Cabana mood: Martina Mondadori on Design Miami/ Basel and Design at Large

by Rosa Bertoli, Wallpaper*

Until two years ago, Martina Mondadori was mainly known as the heiress of her family’s editorial empire. Born and bred in Italy, Mondadori comes from the illustrious family owning the eponymous publishing house, of which she now sits on the board.

Publishing, it seems, is second nature for Mondadori: following a degree in philosophy from Milan’s state university, since 2006 she has been involved in various editorial projects, such as the Cultural Content Factory, which she founded ten years ago, specialised in the creative and editorial direction of projects related to art, book publishing and design, subsequently working for Italian magazine Tar before founding Anew, an editorial platform mixing contemporary art and fashion.

But it is in 2014 that her name became more clearly associated with art and design publishing, when she founded Cabana, a visual periodical she launched in collaboration with German creative director Christoph Radl. Structured like a chunky visual journal, the quarterly publication gathered Mondadori’s visual world and presented it through a collection of tableaux, illustrations and essays on art and design. This move was inspired by her own love of collecting, and observation of contemporary craftsmanship which she distilled into what she describes as a very specific visual universe.

This year, the Cabana universe collides with Design Miami/ Basel, as Mondadori was invited to curate the latest instalment of the annual Design at Large programme as well as contribute a graphic makeover to the fair’s identity. ‘Rodman [Primack] was one of the first supporters of Cabana,’ says Mondadori. ‘He admired its diversity and how it offered a nostalgic aesthetic element in a world where conceptualism seems to be the rule.’

The eclecticism behind Cabana is very telling of Mondadori’s own collecting attitude: ‘I have always been interested in different arts and crafts, and mixing important pieces with flea market finds.’ Mondadori collects painted ceramics from Central America and Eastern Europe, and Italian design from the 40s and 50s, Giò Ponti and stil novo. From her contemporaries, she admires the works of similarly eclectic souls: Martino Gamper, Dimore Studio and Bethan Laura Wood, designers that are very representative of what she calls the ‘Cabana mood.’

A Design Miami/ Basel initiative now in its third year, Design at Large offers an oversized point of view on design. Previous curators focused on temporary structures and what goes on inside of them, and for this third edition, Mondadori decided to give the show a change of scenery. Her selection focuses on the outdoors; she developed the theme of Landscape in collaboration with Primack and invited galleries and designers to explore this theme.

‘Historically, architects have always been attracted to gardens and parks,’ she explains, citing ancient Greek gardens and 19th-century English follies. ‘I loved to see the diversity of the projects we commissioned, rich of formal and creative ideas.’ The selection ranges from ’s Armadillo Tea Pavilion to Dimore Studio’s leafy veranda, presenting the duo’s debut outdoors collection. There is ’s abstract Owan structure, merging abstract forms with architectural thinking, and Kiki van Eijk’s ‘Civilised Primitives’, a collection of bronze objects that explore primitive survival in a modern world.

‘Both Cabana and Design Miami/Basel are concerned with environments and living spaces,’ says Mondadori. For her, she explains, what is most interesting about merging these two aesthetics is to create a break and a strong contrast. ‘In a way, Cabana represents the exact opposite of Design Miami/ Basel: aesthetic vs form, decoration vs concept. Combining them is the most interesting challenge!’

The eclecticism behind Cabana is very telling of Mondadori’s own collecting attitude, which is the same charm she channeled into her visual identity for the international event (pictured).
(Image credit: Michael Ainscough)
Structured like a chunky visual journal, the quarterly publication (pictured) gathers Mondadori’s visual world and presented it through a collection of tableaux, illustrations and essays on art and design
(Image credit: press)
I have always been interested in different arts and crafts, and mixing important pieces with flea market finds,’ explains Mondadori. Pictured: a snapshot of Cabana
(Image credit: press)
For this year’s Design at Large, Mondadori decided a change of scenery was needed. Her selection focuses on the outdoors, and the theme of landscapes, including Ron Arad’s Armadillo Tea Pavilion (pictured) presented by Robbie Antonio’s Revolution Precrafted Properties.
(Image credit: James Harris)
Kengo Kuma’s abstract Owan structure (pictured), merges abstract forms with architectural thinking, while Dimore Studio’s leafy veranda presents the duo’s debut outdoors collection. Presented by Galerie Philipe Gravier.
(Image credit: James Harris)
Mondadori (pictured) concludes, ‘in a way, Cabana represents the exact opposite of Design Miami/Basel: aesthetic vs form, decoration vs concept. Combining them is the most interesting challenge’
(Image credit: press)

INFORMATION

Design Miami/Basel runs from 14–19 June 2016. For more information, visit the website

