VOLUME III / ISSUE I / JANUARY 2019
Temperatures dropped and humidity disappeared, making evenings festive in layers and jackets. Naturally, we made a point to visit equestrian photographer Raphael Macek on his opening night at Context Art Miami. By the end of the week, he sold his major pieces. Galleries from the Caribbean and Latin America were able to seize upon what’s essentially a hometown advantage in Miami; the city serves as a gateway to Latin America, and many keep second homes in Miami. Even though the Latin American art market is significantly smaller than the market in America, Asia, or Europe—the region has just 5 percent of the world’s top collectors, and when combined with Africa, 4 percent of the global art trade, according to Clare McAndrew’s annual report for Art Basel and UBS—cultivating collectors from the region remains a key element of Art Basel’s strategy, said Noah Horowitz, who serves as the fair’s director of the Americas and is responsible for its galleries and collectors across both continents. Michele Frisch of Haiti's Galerie Marassa curated "Crossing Cultures," offering a unique platform for Latin American art fair with a global perspective. Galerie Marassa presented the latest works by Philippe Dodard, Fernando Varela, Killy, Patrick Eugene and Louis Albert Leveque. Other Haitian artists displayed at Art Beat Miami, Art Africa and Pinta. Valerie Noisette, who organized the Kolektif 509 artists, said, "I had the pleasure of being invited to Art Africa, which was in its eighth year (at Art Basel). I brought along the artwork of 10 contemporary Haitian artists." The Art Africa theme, "Black Art Matters," spoke to Noisette. "I told them if they were going to talk about African Diaspora art or Black art, they must include Haiti in the equation, as Haiti was the world's first black republic." Kolektif 509 now has a mini-home at Art Africa and will participate in exhibits there. "The space is amazing - and in a great location downtown," said Noisette from Chicago. "We are looking forward to putting Haitian art on the map."
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Top left: Valerie Noisette, curator of Kolektif 509 for Art Africa; bottom left: work by David Boyer; top right: Claudia Apaid; bottom right: Francoise Hazel's and Sebastien Jean's works.