Miami Art Week 2018: Five Major Exhibitions Beyond the Fairs

During Miami Art Week in December 2018, five significant exhibitions offered alternatives to the dominant fair scene. The Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami presented 'AfriCOBRA: Messages to the People' through April 7, featuring work by Barbara Jones-Hogu, Jeff Donaldson, and Wadsworth Jarrell alongside archival materials. This exhibition highlighted the collective's 50-year history since its 1968 founding in Chicago, tracing its influence on contemporary artists like Njideka Akunyili-Crosby and Kerry James Marshall. At the Rubell Family Collection, a retrospective of self-taught painter Purvis Young ran through June 29, showcasing 3,000 works acquired in 1999 that chronicle Miami's Overtown district. The Museum of Art and Design at Miami Dade College hosted SUPERFLEX's first U.S. museum survey 'We Are All in the Same Boat' through April 21, featuring videos and installations addressing migration and climate themes. ICA Miami presented 'Judy Chicago: A Reckoning' through April 21, displaying test plates from The Dinner Party alongside car hood paintings and a new smoke work. Tomás Saraceno's site-specific installation 'Albedo' appeared on Miami Beach's oceanfront from December 5-9, featuring solar-powered activities as part of his Aerocene project. Chicago also participated in an Art Basel Conversations event with Jeffrey Deitch on December 6 at the Miami Beach Convention Center.