What to See at Design Miami Basel 2016

From Zaha Hadid furniture to Jean Prouvé’s office, here’s what everyone is buzzing about

by Ann Binlot, Architectural Digest

For its 11th edition, Design Miami Basel continues to show a strong selection of 20th- and 21st-century design in the Herzog & De Meuron–designed Messe Basel, right across from Art Basel in the titular Swiss town. The fair, which runs through June 19, features 46 galleries from around the globe (including New York’s Friedman Benda, Copenhagen’s Dansk Møbelkunst Gallery, and Rotterdam’s Galerie Vivid). Artist-designed jewelry over at Elisabetta Cipriani and Louisa Guinness provides wearable works, while New York–based Demisch Danant chose to display rare pieces by French designer Pierre Paulin. Swarovski highlighted the Designers of the Future, while Design at Large shows large-scale architectural structures. “My interest is trying to tell a more round story, a deeper and broader story about 20th-century and 21st-century design. It fleshes out in different ways year after year,” says Design Miami executive director Rodman Primack. Here, we select some of the highlights of Design Miami Basel 2016.

Jean Prouvé’s Bureau des Etudes at Patrick Seguin

“It was his Bureau d’Etudes, so every decision in terms of architecture, design, engineering, prototypes, models, everything, was made in this building,” says Patrick Seguin, who mounted an actual copy of Jean Prouvé’s office—one of the most impressive displays at the fair—complete with original details, in his stand. After Prouvé moved out, the building had several occupants—the latest being a swingers club and brothel—before Seguin, who owns the most Prouvé structures in the world, purchased the work space.

The Collectors Lounge

Berlin architecture firm Kuehn Malvezzi worked with Finnish design company Artek and Danish textilemaker Kvadrat to create an experiential lounge composed of inverted rooms. “The rooms move to the middle, and the furniture is arranged around them,” explains Artek managing director Marianne Goebl. Midcentury sofas by Finnish designer Ilmari Tapiovaara are covered in Kvadrat fabric designed by Raf Simons. “It has a bit of a Memphis impact, and we felt this sofa is a bit like a mannequin,” says Goebl. “It’s very simple, and you can dress it however you want.”

Ettore Sottsass Flying Carpet Chair and Couch at Erastudio Apartment-Gallery

Milan-based Erastudio Apartment-Gallery brought in a chair and couch designed in 1974 by Memphis pioneer Ettore Sottsass. The furniture initially had a less-than-stellar reception upon its release in the ’70s, but the Memphis resurgence is sure to bring a more positive reaction this time around. “As you can see, it has the look of a carpet—look at the footrest,” says Sumit Gupta, a member of the sales team at Erastudio Apartment-Gallery. The chair does, indeed, evoke the feel of Aladdin on a flying carpet.

Aage Porsbo Chandelier at Dansk Møbelkunst

Aage Porsbo designed this brass chandelier, produced by Kemp & Lauritzen, for the Skovlunde Church in Denmark in 1972. With only 28 copies in existence, the sleek object is a hot commodity. Unfortunately for collectors, the one Dansk Møbelkunst brought to the fair has already sold for nearly $25,000.

Pierre Paulin at Demisch Danant

To mark the late French designer Pierre Paulin’s current retrospective at the Centre Georges Pompidou, New York gallery Demisch Danant brought together a group of rare Paulin pieces created between the late 1960s and mid-’80s. Three standouts include the lime-green F286 Multimo three-seater sofa, the F271 Multimo chair, and the 1981 Cathedral table, whose curved aluminum panels were meant to emulate Notre Dame’s arches.

Zaha Hadid Design

Though the inimitable architect and designer passed away in March, her legacy lives on over at stand G47, where a selection of her furnishings are on display, including curved marble tables from the Mercuric collection, barnacle-like Tau vases, and the smooth-as-ice Liquid Glacial chairs, cocktail table, and stools.

Diego Giacometti Bookcase at Galerie Jacques Lacoste

Design Miami executive director Rodman Primack referred to the Diego Giacometti bookcase as a museum piece, and it’s easy to see why. Giacometti made the stunning bronze item for Marc Barbezat between 1966 and 1969, when the publisher commissioned him to create a room of books. The shelves stood in Barbezat’s apartment until recently.

Artist-Designed Jewelry at Louisa Guinness Gallery and Elisabetta Cipriani

London-based Louisa Guinness Gallery created a museumlike exhibition highlighting jewelry designed by the likes of artists Man Ray, Louise Bourgeois, Pablo Picasso, and Anish Kapoor. Over at London gallery Elisabetta Cipriani are the Ai Weiwei gold bracelets that emulate the rebar the Chinese artist gathered from fallen buildings after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake.

Ron Arad Armadillo Tea Pavilion

Revolution Precrafted Properties presents the Ron Arad Armadillo Tea Pavilion in the Design at Large section of the fair. Built for indoor and outdoor use, this independent shell structure “provides an intimate enclosure, shelter, or place of reflection within a garden, landscape, or large internal space,” as the wall text reads. The modular components allow for a number of configurations, making it a versatile structure wherever it goes.

