As I stood on the corner of Collins Ave and 39th Street in Miami’s South Beach, bathed in the fluorescent glow of a street lamp, feet throbbing in my Attico lace-up stilettos, I couldn’t help but wonder: Was I owning Basel, or was Basel owning me?
Each December, thousands of art collectors, celebrities, artists, and influencers descend upon Miami for one of the most prestigious (cloutiest?) contemporary art fairs in the world: Art Basel Miami. Hundreds of emerging artists make their debuts, millions of dollars’ worth of art changes hands, and at least one monumental installation becomes influencer fodder. (This year’s culprit was The Library of Us by Es Devlin—a 50-foot-wide rotating triangular library on a slice of Faena's beach that you’ve definitely seen on your feed.)
Regardless of why you may find yourself in Miami for Art Basel, the one universal experience of Basel is this: you will spend at least an hour of your night ordering, waiting for, or sitting in a car. Which is how I found myself, once again, standing on a street corner in front of the Cadillac Hotel—my fourth year experiencing Basel, which I guess makes me a baby Basel veteran?—trying, and failing, to secure an Uber. I did eventually catch a ride, but not before spiraling into the aforementioned existential crisis: What am I doing here? What is my purpose? Were these street lights designed to personally attack me? Who is Basel for anymore?
Over the next few days I tucked my musings aside and decided to surrender myself to "Basel-ing": four nights of frolicking, taking in art, going to DJ sets, eating ceviche, sitting in traffic, and feeling generally inspired by the frenetic, high-octane energy of Miami during December (and I swear it wasn't just the espresso martinis). I stayed at a lovely Airbnb in sleepy North Beach, which felt worlds away from the bright lights of bustling South Beach, though really it was only a 15 minute (without traffic) drive. During the day, I would take calls and work from my Airbnb, occasionally zooming (well, crawling) down to South Beach to see art, hear artist talks at Soho Beach House, and soak in the balmy Miami sunshine. At night, I put on my shortest skirt (Area) and flashiest silk top (vintage Roberto Cavalli) to embrace my inner South Beach girl, somehow mustering the energy to attend events for Ray-Ban (missing Rihana's arrival by a mere two hours), Google Shopping, Marni and more. On my second to last night, I hosted a lovely Art & Style dinner for Coveteur, which was a highlight of the week; the second was the giant bowl of arroz con mariscos I ordered at a Peruvian restaurant in North Beach that I said was way too big for one person, then ended up finishing anyway.
I left Miami Sunday night feeling both like my body and soul had aged five years, yet also somehow revived. Basel is funny like that: it has a way of draining you and filling you back up at the same time.
Keep scrolling to see some snapshots of my time in Miami ahead.
A moment for this view from my Airbnb.
I started off the week with a private tour of Art Basel with director Bridget Finn, an exclusive Airbnb Experience you can book directly in the app. In my opinion: everyone should book this next year. You get to take in the museum before it opens to the public, while hearing more about each of the exhibits straight from Bridget herself. Here, she's showing us Jesús Rafael Soto's work, Pénétrable.
A piece of art that I was drawn to by artist Lee So Yeun.
Beeple's "Regular Animals": small, robot dogs with hyper-realistic heads of billionaires. In other words, nightmare fuel (but I think that's the point).
After a quick change, I headed to the Marni store to see the "a Prologue" collection and Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery installation.
I ended the night at a Tag Heuer dinner celebrating the brand's collaboration with Hiroshi Fujiawara at the restaurant Shiso.
This was the morning view from my Airbnb. Can you blame me for becoming one of those people that asks myself if I should move to Miami during the winter? (But really...should I?)
A private tour of Jack Pierson's "Miami Years" exhibition at The Bass by the man and artist himself (another bookable Airbnb experience). I loved hearing about his accidental artist life and appreciated his self-deprecating humor.
A quick lunch break from Miami's best hidden gem: the woodfire pizza pop-up inside the Miami Botanical Garden. It's the easiest (and most delicious) spot to grab a bite before you head into the Convention Center.
I popped into Design Miami and beelined to the Tuleste Factory booth to see my friend Kim Mesches' hanging light sculptures. He makes the most stunning sculptural pieces; I've been lucky enough to wear one of his pieces. The sculptures were ethereal and fluid, like all of his work is. I'm a proud friend!
The colors from this Nick Thomm light installation really speak to me.
A selfie.
Did you even go to Basel if you didn't go to Faena to see "The Library Of Us"?
I reunited with friends old and new at our Coveteur Most Coveted: Art & Style dinner. It was such a perfect night celebrating art and style in a room full of creative powerhouses. I'm wearing my dream Christopher Esber dress!
I ended the night at Silencio in the basement of the Edition Miami, where my friend CT hosted and The Dare spun the most danceable DJ set I've heard in years.
And that was a wrap!
Photos: Faith Xue
