The 10 Best Booths at Untitled Art, Miami Beach 2022

The beachfront setting lent soft, cool lighting to the 11th edition of Untitled Art, Miami Beach, and gave way to an impressive showcase of art. At the VIP preview on November 28th, the breezy atmosphere was matched by a vibrant audience dressed in vivid tones that perfectly complemented the bright white tent and the dazzling works on view. While droves of out-of-towners descended upon the fair, Miami locals were present, too, acquiring works on view while wearing chic beachwear like hot pink shorts and sheer glitter dresses.

The strong color palette was matched by the strong international presence of artists and gallerists—making good on the fair’s statement that this is Untitled’s “most international show to date.” Founded by Jeff Lawson in 2012, Untitled Art is often deemed a collector favorite for its manageable size and deft curation, which makes it an ideal place for discovery.

Many of the galleries exhibiting this year have taken advantage of that potential for discoverability, opting to curate group shows that showcase a wide swath of their artist roster. Kristin Hjellegerde of her eponymous gallery said it best as she described wanting to spread the love across all of her artists. This approach, practiced by many galleries, made the fair easy to navigate as fairgoers experienced, essentially, each gallery’s greatest hits of 2022.

This year saw the return of the Nest sector, which originated at the 2021 edition of the fair to highlight young and emerging galleries. Galleries selected for the Nest sector receive a subsidized booth to help “mitigate the traditional entry barriers associated with art fair participation,” as stated in the fair’s press release.

In many ways, Untitled Art offers a year-end recap of the sought-after art of 2022, with painting—both abstract and figurative—dominating the tent grounds. This does mean that photography and new media are in the minority: Yancey Richardson Gallery offers one of the only booths (if not the only) dedicated to photography, with works by Omar Barquet, Zanele Muholi, and Mickalene Thomas, among others on display.

To help you navigate the fair, we present here our list of 10 not-to-be-missed booths.

Selenas Mountain

Booth C44

With works by Carlos Jaramillo and Larissa De Jesús Negrón

One of the 21 galleries selected for the Nest sector is Ridgewood, Queens–based Selenas Mountain, whose booth features a dynamic presentation of works by Carlos Jaramillo and Larissa De Jesús Negrón.

At the preview on Monday, Negrón’s mid-size paintings enthralled audiences with their cool, neon tones and surrealistic scenery that recalls popular artists’ work like Emily Mae Smith and Ambera Wellmann.

In contrast, Jaramillo’s photographs are warm-toned odes to charrerías, or Mexican rodeos. These images have captivated audiences this year in solo and group exhibitions. Jaramillo’s works stand out, too, for their intricately crafted leather frames that reflect the garments worn by the riders and performers in his photographs.

By the late afternoon, many artists were flocking to the booth to chat with the gallery directors, signaling the hidden-gem nature of the presented works.

Cob

Booth A28

With works by Sunyoung Hwang, Yoora Lee, and Erin Milez

Cob gallery presents a strikingly beautiful presentation of paintings by three female painters working across themes of intimacy, memory, and domesticity. The moody atmosphere of the booth lures audiences in towards the end of one aisle.

The booth’s interior is dominated by a showcase of South Korean painters Sunyoung Hwang and Yoora Lee, who work in London and Chicago, respectively, while New Jersey–based artist Erin Milez’s work is featured on an exterior wall.

By midday at the fair, gallery director Victoria Williams and curator Cassie Beadle told Artsy that they anticipated a sold-out booth by the fair’s conclusion, but that they intentionally did not arrive with any works on hold. They bucked the trend of arriving at a fair with pre-sold works and instead chose to converse with collectors at the fair, including existing clients and new ones. Williams emphasized that Untitled Art is a particularly great fair for meeting new collectors.

Prices for the paintings in the booth range from $7,000 for the smaller works to $15,000 for the larger pieces.

