Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel Celebrates Local Miami Artists During Art Basel 2019

South Beach Hotel teams up with Gustavo Oviedo to curate an immersive and eco-friendly exhibition to showcase work from more than 25 Miami artists and designers

 

MIAMI (Nov. 25, 2019) – Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel, an Art Basel preferred hotel situated oceanfront in the heart of South Beach’s Art Deco District, is jumping deep into the Art Basel spirit in 2019 and aims to offer a memorable experience to guests and Miami Art Week aficionados. During the world-renowned international art show this year (December 5 – 8, 2019), the boutique property will join forces with acclaimed Miami artist Gustavo Oviedo’s 131 Projects organization to transform the Surfcomber lobby and verdant courtyard into an immersive experience open to guests and the public. The exhibit will focus on sustainability messaging and “upcycled” materials, showcasing more than 25 local Miami artists and designers who work at the intersection of fashion, art and eco-friendliness.

 

Titled “From Eden to Sahara,” this group exhibition takes its name from a 1920’s book written by American Botanist John Kunkel Small, during his many botanical research expeditions in Florida with agricultural businessman Charles Deering and plant explorer David Fairchild. During these adventures, Small explored and photographed thousands of miles of Florida’s natural habitat. The works chosen for this exhibition, created by a group of local yet eclectic artists, authentically reflect and modernize the themes explored in Small’s ‘From Eden to Sahara’ book. Every piece in this exhibition was thoughtfully created utilizing nature either as its main focal point, material or process. Ranging from gravity to depictions of mangroves, each piece in this show has been carefully curated and selected for its use of natural elements that pay homage to Small’s literary masterpiece.

 

“Kimpton Surfcomber is constantly striving to seamlessly integrate with the South Beach community, by creating unique and meaningful experiences, so naturally, we are thrilled to collaborate with 131 Projects during Art Basel 2019,” said Mohan Koka, Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel’s General Manager. “He has gathered together some of Miami’s most creative minds to curate an exhibition that highlights the importance of sustainability, while celebrating local talent – something that is at the core of the Kimpton brand’s ethos.”

 

From Eden to Sahara’s grand kickoff event, on Wednesday, December 4 (5-10pm), will be one of the hottest tickets during Art Basel 2019, offering guests a chance to interact with the local Miami creative community and see one of the largest collections of Miami art and design on display this year. This evening soirée in the stylish environs of Surfcomber’s lobby and outdoor area is open-to-the-public and will feature a fashion exhibit, pop-up shops, popular Miami DJs, Sean Bang and Benton, art performances by Forealism, wearing ocean inspired costume designs, live mannequins sporting fashion pieces made from recycled pieces by participating artists, Lucinda Linderman and Kim Yantis, and much more. The food and beverage served throughout the event will perfectly complement the art, with vegetarian and organic hors d’oeurves and rich wine selections provided by Rioja Wines. To RSVP for this event please click here.

 

From Eden to Sahara highlights include:

 

• Christina Pettersson – Born in Stockholm, Sweden, Christina Pettersson has lived in Miami for most of her life. She’ll be transforming Surfcomber’s lobby bookshelves with her masterpieces made with recovered materials from Miami’s shoreline.

 

• Sarah Michelle Rupert – Sarah’s Miami Is Sinking series of collages presents a powerful vision of global warming and its effects on Miami. “Miami is sinking, and we keep building,” Sarah says. “Collage buildings sourced from luxury condo advertisements and renderings of not yet built buildings.”

 

• Fashion Evolved – Curated by The UpCycle Project, Fashion Evolved unites internationally recognized designers to display one-of-a-kind pieces UpCycled from unconventional materials.

 

• Lucinda Linderman – Miami-based sculptor, Lucinda Linderman, collects industrial and post-consumer packaging, which becomes the building blocks of her striking works. “This material, disregarded by many, has its own history of travel from factory to store, being created to be thrown away,” she says. “I highlight the inherent value, leaving traces of what was, transforming the material into something new and playful through my hands, adding value to these discarded materials.”

 

• Young at Art Museum – Miami’s youth-centric art museum, Young at Art, has recruited some of its most talented young designers to display fashion pieces made from recycled materials.

 

• Juan Raul Hoyos – Colombia native photographer and artist, Juan Raul Hoyos, currently resides in Miami’s art-centric neighborhood, Wynwood from which he draws inspiration for much of his work. He’ll be showcasing impactful painted sculptures made from discarded mattresses found throughout Miami after Hurricane Irma’s floods, eluding to the devastation that natural disasters cause humanity.

 

Other notable local Miami artists that will be showcasing their nature-inspired pieces in this amazing exhibition include Caleb Hughes, Gary Fonseca, Mario M. Gonzalez, Elysa D. Batista, Karelle Levy, Jason Hedges, Marlon Pruz, Robert Chambers, Noah Levy, Oliver Sanchez, Magnus Sodamin, Justin Long, Derek Hunter, Color Palm, Phillip Karp, Keith Holamon, Disney Nasa Borg and Leandro Vasquez.

 

“Bringing together these incredible and diverse voices at Surfcomber has been an amazing experience,” said Oviedo, who will also be presenting his own work during From Eden To Sahara. “I can’t wait for Miami locals and Art Basel visitors to discover some of the city’s most imaginative artists and designers showcasing their work that conveys our combined passion for art, design and nature.” Oviedo’s “Low Tide Shopping,” a clustered sculpture made of worn-down Styrofoam buoys recovered from the mangroves of some of the last undeveloped islands of South Florida, will be on display in front of the hotel during the exhibition.

 

In addition to the grand kickoff event for From Eden to Sahara, Gustavo will be the guest of honor during a special extended Wine Hour event held on property on Friday December 6 (4-7pm). The perfect way to wind down after an action-packed Art Basel week, he will be creating a live interactive art piece, offering guests insight into his creative process and even a chance to participate. A two-piece funk and jazz fusion band will set a cool vibe while a delicious selection of wines will complement this unique art-filled event only available at Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel.

 

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About Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel

 

Managed by Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Surfcomber sits on the Atlantic Ocean’s edge along 200 feet of oceanfront property in the heart of South Beach’s Art Deco District on historic Collins Avenue. With direct beach access in this fashionable destination, the fully renovated hotel offers visitors a distinctively relaxed, yet worldly guest experience, within a “backyard bliss” design-driven environment. At Surfcomber, guests will enjoy the perfect quartet of sun, surf, sand and social.

 

About Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants

 

San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is the acknowledged industry pioneer that introduced the boutique hotel concept to the United States in 1981. Anchored in one-of-a-kind experiences, Kimpton operates more than 60 hotels and 70 restaurants, bars and lounges across urban locations, resort destinations and up and coming markets in the United States, Europe and the Caribbean. Time and again, Kimpton has demonstrated its commitment to creating spaces and experiences that are centered on its guests. From inspiring design that evokes curiosity to forward-thinking flavors that feed the soul, every detail is thoughtfully curated and artfully delivered. The Kimpton experience is always meaningful, unscripted and ridiculously personal.

 

Kimpton is highly regarded for its workplace culture and has been consistently recognized on the FORTUNE magazine “100 Best Companies to Work For” list. Empowered employees bring to life the heartfelt guest experience that has come to define Kimpton.