Mia Shields

Art Basel, Miami Beach’s world-famous art festival, is held annually in December. For the 21 year, from Dec. 8-10, Art Basel took place at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

During the festival, the convention center is divided into different sections representing contemporary art from 277 galleries around the world; split into the galleries, positions, nova, survey, meridians and kabinett. The “galleries” are the main areas that hold all the major pieces showcased. “Positions” is an international solo exhibit featuring 16 rising artists. The “nova” section contains 22 galleries displaying the works of 22 different artists. “Survey” is an area with 16 different galleries with art created pre-2000. This year, “Meridians” is curated by Magali Arriola and showcases different art. Lastly, “Kabinett” is a curated selection by galleries separate from their showcase.

Originating in Basel, Switzerland, the event expanded into the Miami art scene in 2002. Visitors and collectors from all over the world travel to Miami Beach for Art Basel, making it a hotspot for art enthusiasts everywhere.

“You see a lot of very interesting people; everyone has really nice outfits on. You see a mix of people who are genuinely interested in art and then people who are just there for Instagram,” junior Oscar Gurdian said.

This year was Gurdian’s first time attending the Art Basel, and the fashion enthusiast was intrigued by the various pieces.

“Some of my favorite [art pieces] were a lot of the sculptures. [I] took a lot of photos, and there was no shortage of really interesting pieces,” Gurdian said.

By expanding to Miami Beach, Art Basel has attracted a significantly larger audience in the art market and has simultaneously brought Miami to a higher status in the art world. Art Basel showcases artists of all different mediums, helping drive the demand for the artist’s work and reputation.

“Art is the way that we’re going to remember the culture of the past, when you think of what life was like and what culture was like in the 1700s France, you think of the art that was made at the time. If we look to the future, we’re gonna look back at this time now and t we’re going to focus on this the art and the things that we created, and going to these events supports the further creation of that,” Gurdian said.