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December 2024 | Art & Culture

DON’T MISS THESE 5 WORKS

at MERIDIANS

words Alp Tekin 

This year, Art Basel Miami Beach celebrates the fifth anniversary of “Meridians,” a section dedicated to large-scale works. Curated by Yasmil Raymond, the 2024 selection showcases monumental pieces that are not to be missed. Here are five standout works from this year’s program.

1. ANASTASIA BAY / Venus Over Manhattan

Paris-born and Brussels-based Anastasia Bay presents Maestra Lacrymae Acte V, a multi-dimensional installation created exclusively for Art Basel. This work builds upon Bay’s recent solo exhibition, which blends painting, opera, and historical myths. The installation features a suite of three large paintings on uniquely shaped panels and a monumental Harlequin puppet first introduced in Maestra Lacrymae. This nearly five-meter-tall puppet draws inspiration from giant puppets often seen in Belgian festivals like the Nord Carnival and appears in Bay's paintings towering above crowds. For Bay, this character embodies themes of transformation and resilience, connecting historical myth with contemporary identity. Maestra Lacrymae Acte V is on view at the M17 booth.

Photos / Courtesy of the artist and Venus Over Manhattan, New York.

2. ALICE AYCOCK / Galerie Thomas Schulte

 

Alice Aycock’s large-scale sculptures and installations often explore themes such as cybernetics, phenomenology, physics, post-structuralism, scientific discoveries, and computer programming, situated at the intersection of architecture and sculpture. At Art Basel Miami Beach, her work Goya will be exhibited. Presented by the Berlin-based Galerie Thomas Schulte, this new piece is made of powder-coated aluminum steel and depicts a vortex of twisting ribbons that alternately tighten and loosen.

Photo / Alice Aycock’s 2014 work, HOOP-LA.

3. PORTIA MUNSON / P-P-O-W

For nearly 30 years, Portia Munson has decoded the hidden cultural messages embedded in mass-produced objects through maximalist installations, sculptures, paintings, and digital prints. Scouring secondhand shops and flea markets, she collects hundreds of objects to craft her works. Her Bound Angel (2021), on display at Art Basel Miami Beach, examines how mass production shapes identity while drawing connections to ongoing struggles for gender equality, reproductive rights, and ecological justice.

4. ROBERTO HUARCAYA / Rolf Art

One of Peru’s most celebrated contemporary artists, Roberto Huarcaya has been focusing on camera-less photography since 2014. Using a primitive technique to create “photograms,” he revisits the origins of photography to capture raw realities. At Art Basel Miami Beach, Huarcaya will showcase a monumental piece from his Amazogramas series, offering a unique glimpse into this innovative approach.

5. ZHU JINSHI / Pearl Lam Galleries

A pioneer in impasto abstract painting and Xuan paper installations, Zhu Jinshi presents Pathway, one of the highlights of “Meridians.” The work comprises three intersecting semi-circular structures of Xuan paper mounted on steel frames, forming a large matrix for visitors to walk through. Zhu’s poetic use of rice paper, cotton thread, and fine bamboo explores the connections between tradition, nature, and reality.

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