta Minujín’s playful mattress sculptures presented by Kurimanzutto at Art Basel fuse materiality with cultural commentary. These multicolored forms, created during the sexual revolution, are both whimsical and bold, encapsulating the spirit of Miami Art Week.
I DARE YOU
Challenging Designers to Rethink Art’s Role
I dare you to incorporate artwork that sparks conversation and challenges tradition. Art Basel includes all of the tried and true from Picassos to Alex Katz—which are great investments, but consider something that turns heads and adds spice to a Palm Springs mid-century modern interior, a farmhouse, a contemporary penthouse, or any space for that matter.
Take Diana Molzan’s canvases, showcased by VSF at Art Basel. Her creations merge painting with three-dimensional deconstruction, forming objects that teeter between fine art and artifact.
And then there’s Loie Hollowell, whose sensual, body-centric abstractions at Jessica Silverman Gallery map the transformative experiences of pregnancy and motherhood with bold palettes and even bolder narratives.
My personal favorites came from Buenos Aires-based queer artist Mariela Scafati, shown by Isla Flotante at Art Basel. Her creations blend the political with the playful, addressing identity and social change. Imagine these provocative installations hanging in a living room or in the corner of a bedroom—they’d undoubtedly spark lively dialogue and beat any traditional “conversation starter.”
Of course, the art furniture at Design Miami is not to be missed including Nader Gammas collection of ceramic light vessels, truly artful and functional designs that evoke the potential of being plants, being something other earthly. The Vessels Scarlet floor light, monolithic brass three organic white light vessels, feels like maybe it’s alive and looking at you.
An Invitation
Miami Art Week is a treasure trove of inspiration, but my presentation here is far from comprehensive. Instead I’d rather dare you to look beyond the usual suspects to embrace the playful, the provocative, and the meticulously crafted. Whether you’re a designer looking for that perfect piece to transform a space or an art lover chasing your next obsession, I hope this guide turns your attention toward what might otherwise go unnoticed.
