YSL Art Basel Miami Beach — (2021)

A purpose-built ephemeral gallery on Miami Beach hosted Saint Laurent's exhibition of 55 sunrise paintings by Sho Shibuya, curated by Anthony Vaccarello.

The venue

The venue is not a permanent building. It is a custom ephemeral gallery erected on Miami Beach for the run of Art Basel Miami Beach, from 30 November to 5 December 2021, and it exists only for the fair's duration. It sits in the beach district rather than inside the convention centre, so it is reached on foot as part of the fair's wider programme. Footprint, capacity and construction are not verified.

How the space was used

Inside, fifty-five paintings by Sho Shibuya were hung as one body of work, the anniversary piece shown alongside the other fifty-four. The interior was given over entirely to the hang; the record describes no retail fixtures or product display. The gallery ran for six days and closed with the fair. Installation layout, lighting and visitor circulation are not verified.

Why it works here

Art Basel week moves an audience already travelling between fairs, satellite shows and brand projects, and a standalone temporary structure lets a house present artwork outside the convention centre's booth format. A beach-district site reads as part of the fair's wider circuit rather than as a shop, which suits a project built around a single series of paintings.