HomeMy WebLinkAboutFINAL 2024 Installment of No Vacancy, Miami Beach
City of Miami Beach,
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 30, 2024
2024 Installment of No Vacancy, Miami Beach
on Display from Nov. 14 to Dec. 12
— 12 artists will exhibit one-of-a-kind art projects and installations at area hotels with
$35,000 in prize money up for grabs during Art Week Miami Beach —
Miami Beach, FL – The City of Miami Beach, in collaboration with the Miami Beach Visitor and
Convention Authority (MBVCA) and the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau
(GMCVB), is pleased to announce the return of No Vacancy, Miami Beach — a juried art
competition that supports and celebrates local artists, provokes critical discourse and
encourages the public to experience Miami Beach’s famed hotels as art destinations. For the
fifth edition of the competition, No Vacancy, Miami Beach 2024 will include 12 participating
artists and collectives that will present site-specific works at 12 different hotels around
Miami Beach. The works will be displayed from Nov. 14 to Dec. 12.
Each selected artist or collective will receive $10,000 to create an installation at an assigned
hotel. Participants were selected from an open call for submissions issued by the city and by
representatives from the City of Miami Beach Art in Public Places Committee, Cultural Arts
Council and MBVCA.
For the fifth iteration, two artists will be awarded a combined total of $35,000 in prizes. One will
receive a $10,000 public prize from the GMCVB and the other will be awarded a $25,000 juried
prize from a panel of art world professionals.
Participating Hotels and Projects No Vacancy, Miami Beach 2024:
• Avalon Hotel: Miami Artist Julia Zurilla presents “-- .. .- .-- -..- (MIA WX),” a multimedia
project that combines experimental videos and circular photographs, juxtaposing
images from past and present that explore nostalgia and contemporary environmental
realities. The installation layout is arranged in Morse code, a visual system composed
of dashes, dots and spaces that is also known as "the lifesaving language." This project
reflects both the urgency of climate communication and the adaptability of the
installation, allowing any word associated with the project’s theme to be expressed and
tailored to various spaces.
• The Betsy Hotel: Artist [dNASAb] presents "Faux Ecologies + Augmented Visions of
the Micro-verse," an AI-assisted film that dives into the unseen world of microplastics
and microorganisms and explores their hidden interactions. This installation transforms
the spherical form of the structure into a dynamic, translucent water droplet, revealing
an intricate, fictional ecosystem at a microscopic scale. "Faux Ecologies + Augmented
Visions of the Micro-verse" serves as both a meditation on the fragility of our
environment and an experimental use of cutting-edge technology to bring new
dimensions of environmental storytelling to life.
• Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club: Artist Marielle Plaisir presents “Rhapsody for a Beloved
World.” Through a multifaceted and interdisciplinary approach, Plaisir strives to resist
harmful histories and offers hope for a better future. Plaisir draws attention to the
interconnections between humans, the universality of fractured identities and the power
of recognizing and describing inner worlds. Plaisir's socially engaged works transcend
temporal and cultural boundaries, serving as visual meditations on the resilience of the
human spirit in the face of adversity. The color-drenched collage features elaborate
compositions of elements, combining intricate botanical images of lush foliage with
salvaged vintage black and white photographs as well as elements of landscape
paintings.
• The Catalina Hotel & Beach Club: Artist Joshua Aronson presents the site specific
installation, "Florida Boys,” featuring the photograph “Spring “(2023–2024). The
translucent fabric allows daylight to pass through, transforming the photograph into a
dynamic interplay of light and shadow. As air circulates in the lobby, the suspended
artwork gently moves, creating a living, evolving presence that shifts with the changing
light throughout the day. “Spring” depicts a serene moment of young men floating in a
Florida spring, a scene that speaks to themes of unity, tranquility, and the expansive
nature of modern masculinity. Set in Miami Beach, the installation resonates with the
city’s unique convergence of natural beauty and urban vibrancy, while also nodding to
its legacy as a haven for queer culture. The subtle interaction of the photograph with its
environment invites viewers into a contemplative space, echoing the rhythmic pace of
the city while offering moments of quiet reflection and connection.
• Esmé Miami Beach: Artist collaborative We Are Nice’n Easy’s “Soft Squeeze”
represents a site-specific artwork rooted in the dynamic interplay between nature and
culture inherent to South Florida. With a focus on public projects within its practice,
Nice’n Easy believes in the transformative power of public art and works to elevate
Miami’s cultural identity. This playful creation, however seemingly compressed, creates
a visual tension that highlights the clash and fusion of natural and cultural elements. As
viewers move around and underneath the artwork, the recognizable shapes shift and
merge, creating an ever-evolving visual narrative that reflects the fluidity and complexity
of Miami’s subtropical environment. This work not only captures the playful spirit of
Miami Beach but also prompts deeper reflection on how cultural artifacts and natural
habitats coexist and influence one another.
• Faena Hotel: Artist Magnus Sodamin’s “Reflections of our Environment” offers lush,
nature-inspired treatment that explores changing global narratives through spiritual
inquiry and spontaneous creativity. Sodamin’s process is cathartic and vigorous,
resulting in work that reflects the beauty of the natural world while exploring the states
of climate and environment. His vibrant works are full of energetic gestures that are
both joyful and turbulent, indicative of the artist’s passionate sense of awe and quiet
reverence for nature.
