By Lizbeth Perez
“What is Basel?”
If you are walking down the street and were to spontaneously ask a group of people, “what is Basel?” you would most likely encounter puzzled looks. Some would answer that it has something to do with the Bible; others may insist that they have no idea; and a few would probably fire back that Basel is a town in Switzerland.
A Very Famous Town Actually, Where It All Began…
By “it” I mean none other than one of the most (if not the most) respected and renowned art festivals in the world. Think of Basel as the “Oscars” of the art world. It is here where global art collectors gather to display their ever-growing collections; art aficionados roam admiring the works of up and coming artists; and art trends are born.
Basel has grown so much over the years that it has branched off into other sanctions of the world; most notably Art Basel Miami, which is in its 13th year, and just this past spring the first every Art Basel Hong Kong took place.
If you are lucky enough to be a Miami resident, you know that Basel is a grand event that comes to town once a year. For a week, Miami becomes a magical place, full of art in its every form: paintings & sculpture, music, and poetry. Also, (even more) celebrities and artists can be found every corner during Art Basel Miami. Whenever Art Basel is in town, you can expect a calendar packed to the brim with must see art and events. Expect to see and be seen at some of the hottest parties that boast international displays of both talent and art in all of its glorious forms.
And This Year Definitely Did Not Disappoint…
Like any other child entering into their teenage years, Art Basel Miami has definitely come of age. Some of the most interesting trends that were noticed were the ultimate fusion of visual art with music—most notably that of the hip-hop genre. Hip-hop inspired art was everywhere this year it seems.
In Wynwood, Miami’s bustling art district, there were larger than life wall paintings of the late Tupac and Biggie; Rihanna was portrayed as Medusa in a pop-up gallery; and even Kim & Kanye got in on the action portraying a modern day version of Grant Wood’s “American Gothic.”
In addition to the visual arts, we saw celebrities such as Diddy walking around the convention center (where the main event is held) admiring works of art by up and coming artists, and the likes of Rae-Kwon, Ghostface Killah and Noriega from Wu-Tang Clan, NAS and Kendrick Lamar rapping at an various art openings all around town. Even our president, Barrack Obama himself, was depicted in an interesting way…
Pop Culture Icons Meet Modern Art
Another interesting trend was the fusion of older art (and celebrities) with a more modern twist. No matter where you turned (or what event you visited) you could not help but come across someone’s take on a classic. We had Marilyn Monroe and Minnie Mouse combined to make an unusual hybrid; Ms. Monroe was also depicted as a modern day “Video Vixen.” We saw new twists on old favorites such as Andy Warhol’s famous Campbell Soup Cans; Audrey Hepburn was seen blowing out an almost obnoxiously loud cloud of smoke from a pipe; and even Betty Boop got into the action being depicted as doing “VERY” adult things for the eyes of the interested onlooker.
Fashion is considered to be an extension of art, and the fashion this year was another factor that didn’t disappoint. For starters, shoes were everywhere; and not just on people’s feet. In fact, there was an abundance of shoe inspired artwork and even entire exhibits that were dedicated to footwear.
There were larger than life replicas of Minnie Mouse’s iconic yellow shoes and Dorothy’s ruby red slipper and artist Sebastian Errazuriz created an entire show by the name of “12 Shoes for 12 Lovers,” where he created 12 shoes to represent 12 of his ex-girlfriends and what they meant to him. It seems the idea came to him, when after a night of reminiscing of girlfriends’ past, he realized he wanted to commemorate them with portraits, something that they did not agree to. Instead of giving up, Errazuriz found a loophole: SHOES. They do say that a person’s shoes tells much about them…
Street Style During Art Basel Miami
Of course the fashion was not limited to the works of art themselves. The street-style during an event as massive as Basel is almost as impressive as some of the art. All over town you find fashionistas from all ends of the world. You see them chugging back beers in hole in the wall bars (Midtown Miami), the mega clubs in South Beach, and even in the smaller galleries or satellite fairs in Wynwood. This is where the REAL fusion of all different forms of art become one huge sensory overload and can be seen walking admiring the art, talking amongst themselves and just enjoying themselves with all the beauty that is everywhere during Basel.