Design Miami/ Basel Offers The Best Of The Design Scene

by Crash redaction

A global fair for design, Design Miami/ Basel celebrates its eleventh edition with an exceptional offering, starting on June 14th and over nearly a week, and this year with the partnership of Crash. This time around, the international design fair welcomes new exhibitors, such as Galerie Alain Marcelpoil (Paris), MANIERA (Brussels), or Gate 5 (Monaco), adding to the list of prestigious galleries already represented: Carpenters Workshop Gallery, Galerie Downtown Laffanour, amman gallery, Friedman Benda, Galerie VIVID, to name but a few. The 2016 edition promises to be particularly exciting for design enthusiasts all around the world. First with the solo exhibitions it offers and that extend the reach of design onto other fields. Just like Ai Weiwei’s pieces of wearable design presented by Elisabetta Cipriani (London), the first ever created by the Chinese artist. Not to miss are also the works of French Art Deco designer André Sornay, presented by Galerie Alain Marcelpoil. For the third year, the Design at Large program returns with a common theme: landscape. The past two years have proven to be very successful for Design at Large, and this year will be no exception. It will present nine substantial works of design that play with their relationship with nature. Each work is a wonder for the eyes, just like Jean Prouvé’s Temporary School of Villejuif (presented by Galerie Patrick Seguin). Designed 60 years ago, it demonstrates Prouvé’s inimitable approach and forward-thinking mind with a structure that melts into the environment. Ron Arad’s Armadillo Tea Pavillon also reunite the concepts of design and nature and creates a pavillon resembling the armor of the animal. It is presented by Revolution Precrafted Properties. This year again, Swarvoski shows its support to young designers with the Swarovski Designers of the Future Award. Four finalists have been chosen by the Crystal House to create works using crystal as their main inspiration and material, whatever their field of expression may be. Learn more about the initiative in our previous feature HERE.

There is so much more to discover at Design Miami/ Basel, go to www.basel2016.designmiami.com to do so.

And don’t miss our latest issue Crash 76 Cruel Summer, exclusively distributed within the fair for its entire duration.

Design Miami/ Basel, from June 14th to 19th, Hall 1 Süd, Messe Basel.

Owan by Kengo Kuma 2016 at Galerie Philippe Gravier courtesy of Galerie Philipe Gravier 1
The Armadillo Tea Pavilion by Ron Arad for Revolution
VERANDE by DIMORESTUDIO, June 2016 at Gallery Dimorestudio courtesy of DIMORESTUDIO
Villejuif by Jean Prouve for Galerie Patrick Seguin
Banana Lamp by Studio Job 2015 at Carpenters Workshop Gallery courtesy of Carpenters Workshop Gallery
Bhanga Bronze by Vincent Dubourg 2014 at Carpenters Workshop Gallery courtesy of Carpenters Workshop Gallery
Cathedral Table by Pierre Paulin 1981 at Demisch Danant
Les Ilots by Claude Parent 2010 at Galerie Philippe gravier courtesy of Galerie Philippe Gravier
Rebar in Gold by Ai Weiwei 2013 at Elisabetta Cipriani courtesy of Ai Weiwei Studio
Pair of ZigZag Chairs by Gerrit Th. Rietveld 1934 at Galerie VIVID of Galerie VIVID

The top six installations and exhibitions to see at Design Miami/Basel 2016

by Rima Sabina Aouf, Dezeen

Design Miami/Basel 2016: this year’s Design Miami/Basel fair opens today in the Swiss city, where a six-tonne stone meditation space, a modular armadillo and designs by Zaha Hadid are among the highlights.

The collectible design fair is taking place from 14 to 19 June 2016, and will provide an opportunity to browse creative furniture and fanciful objets d’art presented by international galleries.

Many of the must-sees at the event come from the Design at Large programme of installations, this year curated by founder and editor-in-chief of Cabana Magazine, Martina Mondadori Sartogo, and themed around nature.

New exhibition platform Design Curio also promises interesting displays. Based on traditional cabinets of curiosity, it features assemblages of objects put together by designers, curators, innovators and gallerists.

Here are our picks of installations and displays that shouldn’t be missed:


Owan by Kengo Kuma

Taking inspiration from Japanese tea bowls and fish scales, architect Kengo Kuma‘s metal screen installation is intended to be an indoor and an outdoor space at once. While the structure’s thin metal shell looks like it offers little protection from the elements, it is actually lined with a waterproof membrane.

Called Owan, the structure is made from a metal referred to as a “memory alloy”, which means it can be bent into new forms when heated.

Designed to be movable, the installation is part of Galerie Philippe Gravier’s Small Nomad House Project, which also includes Kuma’s wooden pavilion from last year’s FIAC event in Paris and a stacked-box pavilion by fellow Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto.


