Trick or Treat?

Short skirts, glamorous hotels, and shimmering pools the size of small lakes, this combined with stone-aged like internet speeds, a dizzying array of art to see, and a cocktail being handed to you every time you turn around is all part of the allure of Art Basel Miami. It is a cabana-based reality show set in a city where reality itself is swathed in gaudy pastels and accompanied by a thumping bass beat. The Convention Center where Basel is based, is an enormous, airplane hanger-like structure filled with dealer kiosks and it all feels money-serious. Hands are clasped, quiet smiles exchanged, and deals are done. Hard off a long, late night I stumbled into a hotel coffee shop this morning. 17 dollars later I had in hand two coffees, two medium, rather unremarkable coffees. Juxtaposed into an art world setting, my transaction was rather tame. Like I said, every thing here is money-serious. 

NADA, which is at the Deauville Beach Resort, a shuttle-ride from Art Basel, is, as you might have guessed a fair for new, less established galleries and artists. A lot of them not from New York City. No big brand names, no yet anyway, but it is a good place to begin to interact with the art again, to depressurize before heading out again.

More, in depth reports soon…..

Robert Moeller is the website coordinator for ANE