“What is Basel?”
If you are walking down the street and were to spontaneously ask a group of people, “what is Basel?” you would most likely encounter puzzled looks. Some would answer that it has something to do with the Bible; others may insist that they have no idea; and a few would probably fire back that Basel is a town in Switzerland.
A Very Famous Town Actually, Where It All Began…
By “it” I mean none other than one of the most (if not the most) respected and renowned art festivals in the world. Think of Basel as the “Oscars” of the art world. It is here where global art collectors gather to display their ever-growing collections; art aficionados roam admiring the works of up and coming artists; and art trends are born.
 |
| Some of This Year's Statement Pieces: Art Basel Miami 2013 |
Basel has grown so much over the years that it has branched off into other sanctions of the world; most notably Art Basel Miami, which is in its 13th year, and just this past spring the first every Art Basel Hong Kong took place.
If you are lucky enough to be a Miami resident, you know that Basel is a grand event that comes to town once a year. For a week, Miami becomes a magical place, full of art in its every form: paintings & sculpture, music, and poetry. Also, (even more) celebrities and artists can be found every corner during Art Basel Miami. Whenever Art Basel is in town, you can expect a calendar packed to the brim with must see art and events. Expect to see and be seen at some of the hottest parties that boast international displays of both talent and art in all of its glorious forms.
And This Year Definitely Did Not Disappoint…
Like any other child entering into their teenage years, Art Basel Miami has definitely come of age. Some of the most interesting trends that were noticed were the ultimate fusion of visual art with music—most notably that of the hip-hop genre. Hip-hop inspired art was everywhere this year it seems.
In Wynwood, Miami’s bustling art district, there were larger than life wall paintings of the late Tupac and Biggie; Rihanna was portrayed as Medusa in a pop-up gallery; and even Kim & Kanye got in on the action portraying a modern day version of Grant Wood’s “American Gothic.”
 |
| Kim & Kanye as Grant Wood's "American Gothic." |
 |
| President Barack Obama Depicted During Art Basel Miami |
Another interesting trend was the fusion of older art (and celebrities) with a more modern twist. No matter where you turned (or what event you visited) you could not help but come across someone’s take on a classic. We had Marilyn Monroe and Minnie Mouse combined to make an unusual hybrid; Ms. Monroe was also depicted as a modern day “Video Vixen.” We saw new twists on old favorites such as Andy Warhol’s famous Campbell Soup Cans; Audrey Hepburn was seen blowing out an almost obnoxiously loud cloud of smoke from a pipe; and even Betty Boop got into the action being depicted as doing “VERY” adult things for the eyes of the interested onlooker.
 |
| Andy Warhol's Soup Cans |
 |
| Andy Warhol's Soup Cans Depicted During Art Basel Miami |
 |
| Cultural Icons Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe Meet Modern Art |
There were larger than life replicas of Minnie Mouse’s iconic yellow shoes and Dorothy’s ruby red slipper and artist Sebastian Errazuriz created an entire show by the name of “12 Shoes for 12 Lovers,” where he created 12 shoes to represent 12 of his ex-girlfriends and what they meant to him. It seems the idea came to him, when after a night of reminiscing of girlfriends’ past, he realized he wanted to commemorate them with portraits, something that they did not agree to. Instead of giving up, Errazuriz found a loophole: SHOES. They do say that a person’s shoes tells much about them…
 |
| By Sebastian Errazuriz |
 |
| By Sebastian Errazuriz |
Of course the fashion was not limited to the works of art themselves. The street-style during an event as massive as Basel is almost as impressive as some of the art. All over town you find fashionistas from all ends of the world. You see them chugging back beers in hole in the wall bars (Midtown Miami), the mega clubs in South Beach, and even in the smaller galleries or satellite fairs in Wynwood. This is where the REAL fusion of all different forms of art become one huge sensory overload and can be seen walking admiring the art, talking amongst themselves and just enjoying themselves with all the beauty that is everywhere during Basel.
 |
| Fashion During Art Basel Miami |
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| Only in Miami: Fashion Scene During Art Basel Miami 2013 |
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| Street Style During Art Basel Miami 2013 |
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| Fashion During Art Basel Miami 2013 |
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