MIAMI — I have made it to Friday without forgetting my press pass in an Uber or developing cafecito-related heart palpitations, and by Miami Art Week standards I’d call that a win. Yesterday we discussed serious matters, like the financial sustainability of the art-fair ecosystem, but today we are tired and regret having that third margarita at Bacara, so we will look at art.

I saw a dizzying amount of standout work at Art Basel Miami Beach, NADA Miami, and Untitled Art, but the week’s most underrated ticket was the Open Invitational, a new fair for nonprofits and galleries focused on artists with disabilities, or “progressive art studios.” Co-Founder David Fierman, whom I caught up with during Monday’s opening night, emphasized the importance of centering different ways of seeing the world.

“There’s a lot of purity in this work that is lacking in some of the higher echelons of the market,” Fierman told me. “Let’s have a story where people make a positive impact on people’s lives and do it in a really sustainable, human-to-human way.”

On that note, and without further ado, I’m sharing below my favorite works at Art Basel Miami Beach, NADA, the Open Invitational, and Untitled Art — from Mapuche artist Seba Calfuqueo’s ceramics to Michael Angelo Mangino’s pithy text paintings and Alissa Alfonso’s whimsical sculptures.

Hop Peternell and Lydia Glenn-Murray, co-founders of Studio Route 29 in New Jersey, a “progressive art studio” that supports the creative practices of adults with developmental disabilities

Art Basel Miami Beach

Howardena Pindell, “Deep Undersea (Diptych)” (2024) at Garth Greenan Gallery’s booth

Javier Barrios at Pequod Co.

Javier Barrios, “Llovizna sangrienta” (2024) at Pequod Co.’s booth

Iván Argote at Albarrán Bourdais

Iván Argote, “Wild Flowers, Augustus” (2024)
Installation view of Albarrán Bourdais gallery’s booth with works by Iván Argote 

Seba Calfuqueo at Galeria Marilia Razuk

Seba Calfuqueo, “Mínimo común denominador” (2024) from the Pueblos de Abya Yala series at Galeria Marilia Razuk’s booth

Tina Girouard at Magenta Plains

Tina Girouard, “Air, Earth, Water, Fire” (1980), made in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia, at Magenta Plains’s booth

NADA Miami

Melissa Wallen and Alissa Alfonso at Baker—Hall

Installation view of Baker—Hall’s booth with painting by Melissa Wallen and sculptures by Alissa Alfonso
Alissa Alfonso creates whimsical sculptures made of reclaimed basketballs and discarded fabrics.
Bre Andy, “Hanes” (2024) at Cierra Britton Gallery’s booth
Installation view of works made by Susan Wick between 1975 and 2023, at David B. Smith Gallery’s NADA booth

Joseph Jones at Roland Ross

Joseph Jones, “Crystal” (2024) at Roland Ross’s booth

The Open Invitational

Billy Bolds at Center for Creative Works Philadelphia

Billy Bolds, “Untitled” (2024) presented by the Center for Creative Works Philadelphia

Nyla Isaac at The Living Museum

Nyla Isaac, “Untitled” (2021) and “Untitled” (2012)

Michael Angelo Mangino at Studio Route 29

Installation view of works by Michael Angelo Mangino presented by Studio Route 29

Untitled Art

Talia Levitt at VM Projects

Talia Levitt, “I’m” (2024)
Léo Luccioni, “Snack de Frappe – Snickers” and “Snack de Frappe – Mars” (2024)
Kenny Nguyen, “Eruption Series No. 43” (2024)

Judd Schiffman at Emerson Dorsch

Judd Schiffman, “The Bardo of Becoming” (2024)

Lilyjon at Cub_ism_Artspace

Lilyjon, “The World Is a Riddle” (2013)

Valentina Di Liscia is the News Editor at Hyperallergic. Originally from Argentina, she studied at the University of Chicago and is currently working on her MA at Hunter College, where she received the...

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