Favorite Mixed Media Works at Art Basel 2023

"El Fogon" by Bony Ramirez (2023) (acrylic, soft oil pastel,
colored pencil, wood, metal screws, nails, ceramic tea cups,
metal and aluminum kitchenware)

I was grumpy by the time I arrived at this year's edition of Art Basel. I'd hit traffic on the way to the fair -- expected on the way home but not there -- and arrived a bit late for my early bird entry (at 11 a.m. -- it's all relative). I was confronted with a long line of art lovers and decided to make sure I was in the right place before queuing up. The security guard informed me I needed to go to the other entrance. "It's a long way," he said. "Be sure to hydrate." Great, I thought, as I hiked up and around and down to the other entrance. I was at least rewarded with no line to get in. But my aggravation fell away the moment I entered the first booth and came face to face with "El Fogon" by Bony Ramirez. Seeing art like this is why I was there. 

Ramirez was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to the United States when he was 13 years old. His work celebrates his Caribbean home and its people rather than the beaches and high end resorts frequented by tourists. In "El Fogon" he depicts a kitchen with humble implements similar to what he remembers from his childhood. It's hard to see here, but the figure has swirls of color in his ears, which are often found in Ramirez' work. The rainbow swirls are reminiscent of seashells. So the beautiful beaches of the Caribbean do get a nod after all. 

I am not alone in being drawn to Ramirez' art. Earlier this year, the 26 year old artist was named one of Forbes' North American 30 under 30 in the category of Art & Style. Seven of Ramirez' works have been purchased by museums, including the Perez in Miami and the Frey in Seattle. He reportedly cried each time he was told about a sale. He is, after all, just a kid. To see more of Ramirez' work, click here. And note that you can look at larger versions of any of the images in my posts by clicking on them. 

"Sun Go Down" by Whifield Lovell
(2020-2023)(charcoal on wood, found objects)

Whitney Lovell's "Sun Go Down" immediately drew me in. What a slice of life. Lovell is known for his tableaux featuring drawings on wood panels combined with found objects. His portraits are of anonymous Black Americans memorialized in photographs taken in the period from the Civil War Reconstruction Era to the 1940s. Lovell haunts flea markets and antique shops to add to his collection, which stands at more than 600 images. 

Lovell considers his art a reconstruction of history. His paingings allow us to imagine the stories of people whose lives might otherwise be forgotten. The story I've created for this woman envisions her heading home after a long day. She is weary, but her work is not done. She still has to cook dinner for her family, probably using the very pots found in this work. It is not an easy life, but it is a real one. 

To hear the MacArthur Genius talk about how he arrived at this style of art, click here. And to see more of his work, click here. I was distressed to learn that I missed an immersive exhibit of his work at the Boca Raton Museum of Art, just miles from my sister's home. Yet another email list I should be on. I need a sign that says "Will travel for art." 

"Tree Hut in Tremblay No. 111" by Tadaki Kawamata (2021)
(balsa wood and acrylic paint on plywood) 

I was taken by the beauty of Tadaki Kawamata's "Tree Hut in Tremblay No. 111." I was never a tree house person (shocking, I know), but I can imagine a Thumbellina-sized version of myself climbing up and into one of these little huts to get a bird's eye view of the world. 

The huts in this painting are tiny compared to most of Kawamata's creations. He has often created life-sized versions of his huts and installed them in public areas. In 2008, for instance, Kawamata built a series of 12 tree huts that were installed in Madison Square Park in New York. And click here to see some of his shelters installed in Paris' Place Vendame. 

In other instances, Kawamata creates different sorts of large-scale environments, often referred to as nests. Click here to see an exterior nest that was installed in Milan and here to see an immersive interior nest at a Parisian art gallery. (The latter link is a video in which the artist talks about the project and shows some of its construction.) When I saw the photo of the interior nest, my first thought was, "How in the world will this intricate work be taken down when the exhibit is over?" (The question applies to all of Kawamata's works, but it felt more pronounced in the interior space.)  After my momentary concern about logistics, I pivoted to feeling a bit sad about something so beautiful being destroyed. But that's all part of Kawamata's process, which he refers to as construction, deconstruction, repeat. For those of us in Sarasota, there's a clear parallel to Carlos Bunga's cathedral-like structure made of cardboard that was recently on display at Sarasota Art Museum. Both artists' work serve as a reminder that everything in life is temporary, so we should appreciate it while we can. For a bit more on Kawamata and his background, click here.

Next up: Favorite Paintings from Art Basel 2023