Maxéville Design Office by Jean Prouve

A demountable office by French architect Jean Prouvé that was until recently being used as a swingers’ club has been restored for display at Design Miami/Basel.

The structure, now known as the Maxéville Design Office, began life in 1947 at the historic Ateliers Jean Prouvé in Maxéville and is being presented by the Galerie Patrick Seguin, frequent champions of Prouvé’s work.

While other Prouvé creations at the site were destroyed after his departure from the company in 1953, this one remained concealed behind cladding and over time served as the atelier’s design office, a plumber’s office, a restaurant and finally a swingers’ club called Le Bounty. Find out more about Jean Prouvé’s Maxeville 35 demountable office »


Civilized Primitives by Kiki Van Eijk

Each of the objects in Kiki van Eijk‘s new furniture collection is modelled on branches found in the forests surrounding the Dutch designer’s Eindhoven home, and cast in bronze.

From an A-frame daybed of intersecting sticks to a tall and gnarled candelstick holder, each is based on branches that have been sanded on three sides and left textured on the last – giving rise to the “civilized” and “primitive” aspects of the collection’s title.

As part of the Design at Large program, the collection is displayed in an outdoor Bedouin-style tent, created using the large-scale printing processes of Dutch company Exposize. Van Eijk’s Physical Interaction light sculptures, which are turned on through unusual interactions like blowing on a mobile or lighting a flint, are also on show inside.


Zaha Hadid design exhibition

The late Zaha Hadid may be best known for her architecture, but her fluid forms also translated into some memorable design objects, which are now the focus of an exhibition during Design Miami/Basel.

Included in the display is her Liquid Glacial range of acrylic stools and tables, designed to resemble ice formations, as well as her Valle shelves in slashes of black granite.

The exhibition has been put together by her firm, Zaha Hadid Architects, to commemorate her contribution to the field of design following her unexpected death earlier this year.


Stone Tea House Meditative Alcove by Masatoshi Izumi and Koichi Hara

Last month, Vietnamese architect Vo Trong Nghia said he makes his staff meditate every day to help them “resist cravings and improve concentration”, after he installed a space for relaxing activity at the Venice Architecture Biennale.

The trend has continued at Design Miami/Basel, which is hosting a hulking but hollow stone cube called the Stone Tea House Meditative Alcove by Japanese sculptors Masatoshi Izumi and Koichi Hara.

Weighing in at six tonnes, minus the 18 tonnes of stone carved out from its middle, it is intended to provide a sanctuary from the busy world beyond. The installation sits within the natural surrounds of a spatial intervention titled In a Silent Space the Landscape is the Sound, designed by Enea Landscape Architecture.


Armadillo Tea Pavilion by Ron Arad


Another calming space is Israeli designer Ron Arad‘s Armadillo Tea Pavilion. Assembled from five moulded wood shells, it resembles the overlapping body armour of an armadillo.

Its components are modular, so it can be configured to suit different spaces, and the shells can be made in a variety of timbers depending on whether it will be used indoors or out.

The Armadillo Tea Pavilion comes from the catalogue of Revolution Precrafted, a company that aims to “democratise high-design and architecture” by providing prefab structures from more than 30 famous designers – including Tom Dixon, Marcel Wanders, Kengo Kuma and Zaha Hadid. It launched its first design at last year’s Design Miami, the sister event of the Basel edition.

Kengo Kuma designs malleable pavilion for Design Miami

by Jason Sayer, The Architect’s Newsaper

Japanese architect Kengo Kuma has designed a billowing geometric pavilion for the Phillipe Gravier Gallery at the biannual Design Miami/Basel 2016 design forum.

Called Owan, Kuma’s pavilion aims to establish a dialogue between architecture and the landscape by employing an undulating mesh-like structural shell. Owan‘s design also derives from the curvature often found in fish scales and traditional tea bowls from Kuma’s homeland.

The pavilion’s shell can be altered, changing its relationship to the site and its interior dimensions. Though appearing porous, Owan is lined with a thin waterproof membrane that can move in the wind along with the lightweight structure.

https://vimeo.com/164417666

In the video above, you can see how the structure responds to light. Given the structure’s intended natural environment, the trajectory of the sun should play in important role in the pavilion’s performance.

Design Miami/ (June 14 – 19) is a forum that has a strong pedigree in the world of design collectables. Kuma’s Owan will be presented at the forum’s “Design at Large,” which will also exhibit further large-scale installations under the theme of “tea house,” notably Ron Arad’s Armadillo Tea Canopy by Revolution Precrafted.

Historic buildings and futuristic furnishings,
Miami’s mix of art and design

by Silvia Nani,

DesignMiami. In the collectors’ lounge, an enveloping shape in metal: solids and voids that design a “skin”, between unsettling luminosities and the reassuring warmth of wood. It is a futuristic dining room that Zaha Hadid has created for “Revolution”, 30 temporary living spaces based on the idea of ​​the real estate developer Robbie Antonio and curated by world-famous architects, designers, artists (Hadid the first, but Ron Arad, Daniel Libeskind, Lenny Kravitz).