Carvalho Park

Booth B48

With works by Yulia Iosilzon, Maximilian Rödel, and Ara Thorose

Carvalho Park has delivered one of the fair’s buzziest and most stylish booths. Gallery partner and director Jennifer Carvalho (who co-runs the gallery with her partner Se Yoon Park) told Artsy that the booth’s location in the middle of the tent not only made them feel supported in their first year at the fair, but helped inform their curation of the booth.

This was evident, as the two-artist booth features an arrangement of pastel hues across the figurative paintings of Yulia Iosilzon and abstract color fields by Maximilian Rödel. The paintings are complemented by lavender and baby pink sculptural plush chairs designed by Ara Thorose, made specifically for the booth.

“In showing at Untitled—an absolutely distinct fair for its light, atmosphere, and space—it seemed like these artists were best suited to be experienced here,” said Carvalho. “First impressions are so important as most people will be exposed to their work [in this space]. So it was [paramount] that our presentation had an alignment across those sensibilities.”

Despite the fact that neither Iosilzon nor Rödel have exhibited in the United States outside of the Brooklyn gallery before now, Carvalho Park arrived at Untitled with a hefty waitlist of collectors. Many of the works—which range between $13,000 and $19,000—sold by midday at the VIP preview.

THE PILL®

Booth B15

With works by Apolonia Sokol

THE PILL® is presenting a small but mighty booth of solo works by Apolonia Sokol. The artist was recently featured in the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth’s stellar group exhibition “Women Painting Women.” The Untitled booth emphasizes Sokol’s singular talent, featuring her paintings of queer communties, which are distinctive for their flat, painterly style, evoking the work of Alex Katz.

Sokol’s work focuses on identity politics and kinship of alternative communities, with an emphasis on the aesthetics of friendships, as THE PILL® founder and executive director Suela J. Cennet told Artsy. Sokol is a well-known artist in Europe who is approaching a rise in the United States. The artist recently spent time working with Henry Taylor, who even painted her portrait, and is also the subject of a documentary by filmmaker Lea Glob entitled Apolonia, Apolonia (2022).

By the evening of the VIP opening, the booth had nearly sold out (and likely will sell out), with works priced between $8,000 and $35,000.

WHATIFTHEWORLD

Booth A33

With works by Chris Soal and Sthenjwa Luthuli

WHATIFTHEWORLD presents a show-stopping two-artist booth of works by Chris Soal and Sthenjwa Luthuli. These two emerging artists impressively use painted wood reliefs and found materials to trouble narratives of representation and access to natural resources.

In Soal’s work, the Johannesburg-based artist uses bottle caps to create an illusion of threaded gold weaved together. His work emphasizes the cruel tension between Johannesburg’s large reservoir of gold (often referred to as the “gold city”) and the disproportionate access to those resources available to citizens, said gallery representative Igsaan Martin. Rather than make work with gold, Soal uses the “gold” available to everyone—discarded gold bottle caps that flank the city.

Martin was full of energy by midday of the opening, and was in the process of closing several sales with both private collectors and institutions. The works in the booth are priced between $17,500 and $45,000.

De Buck Gallery

Booth B46

With works by Devan Shimoyama, Zak Ové, and Gommaar Gilliams

De Buck Gallery’s impressive group presentation of new and recent works by Devan Shimoyama, Zak Ové, and Gommaar Gilliams does not disappoint. The large-scale mixed-media paintings by these artists collectively deliver a fresh approach to figurative and abstract painting.

In particular, Shimoyama’s tarot-inspired paintings were attracting a lot of interest and became the subject of many fairgoer’s selfies and Instagram posts. Heavy foot traffic flooded the booth throughout the day.

Gallery founder and director David De Buck was ecstatic about the booth’s enthusiastic reception, informing Artsy that Shimoyama’s work was not only selling well but finding great institutional and collector placement by midday of the VIP opening.

