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Mar-a-Lago
This year, however, the fair’s location carries additional weight, given that Miami lies just over 100 kilometers from Mar-a-Lago, the private residence of the next President of the United States, Donald Trump. We also know Florida as a state with staunch Republican leanings.
Ella Fontanals-Cisneros
According to Ella Fontanals-Cisneros, a prominent Cuban American collector and Miami art scene figure, Trump’s path to the White House was made possible in part by his popularity among Latino voters. Conversely, it’s widely known that contemporary American artists with a say in the matter are overwhelmingly anti-Trump, often using their work to assert support, contra Trump, for causes like minority rights, immigration and feminism.
Craig Robins
Yet, Miami’s art ecosystem, assembling numerous Latin American collectors as well as artists who’ve traveled specially for the fair, has once again managed to broker a truce. So confirms the real estate developer, founder of Miami’s Design District, and art collector Craig Robins: “Miami is a city of culture, and art has the power to bring people together. Political art has less impact.”
ICA Miami
It’s true that local collectors and institutions have made concerted efforts to position Miami Art Week as an international event. The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) Miami, for instance, has become a key incubator for emerging talent. This year, it’s showcasing the phantasmagorical and precise figurative paintings of London-based Chinese artist Ding Shilun (born 1998), surely the year’s breakout talent of this beach city.
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