There is all the new Miami in a project that holistically combines chosen creative areas, symbolic places where we spend our lives and their reinterpretation in a contemporary key. Recovered historic buildings, new architectures and others to come, interiors that translate today’s needs without forgetting their roots, art that becomes design and vice versa: all this is today a city that is now far from the stereotypes of certain films, full of palm trees, underworld and idle “billionaires”. Current Miami is a changing scenario, which culminates in the first week of December when Art Basel and Design Miami are concentrated, and the ferment of projects (and products) finally becomes tangible.

Forbidden to be deceived by the tensile structure that hosts it: Design Miami is the most important collectible furniture fair in the world. Exactly ten years of life, just under 40 galleries from all over the globe, among the buyers there are museum directors but also the jet-set. If Sylvester Stallone was ready to pose on a tubular and silicone seat by the Aranda/Lasch studio (New York) for the Gallery All (Chinese), the curators treat the pieces without being noticed: “I sold three pieces by Gio Ponti at the opening” , says Rossella Colombari of the homonymous Milanese gallery specializing in rare pieces from the 1950s. Here, nothing happens by chance: “We work with established clients. Our standard, thanks to the selection of the organizing committee, is very high, so even the occasional buyer is protected ”, she explains, “Collectors from all over America and new riches come to Miami in search of a cultural identity: for them, an impulse purchase is worthwhile. It is a unique scenario, unthinkable in Europe”. The great masters (from Prouvé to Sarfatti, to Carlo Mollino) but above all “artfully done” design (such as the furnishings by the Campana brothers inspired by the colored leather clothes of the Brazilian bandits of over a century ago) and the opposite, by artists of everyday objects: here the furnishings cross over various territories, cultural but also geographical (from South Africa to Korea).

Steps away, Art Basel, the epicenter, displays masterpieces of modern and contemporary art in museum-like density and draws an audience that then returns to the series of events on Collins Avenue, the thoroughfare that runs through Miami Beach behind the beach . The scenario this time is the 1940s hotels, which are reopening one after the other after complete renovations of the interiors. Last, inaugurated during Design Miami, the Faena Hotel (formerly Saxony Hotel from 1947), part of the project of an entire “district of the arts”, vision of the Argentine real estate developer Alan Faena: “It will be a complete experience of Miami: hotels and apartments from the warm interiors that recall the city’s golden age, a forum that will host projects from various disciplines, installations and performances, a bazaar where art will be on sale, the headquarters of a cultural association and some residential buildings,” he explains. Architectures by Rem Kolhaas and Norman Foster (some opening in 2016), hotel furnishings by director Baz Luhrmann who dosed 1950s furniture, colors and decorations in a kitsch-sophisticated style with consummate skill. Outside, on the beach, three installations link the hotel to Art Basel.

A few blocks away, the Nautilus, another recently reopened historic hotel, houses a permanent gallery of contemporary art canvases amidst elegant 1940s velvet lounges, a spectacular bar and tropical plants. Creativity that joins and complements each other, whether it’s the Pérez Art Museum (awarded this year for green architecture), Wynwood (neighborhood redeveloped with street art, abuzz with galleries and creative shops) or Craig’s private office-gallery Robins, founder of Design Miami, open to the public as a museum. Ocean and palm trees are still the ones from the movies, but the “billionaires” have become cultured. In the Miami of design.

The annual event Design Miami is now open

 

Design Miami, an annual design event, officially kicks off (December 2-6). One of the highlights is the “Revolution” project initiated by real estate developer Robbie Antonio. More than 30 well-known architects, designers, and artists have joined forces to create A living space that emphasizes both advanced technology and cost-effectiveness. Among them, the dining room “Volu” designed by Zaha Hadid combines streamlined shape with high-tech material buckling treatment, and precise digital cutting technology can reduce material waste during production. Set new standards for environmental protection.

URL: http://miami2015.designmiami.com/

Design Miami 2015 preview: the top 15 exhibits and satellite events

by Pei-Ru Keh, Wallpaper

Next week, the world’s design and art communities will embark upon their annual five-day sojourn to Florida’s balmy climes to attend Design Miami (2 – 6 December). Now in its 11th year and bolstered by the city’s rapidly developing Design District, this year’s edition promises to be the most diverse to date. Among the week’s obligatory poolside parties and soirées, works by established and emerging designers from galleries across five continents will tempt buyers while a packed programme of installations, retail-driven projects, happenings and talks looks set to delight. We put this year’s must-see events on the map…

‘Terra Continens’ table by Karen Chekerdjian

Carwan Gallery
Dedicated to internationalising Middle Eastern contemporary design since opening in 2010, the Beirut-based Carwan Gallery has been a key figure in promoting cross-cultural collaborations. Its Miami efforts focuses on one designer, Karen Chekerdjian, a pioneering design force who founded her design studio in Beirut more than 12 years ago. Presented for the first time on this side of the Atlantic, the works on view represent the best of Chekerdjian’s career and highlights her ability to experiment with unexpected materials.