• Hotel Croydon: Artist Dennis Scholl’s work “Untitled (Dodecagon Drawing Grid), 2024”
comes across as an obsessive drawing practice. Scholl is interested in the dodecagon
12-sided figure and uses it as an organizing principle in his practice. This presentation
consists of up to 100 unique dodecagon drawings shown in a grid. The dodecagon
reminds us of the hours on a clock, months in a year or signs of the zodiac — in
essence the passage of time.
• International Inn on the Bay: Artist Asser Saint-Val’s “Aquatic Incursion-
MHEDRAYNGT” is a series of amorphous air sculptural installations that integrate into
the architecture of South Beach. These organic, sea life-inspired structures create a
surreal, otherworldly aesthetic that contrasts with the iconic art deco buildings of the
city. The sculptures appear to invade the familiar built environment, generating a
captivating interplay between manmade and the sea. The organic forms of the
sculptures are inspired by the ongoing discourse around sea level rise and the
encroachment of sea life into urban spaces. The underwater quality of these sculptural
installations are designed to evoke a sense of wonder prompting viewers to reflect on
the delicate balance between human activities as the main driver of climate change,
primarily due to burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.
• Kimpton Surfcomber: Artist Adler Guerrier’s ”Untitled (objects, landscape, and things. At
the still point of mottled formations and a scruple of compassion)” presents a network of
images, places and haunts as the broad errant reaches of here. The work builds on
relations to the ways we shape public space, embellish the lived environment within
various abstractions, botanicals and sentiments while insisting on expanded views of
the commons.
• Kimpton Palomar Hotel: Artist GeoVanna Gonzalez presents “Moving Interlude.”
Inspired by the theories of sociologist Henri Lefebvre, Gonzalez’s work investigates the
intersection of urban design, cultural values and spatial justice. Gonzalez explores how
elements of urban architecture can inadvertently perpetuate social inequalities through
exclusionary designs, such as antisocial architecture, which subtly controls behavior
and restricts movement.
• Royal Palm South Beach: Artist Philip Lique, presents “YOU ARE HERE,” an
interactive installation that serves as an homage to the commonly seen wayfinding
maps in public spaces. The work offers a chance to recalibrate one's own spatial and
contemplative awareness. The artist aims to engage hotel guests through design,
sculpture and cultural programming by intervening in an often overlooked architectural
element — the floor. “YOU ARE HERE” reassigns the lobby's purpose — offering a
scale shift for guests to consider as they orient themselves within either a single
building, city block, Miami Beach and beyond.
• Sherry Frontenac Hotel: Artist Patricia Cooke’s “Anodyne” praises the healing power
of South Florida’s mangrove systems. Mangroves are a crucial facet of the South
Florida landscape. Their complicated root systems provide filtration and distribution for
both fresh and saltwater, as well as acting as attachment sites to marine organisms that
filter water with their bodies — a double source of healing. The quilts of “Anodyne”
strive to recreate the unique view of both roots disappearing under the water’s surface
and the menagerie tangle of the roots themselves. The use of calming pastel colors
supports a similar calming experience of kayaking or canoeing through the mangroves,
offering a sense of tranquility knowing that these ancient trees are hard at work
protecting and healing our world.
Funding for this project is provided by the City of Miami Beach Cultural Arts Council, Miami
Beach Visitor and Convention Authority as well as the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors
Bureau. For additional information, please visit mbartsandculture.org.
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About the City of Miami Beach Art in Public Places Committee
The Art in Public Places Committee is a seven-member City Commission-appointed citizen’s board
responsible for the commission and purchase of artwork by contemporary artists in all media. The
program allocates funds totaling 2% of hard costs for city projects and joint private/public projects. Funds
from construction projects may be aggregated into the Art in Public Places Fund and allocated for
artwork at public sites and for collection maintenance.
About the City of Miami Beach Cultural Arts Council
The Cultural Arts Council (CAC) is an 11-member body created in 1997 for the purpose of developing,
coordinating and promoting the performing and visual arts in the City of Miami Beach. The CAC serves
as arts advocates before governmental bodies, coordinates collective marketing initiatives for the local
arts community and funds not-for-profit arts organizations. Since the program’s inception, the CAC has
awarded approximately $18 million in cultural arts grants, supporting thousands of performances,
exhibits, and other cultural activities in Miami Beach.
About the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority (MBVCA)
The MBVCA is a seven-member authority, appointed by the City of Miami Beach Commission, with the
goal of encouraging, developing and promoting the image of Miami Beach locally, nationally and
internationally as an outstanding tourist destination. To this end, the MBVCA strategically focuses its
funding investments in a balanced manner, fostering outstanding existing programs, stimulating new
activities and encouraging partnerships. The MBVCA is committed to a careful, long-term plan for
allocation of resources to help Miami Beach thrive as a destination with something for everyone.
About the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau (GMCVB)
The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau is an accredited, independent not-for-profit sales and
marketing organization whose mission is to attract visitors to Greater Miami & Miami Beach for leisure,
business, meetings and conventions. For a vacation guide, visit our website at
www.MiamiandMiamiBeach.com or call 1.888.76.Miami (US/Canada only) or 305.447.7777. To reach
the GMCVB offices dial 305.539.3000. Meeting planners may call 1.800.933.8448 (US/Canada only) or
305.539.3071 or visit www.MiamiMeetings.com. To get further engaged with Greater Miami & Miami
Beach, join the conversation by following us on our social media channels at Facebook.com/visitmiami,
Twitter.com/visitmiami, Instagram.com/visitmiami, TikTok.com/@visitmiami and
Pinterest.com/visit_miami.
Press Contact
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