Miami Art Week: A Textile Recap

Early this month, the city of Miami played host to Art Basel and the numerous accompanying art fairs that make up Miami Art Week. Showcasing the best and the next in all things art, amidst the sheer quantity of work on display, it was clear that one of the standout trends of the week was textiles. From galleries to pop-up exhibitions to curated collections, fiber-based work was having a real moment. This marked resurgence in appreciation for the tactile, the handmade, and the intricate, illustrates how (and why) textiles have always been a compelling vehicle for storytelling, cultural commentary, and technical exploration. Textile Society of America was on site and around town to share some of the highlights from the week.

_{^{Cover Image: Shinique Smith. Smoke Dancers (Detail), 2022. Acrylic, graphite, ink, ribbon fabric and rope. Monique Meloche Gallery}}

The Fairs: Art Basel & Untitled

Eric N. Mack. Flourish, 2023 (Location: Art Basel, Convention Center)

***Basil Kincaid: Spirit in the Gift, 2023 Artist-in-Residence***

^{For his debut as artist-in-residence at the Rubell museum, Basil Kinkaid offered three large-scale quilts; monumental works which incorporated quilting, collaging, photography, installation, performance, and the use of found materials.}

Gallery View
The Courtship of Lightnin’ Bugs, 2023 Kente, Ghanaian Wax Block Fabric, cotton, wool, fur, polyester, embroidery floss, tweed, yarn, velvet, curtains 96 x 168 in. (243.8 x 426.7 cm), acquired in 2023
The Courtship of Lightnin’ Bugs (Detail), 2023 Kente, Ghanaian Wax Block Fabric, cotton, wool, fur, polyester, embroidery floss, tweed, yarn, velvet, curtains 96 x 168 in. (243.8 x 426.7 cm), acquired in 2023
The Courtship of Lightnin’ Bugs (Detail), 2023 Kente, Ghanaian Wax Block Fabric, cotton, wool, fur, polyester, embroidery floss, tweed, yarn, velvet, curtains 96 x 168 in. (243.8 x 426.7 cm), acquired in 2023
Buttons in the Sky Bursting at the Seams, 2023 Kente, Ghanaian Wax Block Fabric, cotton, wool, velour, polyester, sequins, embroidery floss, lace, batting, buttons, curtains 144 x 204 x 12 in. (365.8 x 518.2 x 30.5 cm) acquired in 2023
Buttons in the Sky Bursting at the Seams (Detail), 2023 Kente, Ghanaian Wax Block Fabric, cotton, wool, velour, polyester, sequins, embroidery floss, lace, batting, buttons, curtains 144 x 204 x 12 in. (365.8 x 518.2 x 30.5 cm) acquired in 2023
Buttons in the Sky Bursting at the Seams (Detail), 2023 Kente, Ghanaian Wax Block Fabric, cotton, wool, velour, polyester, sequins, embroidery floss, lace, batting, buttons, curtains 144 x 204 x 12 in. (365.8 x 518.2 x 30.5 cm) acquired in 2023
Buttons in the Sky Bursting at the Seams (Detail), 2023 Kente, Ghanaian Wax Block Fabric, cotton, wool, velour, polyester, sequins, embroidery floss, lace, batting, buttons, curtains 144 x 204 x 12 in. (365.8 x 518.2 x 30.5 cm) acquired in 2023
The Fields We Lay and Turn with Horns, 2023 Corduroy, Kente, Ghanaian Wax Block Fabric, cotton, wool, fur, polyester, sequins, embroidery floss, selected materials from previous performance works, curtains, on wall 180 x 240 x 6 in. (457.2 x 609.6 x 15.2 cm) acquired in 2023

MORE INFORMATION

El Espacio 23: To Weave the Sky: Textile Abstractions from the Jorge M. Pérez Collection

^{Featuring works from over 100 intergenerational artists from around the world, To Weave the Sky is inspired by weaving’s traditional ties to abstraction and geometry, landscape and the organic, tactility and intimacy, and indigenous cosmologies and ritual. Curated by Tobias Ostrander in close dialogue with curators of the Pérez Collection, Patricia M. Hanna and Anelys Alvarez.}