Design Miami, Meridian Avenue and 19th Street, adjacent to the Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach
2
 – 6 December, www.designmiami.com(opens in new tab)www.carwangallery.com(opens in new tab)

‘Unbuilt’ models in Harvard GSD’s central studio space, Gund Hall, designed in 1972 by Harvard GSD alumnus John Andrews. Photography: Steven Brahams

Harvard Graduate School of Design
As we first reported in our December issue (W*201), Design Miami tasked a student team from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design (GSD) to devise its entry pavilion, marking the first time the fair has collaborated with an educational institution in such a significant way. The students, who are currently in their second year at GSD, tapped into the collective catalogue of unrealised projects from their peers to create Unbuilt, a canopy of hand-milled, pink foam models, which will be accompanied by an app for easy identification so as to ensure that each project and designer has its day.

Design Miami, Meridian Avenue and 19th Street, adjacent to the Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach
2
 – 6 December, www.designmiami.com(opens in new tab)www.gsd.harvard.edu(opens in new tab)

‘Anil’ chair by Zanini de Zanine, 2012

Espasso and Arte Club Jacarandá
Flying the flag for Brazil’s plentiful creative contributions is a special exhibition of the country’s art and design offerings curated by Espasso and the Rio de Janiero-based collective Arte Club Jacarandá. With highlights including paintings by the iconic artist Carlos Vergara and the equally celebrated Carlito Carvalhosa, and furniture by Zanini de Zanine, Sergio Rodrigues and Claudia Moreira Salles, the exhibition paints a holistic portrait of Brazil’s collectible art and design scene. To top it off, the exhibition will be staged in the penthouse of the Shore Club hotel, which will officially be part of the Fasano family when it reopens in 2017.

Fasano Hotel and Residences at Shore Club, 1901 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach
Open to the public 3
 – 6 December and by appointment 7 – 31 December, www.espasso.com(opens in new tab)www.fasanoshoreclub.com(opens in new tab)

‘Model Art Pavilion’ by Gluckman Tang

Revolution Pre-Crafted Properties
Taking collectible design to the next level is Revolution Pre-Crafted Properties, a limited edition collection of prefabricated living spaces (pavilions and homes included), brought to you by gallerist/collector Edward Tyler Nahem and real estate developer/collector Robbie Antonio. Conceived by Antonio, the project will feature contributions by more than 30 leading architects, designers and artists. The series launches in Miami with fully realised constructions of Zaha Hadid’s VOLU Pavilion and Gluckman Tang’s Model Art Pavilion

Design Miami, Meridian Avenue and 19th Street, adjacent to the Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach
2 – 6 December, www.designmiami.com(opens in new tab)www.revolutionprecrafted.com(opens in new tab)

‘Untitled’, by Laddie John Dill, 1971. Courtesy of the artist and Ace Gallery Los Angeles

LAX – MIA: Light + Space
Amongst the numerous Art Deco hotels currently being rejuvenated in Miami is The Surf Club, located in Miami Beach. Soon to be reopened with a new Richard Meier design and operated by The Four Seasons, the property in collaboration with Fort Partners will host ‘LAX – MIA: Light + Space’, an art exhibition curated by Parallel, comprising architecture curator Terence Riley, architect John Keenen and art historian Joachim Pissarro. Focusing on Los Angeles’ Light and Space art movement of the 1970s and featuring works by DeWain Valentine, Larry Bell and Helen Pashgian, the exhibition will show how the movement’s ethos and aesthetics reflect the ideology behind Meier’s concept for the redesigned hotel.

The Surf Club, 9011 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach
1
 – 12 December, www.thesurfclub.com(opens in new tab)

‘BMW’ rug by Seletti Wears Toiletpaper.

Toiletpaper, Gufram and Seletti
We’d jump at any chance to step into the colourful, irony-soaked world of Toiletpaper, the provocative art publication from Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari. The visual maestros will takeover the lounge at the Untitled art fair with new carpets from the Seletti Wears Toiletpaper collection, which makes its debut in Miami. The space will also be dressed with the brand’s iconic furniture produced by Gufram.

Untitled, Ocean Drive and 12th St, Miami Beach
2 – 6 December, www.art-untitled.com(opens in new tab)www.toiletpapermagazine.org(opens in new tab)www.seletti.it(opens in new tab), www.gufram.it(opens in new tab)

‘Self Portrait’ by Andy Warhol

MoMA Design Store
Granted that most of the art collecting does take place at the numerous fairs that sprout up in South Beach, a visit to the Delano Hotel is definitely in order, especially if you are an Andy Warhol fan. Thanks to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Design Store, the Andy Warhol Foundation has teamed up with The Skateroom – a collective that invites contemporary artists to create art on skateboards – on a limited edition collection of skate decks. Installed throughout the legendary hotel, there will be boards featuring 32 varieties of Campell’s soup cans, as well as triptychs with Gold Marilyn MonroeGunsCar Crash, Self Portrait and Detail of the Last Supper. Each will be available for purchase in limited quantities.