TERN Gallery

Booth A16

With works by Blue Curry, Heino Schmid, and Drew Weech

TERN Gallery’s booth addresses non-Caribbeans’ institutional and internalized biases towards the Bahamas. “When I say I’m from the Bahamas, the first question I get is if there is art there. It’s so insulting and racist to assume a region or country is incapable of concepts or art,” said Amanda Coulson, gallery founder and director. The booth challenges fairgoers to consider their preconceptions of Caribbean art.

The booth is grounded by the work of conceptual artist Blue Curry. One of his pieces is an installation of tourist-style baseball hats with the words “leisure aesthetics” printed in pink cursive; another is a flag installation made up of a beach towel. Throughout the booth, Curry’s work explores how tourists claim space in Caribbean and coastal regions (like taking up space on the beach with a towel). Next to Curry’s work are black and gray monochromatic paintings by Drew Weech that take an introspective look at portraiture and representation across cultures.

By midday, the booth was buzzing. Prices range from $1,500 for smaller edition pieces to $15,000 for larger paintings.

Library Street Collective

Booth A11

With works by Beverly Fishman, Sam Friedman, Jammie Holmes, Jason REVOK, Paul Verdell, Natalie Wadlington, and Tyrrell Winston

Library Street Collective presented a stellar selection of works by artists on its roster. Leah Rutt, the gallery’s director of operations, said she was excited about both the international audience engaging with the booth and the supportive nature of the fair at large; Rutt and other gallerists emphasized that Untitled had provided essential help during the installation process. The vibrant booth featured an arrangement of lively, surrealistic figurative paintings, as well as paintings and sculptures that embraced hard-edged abstraction.

The Detroit-based gallery sold works to both Detroit collectors and a broader fair audience. During the opening hours of VIP day, the gallery sold a work by Natalie Wadlington for $7,500 and a piece by Jammie Holmes for $50,000. Enthusiasm also mounted for a Beverly Fishman piece priced at $75,000.

Zidoun-Bossuyt

Booth B38

With works by Summer Wheat, YoYo Lander, Nate Lewis, Turiya Adkins, Khalif Tahir Thompson, Awodiya Toluwani, Noel W. Anderson, Kim Dacres, and Jeff Sonhouse

The award for the most selfie-friendly booth goes to Zidoun-Bossuyt, a gallery with outposts in Luxembourg, Paris, and Dubai. The booth is situated in a prime, central location, like that of Carvalho Park: Both get great lighting and heavy foot traffic.

The work on view, priced between $9,000 and $100,000, offers a great snapshot of the new vanguard of POC artists working across figurative painting, abstraction, and collage. Standouts include striking paintings with heavy brushstrokes by Khalif Tahir Thompson and collage portraits by Yoyo Lander.

By midday, works by Nate Lewis, Kim Dacres, Summer Wheat, and Turiya Adkins had sold, and work by Thompson was on hold for the Pérez Art Museum Miami. Gallery founder Audrey Bossuyt-Mahy was excited by the warm reception of the booth, which she said reflected the “DNA” of the gallery. She noted that the exhibited artists also mirrored the international atmosphere and diverse presence at the fair overall.

Steve Turner

Booth B28

With works by Pablo Benzo, Joaquin Boz, Vincent Cy Chen, Drew Dodge, Jingze Du, Bianca Fields, Ania Hobson, Ariane Hughes, Jon Key, David Leggett, Kevin McNamee-Tweed, Brittany Miller, Bianca Nemelc, Zachary Ochoa, Dickens Otieno, Hamzat Raheem, Camilo Restrepo, Tiger Rocha, and Brittany Tucker

Steve Turner is back in full force for its 11th year at Untitled. Presenting one of the bigger booths in the tent, the Los Angeles–based gallery is showcasing the work of around 20 artists. “Our booth really shows the diversity of our program. We have a very international program of artists of all types, working across different mediums, that we wanted to showcase here,” said gallery partner and director Jonathan Hoyt.