Murdofleur emails Lindsey Hanlon, who runs Ten til ten, a project space for contemporary art in Glasgow. She also works for The Modern Institute and has been sending postcards from Miami Beach.
Lindsey, what brought you to Miami?
Every December galleries from all over the world participate in a number of art fairs in and around South Beach, Miami. For eight years The Modern Institute has been participating in Art Basel Miami and so I found myself once again on Washington, indulging in clement temperatures and the festivities of the fair.
Was there still a serious umbrella hanging over Basel Miami Beach, as with other international art fairs in 2009?
A lot of anticipation preceded Art Basel Miami. 2009 has been a year of fear and Conservatism in the art world with many people, especially Americans it seemed, holding back for fear of what was to come. With the year behind us it felt that people were more inclined to revert to the ways of old, buying carefully but willingly and quite freely. The fair had doubled in size this year and quality was high. Corridors were wide and the overall impression was one of a more elegant, considered space to exhibit and view works.
Was there an off-piste end to a typical day’s trading?
Each evening we’d sample a different restaurant – Cuban, Argentinean, Puerto Rican, and not excluding the burger joints. A huge aspect of Miami is the party spirit and every evening there would be at least four parties happening all along South Beach in all of the iconic hotels that line the ocean. The Raleigh, Delano and W are all used for fashion and music parties as well as some of the more gritty bars further from the oceanfront. Klosterfelde Gallery had a party with Peaches in a dive bar and Deitch Projects did a party with Santogold. The fair closed as the sun went down, but the neon lights of Miami Beach still shone on.
Would you spot people from the fair down on the sands in their flip-flops?
Yes – especially because many dealers stay in a cluster of hotels so its not unusual to be eating breakfast by the pool surrounded by familiar faces.
Was there a key look at the fair? And on the beach?
Toned and honed was the look. There seems to be much more of a body beautiful aesthetic in Miami and it attracts people who have enough money to keep themselves looking very well. There were lots of Hermes Birkin Bags, tank tops, high wedge sandals and lots of the men wore classic lightweight suits or linen. Sunglasses are de rigeur, of course.
Is there a culture clash between the fair (patent heels/uptight?) and the beach (flip flops/chilled right out)? or are they complementary in tapping into the luxe vibe?
I would say they are sun-bed partners. The mood in Miami is very much ‘party time’ and this lends itself very willingly to the atmosphere the fair creates. However a noticeable difference to previous years Ian effect, one presumes, of the recession), is that there were a lot fewer hangers-on – people who aren’t really there for art but instead come for the seven-day-solid parties. This made the fair and the surrounding events feel more concentrated than in the past, less diluted by fashion and celebrity.
How does the proximity of the beach make the fair different to other major city-based fairs – Frieze, Basel, FIAC, Armories… ?
It is a total delight to be near the ocean in December and to catch a week long glimpse of sunshine. I think people are tired by December but it’s amazing how moods lift under good weather.