Delano South Beach, 1685 Collins Avenue, South Beach
30 November
 – 6 December, www.momastore.org(opens in new tab)www.delano-hotel.com(opens in new tab)

Design Miami’s identity has been conceived by illustrator Pierre Le-Tan this year

Design Miami capsule collection by Pierre Le-Tan
While we’d all like to leave Miami with a work of art or a piece of collectible design, sometimes it’s just not the case. This year, however, worthy souvenirs come in the form of a collection of Design Miami merchandise featuring illustrations by Pierre Le-Tan. Depicting a range of Miami-related motifs, such as palm tress, Art Deco architecture and key lime pies in Le-Tan’s playful style, the offbeat range includes socks, umbrellas, scarves and bow ties. With offerings for both men and women, the 11-piece limited edition collection will be available at the fair’s new Market.

Design Miami, Meridian Avenue and 19th Street, adjacent to the Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach
2 – 6 December, www.designmiami.com(opens in new tab)

Inspired by the sky’s degradé hues, New York design studio Snarkitecture will transform the exterior of one of Netjets’ signature private planes

Netjets and Snarkitecture
The official partner of Art Basel for the last 14 years, Netjets is the only way we would fly to Miami if the choice were up to us. This year, the private jet company has recruited Snarkitecture to create an installation that will put its Signature Series Global 5000 aircraft in the spotlight. Staged at the Landmark Aviation private jet terminal in Miami International Airport, Snarkitecture will reimagine the jet’s exterior as a sight pilots flying at dawn or dusk usually experience: an ombré-tinted sky. 

Landmark Aviation, Miami International Airport, 5700 NW 36th St, Miami
1
 – 6 December, www.netjets.com(opens in new tab)www.snarkitecture.com(opens in new tab)

Site-specific poolside painting by Katherine Bernhardt at Nautilus hotel

Artsy and Sixty Hotels
We first waxed lyrical about Sixty Hotels’ newest addition, Nautilus, fresh after it was given the Jason Pomeranc treatment. Now, the hotel group has teamed up with Artsy for a week’s worth of programming, ranging from performances and installations to a designer popsicle truck, naturally. Food aside, Artsy has commissioned the artist Katherine Bernhardt to create an original pool painting for the hotel, thus continuing a tradition of which David Hockney, Keith Haring and Pablo Picasso have all contributed to.

Nautilus, 1825 Collins Ave, Miami Beach
30 November
 – 6 December, www.artsy.net(opens in new tab)www.sixtyhotels.com(opens in new tab)

Render of ‘El Sol’ by Fernando Romero

Swarovski
The Mexican architect Fernando Romero is the driving force behind El Sol, a statuesque geodesic structure composed of 2,880 custom-made Swarovksi crystals that will take over the company’s booth at Design Miami. Designed at a scale of one billion times smaller than the sun, the sculpture mimics the sacred geometry that the ancient Aztec and Mayan civilisations used to construct their pyramids, which were conceived to observe the skies – with the added benefit of modern technology, of course. The installation is made up of an intricate puzzle of precision-cut crystals, each individually coated in Swarovski’s Aurora Borealis coating. Lit from within, it will evoke the sun’s pulsating force to an inspiring degree.

Design Miami, Meridian Avenue and 19th Street, adjacent to the Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach
2
 – 6 December, www.designmiami.com(opens in new tab)www.swarovski.com(opens in new tab)

‘Fragments’ dining table by Lex Pott for The Future Perfect

The Future Perfect, Lex Pott and Calico Wallpaper
A longtime stalwart of the New York design scene, retail platform The Future Perfect makes its debut at Design Miami this year with an immersive installation that showcases the work of the Dutch designer Lex Pott and Brooklyn-based Calico Wallpaper. The environment will present newly commissioned stone furniture by Pott against handpainted gradient wall coverings from Calico made using pulverised minerals and stones. The backdrops will also be painted live onsite, bringing a performance aspect to the exhibition.

Design Miami, Meridian Avenue and 19th Street, adjacent to the Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach
2 – 6 December, www.designmiami.com(opens in new tab)www.thefutureperfect.com(opens in new tab)www.lexpott.nl(opens in new tab)www.calicowallpaper.com(opens in new tab)

‘6 x 6 An Improvisation’, by Larry Bell, 2014-2015. © The artist. Courtesy of Chinati Foundation.

