Art Basel Miami Beach held its VIP preview and vernissage Wednesday, and as usual the Miami Beach Convention Center was buzzing with collectors, artists, curators, and art enthusiasts. The international fair boasts a whopping 269 galleries from 33 countries—and visitors are going to need more than a couple hours to get through it all. We recommend not skipping Meridians, a new sector for the fair curated by Magalí Arriola with works by Fred Wilson, Adam Pendleton, Theaster Gates, and John M. Armleder. Galleries, including 20 first-timers, brought their A-game, and overall we saw a large representation of artist rosters, rather than solo or thematic presentations.
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Tina Kim is showing work from Minouk Lim, Suki Seokyeong Kang, Gimhongsok, Kim Yong-Ik, Davide Balliano, Wook-Kyung Choi, Suh Seung-Won, and Kim Tschang-Yeul. The gallerist commissioned Gimhongsok’s figurative sculpture carved from Styrofoam and cast in bronze that stands in the middle of the booth. Paintings from the early 1970s by Kim Tschang-Yeul may surprise visitors familiar with the South Korean painter. They were made during his time in New York in the early seventies on a Rockefeller grant, and have never previously been exhibited. Gallerist Kim discovered the pieces on a recent studio visit and knew they had to be shown—their gestures still quite contemporary.
