Reviewing 2023 Untitled Art Fair @ ABMB / Miami Art Week

_{ArtNomads attended the 2023 edition of Untitled Art Fair in Miami Beach. As art professionals/journalists, our entry fee was comped. The following is our honest impression(s) of the fair.}

We’ll start by saying we’ve loved Untitled Art Fair presentations for years. We’ve attended multiple times prior- in Miami, and its only edition in San Francisco. (That was a great fair in a really funky location; we loved it).

Untitled’s 2023 Miami edition, (its 11th), did nothing to change our minds. It is a quality fair, with high production values. That’s industry speak for good tents, staff, bathrooms, hvac, lighting etc. These are important elements in your visit, and Untitled checks those boxes very well.

Back to the Untitled. Official press releases state that we enjoyed the work of over 600 artists, presented by more than 160 galleries from around the world. This same release mentions the fair’s commitment to diversity and inclusion: “60% of artists identified as female or non-binary, and a representation of BIPOC, Latin American and Asian artists and exhibitors which hit 37% and 23% respectively”. Laudable goals, which we’re happy to say added to the quality and interesting-ness of the works on view.

What you’ll see: diverse, varied and good art

Of the 163 galleries present, we had, in all of our art travel, only set foot in 20 of them prior to the fair. We plan to visit several more now that we have seen what they show. The rest likewise showed a vast array of artists we hadn’t known prior. This is another success on the fair organizer’s part.

We found painting, sculpture, and some digital artworks. As I mentioned in my prior post, Amy and I had very different experiences based on the photos each of us took. Overall though, the common element was Quality.  Imagery, technique, material / medium, color – all were consistently above par.

A cool thing about Untitled is their “Nest” program. It subsidizes smaller and project galleries which might otherwise not be able to afford to exhibit at the fair. We were especially gratified to find that the Portrait Society Gallery of Contemporary Art, which we’d first discovered in Milwaukee during our HiLine road trip, was exhibiting as a result. They featured a solo booth for Tom Antell, an Ojibwe artist and enrolled member of the White Earth reservation in Minnesota.

Antell’s work is socially charged, dealing with issues of colonialism. But he uses a visual humor that encourages staying and really taking the information in.

Small galleries from Wisconsin aside, Untitled is a thoroughly international fair, with galleries from Capetown, Helsinki, Mallorca, Malaga, Berlin, Buenos Aires, New York and more.

We found considered, well-curated presentations. Bold color, particularly in painting, seemed prevalent.

While galleries are certainly there to sell work, there’s a quietness (not to be confused with stuffiness) about Untitled. A very different feeling from the hard sell-quick-buck-buy-now feeling from some other fairs.

We did notice a strong presence of ceramic works at various galleries. Ceramics is having a moment of transcendence right now…

We spent around 3 hours or so looking at art. We’d already done 3 fairs that day, and left only because the fair was wrapping for the night. We’d encourage a longer, more leisurely visit.

This is a fair worth your time. Prices range from sub- $1000 to something approaching the moon, but if you are interested in expanding your knowledge about what’s happening with art around the world, in an accessible format, Untitled’s a winner.

As a bonus, we were able to enjoy the American Express / Delta / Resy VIP lounge, which was indeed swanky, with great bites from Iron Chef Stephanie Izard and delicious cocktails. (This was a perk of being an Amex cardholder, not a perk from Untitled. Drop us an email if you’d like a link to the card with a special bonus offer).

You can catch Untitled annually during Art Basel/Miami Art Week. If Art Basel is the King, Untitled is surely the Queen … it’s the best of the “satellite” art fairs on Miami Beach. Read our companion article for more about what to expect and how to navigate the Miami Beach fairs.