White Cube
Leave it to White Cube to veer off-piste, taking its Miami presence to a satellite venue for the first time. In addition to its booth at Art Basel Miami Beach, the international gallery pitches up in the Melin Building with a bewitching installation by the artist Larry Bell, a leading exponent of California’s Light and Space movement. 6×6 An Improvisation was first exhibited at The Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas from 2014-2015 and is made up of 30 glass panels that respond to changing light conditions at different times of day. The glass, which has been treated with a nickel-chrome finish, produces an effect that’s both dramatic and visually complex.

Suite #200, Melin Building, 3930 NE 2nd Ave, Miami
2 December
 – 9 January 2016, www.whitecube.com(opens in new tab)

Render of Fendi’s pavilion at Design Miami

Fendi
Moving house is always a good opportunity to clear out the rafters. In Fendi’s case, its recent relocation to new headquarters in Rome’s historic business district at the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana – otherwise known as Square Colosseum – revealed a series of unrealised furniture designs envisioned by architect Guglielmo Ulrich for the district. Under Fendi’s watch, Ulrich’s designs for an S-shaped sofa, gold-capped lampshades and a rosewood table among others, have been beautifully brought back to life – almost 70 years after they were first conceived.

Design Miami, Meridian Avenue and 19th Street, adjacent to the Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach
2
 – 6 December, www.designmiami.com(opens in new tab)www.fendi.com(opens in new tab)

Lambs wool blanket by Ella Kruglyanskaya (left) and tea towels by Peter Saville

House of Voltaire
The London-based art charity Studio Voltaire brings its beloved pop-up retail concept House of Voltaire to the beaches of Miami this year. Armed with a new collection of specially commissioned homeware, accessories and clothing, House of Voltaire will move into a temporary home at New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) Miami Beach. Visitors can procure tea towels by Peter Saville; lambs wool blankets by the artists Marc Camille Chaimowicz and Ella Kruglyanskaya; and ceramics by the fashion designer Roksanda Ilincic. They will also be able to peruse other sought after projects, such as a limited edition silk top by Ilincic and Eva Rothschild and a photographic collaboration between Simone Rocha and Kim Gordon.

NADA, 4441 Collins Ave, Miami Beach
3 – 5 December, www.studiovoltaire.org(opens in new tab)www.newartdealers.org

Design Miami/ Welcome Cocktail

by Nathan Valentine, World Red Eye

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Miami Beach, FL – December 2, 2013 – To celebrate the opening of Design Miami/ at Art Basel Miami Beach, a group of curators, designers, galleries and VIP guests toasted the occasion at the Grove, the W South Beach’s lush garden. The welcome cocktail party was co-hosted by Craig Robins, as well as Pietro Beccari and in collaboration with Fendi, and included sips of Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut to toast the ninth year of the design fair and its upcoming week of design magic.

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Marianne Goebl & Craig Robins

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Silvia Venturini Fendi & Craig Robins

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Steven Gretenstein, Uzay Ozince, Craig Robins, Carla Navas, Gareth Jones, & Colin Carby

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Brandon Grom & Anna Williams

Maria Bukhtoyarova, Alia Al-Senussi, & Marina Kurikhina

Maria Bukhtoyarova, Alia Al-Senussi, & Marina Kurikhina

Simon Haas, Nikolai Haas, & Djuna Bel

Simon Haas, Nikolai Haas, & Djuna Bel

Francois Uguen, Maria Wettergren, & Anni Kotov

Francois Uguen, Maria Wettergren, & Anni Kotov

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Maria Wettergren & Anni Kotov

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Kimberley Carson & Hofit Golan

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Micol Sabbadini & Remi Barbier

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Vanessa & Rodolphe Hill

_12.5-Benjamin-Rollins-Caldwell-&-Charlotte-Filbert1

Benjamin Rollins-Caldwell & Charlotte Filbert

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Francois Laffanour

_13.5-Silvia-Venturini-Fendi-&-Delfina-Delettrez-Fendi1

Silvia Venturini-Fendi & Delfina Delettrez-Fendi

Robbie Antonio, Marc Spiegler, & Shohei Shigematsu

Robbie Antonio, Marc Spiegler, & Shohei Shigematsu

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Craig Robins & Pietro

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Ben Aranda & Pilar Viladas

Philippe Jousse, Pascal Cuisinier, & Florian Liberal

Philippe Jousse, Pascal Cuisinier, & Florian Liberal

Virginie Mouzat, Jacques Lacoste, Caroline Sarkozy, & Frederique Dedet

Virginie Mouzat, Jacques Lacoste, Caroline Sarkozy, & Frederique Dedet

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Cristiana Monfardini & Lorenzo Fiasche

David Vander Stricht, Caroline Van Hoek, & Alexis Ryngaert

David Vander Stricht, Caroline Van Hoek, & Alexis Ryngaert 

Till Weber, Connie Huesser, & Juergen Mayer H

Till Weber, Connie Huesser, & Juergen Mayer H