While Art Basel has made quite a name for itself when it comes to fashion, the art never disappoints. In the American show, held in Miami Beach, features significant artwork from “the masters of Modern and contemporary art, as well as the new generation of emerging stars,” according to the Art Basel website. The exhibition halls are filled with photographs, installations, paintings, sculptures and films.
A few artists who made their mark on this year’s Art Basel in Miami beach were Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Juliana Huxtable and Jamilah Sabur amongst other talented black women. Yiadom-Boakye is often referred to as the quiet storm, according to Broadly, who paints intimate portraits of fictional figures. Her characters have inspired other great artists such as Solange and Zadie Smith. Yiadom-Boakye is known for painting the lives of Black women, men and children in magical spaces with room for her audience to join the figures in those spaces.
Someone else to look out for is Jamaican-born Jamilah Sabur who happens to be a multidisciplinary artist who uses installations, sculpture and performances along with videos to trace back the history of our bodies. Sabur highlights the effects of colonialism and puts her audiences’ minds to work when she asks, “What is the good of history if we cannot learn the lessons of the past?” In her video, A History of Massacre (How do you prepare yourself for the possibility of becoming invisible?), she shares an interesting perspective on occupation and "desocupation."
Juliana Huxtable doesn’t fall behind on this list of boss women in Art Basel. Born intersex and raised as a boy named Julian in a conservative Texas town, she began finding her own voice when she was in the 5th grade. As she found herself dealing with abuse, she found help and peace in writing short stories. Huxtable has traveled the world sharing her music, art, videos and installations.
If you haven’t caught up on all of Art Basel’s goodness, be sure to check out the highlights on the website.
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