Art Basel is pleased to announce Meridians, an ambitious new sector that will premiere at the 18th edition of the Miami Beach show this December. Curated by Magalí Arriola, Meridians will present large-scale sculptures and paintings, installations, film and video projections, and live performances in the Miami Beach Convention Center’s (MBCC) new Grand Ballroom, which boasts nearly 6,000 m² (60,374 ft²) of space and is directly connected to the main exhibition halls. The new space – a result of the extensive refurbishment of the MBCC – enables Art Basel to introduce a new sector for art works that push the boundaries of a traditional art fair layout. Meridians will provide galleries with a unique opportunity to present ambitious, monumental works at the Miami Beach edition.
Magalí Arriola, curator of Meridians, said: ‘I am thrilled to steer this fantastic project. Meridians brings enormous possibilities to Art Basel in Miami Beach, creating a vibrant platform for large-scale sculptures, installations and moving image works, as well as performance – which did not have a dedicated space at the fair until now.’
Noah Horowitz, Art Basel’s Director Americas, said: ‘We are extremely excited to introduce Meridians to our upcoming Miami Beach show this December. The sheer scale of the Grand Ballroom and its immediate proximity to the show floor give us unprecedented opportunities to present ambitious artistic projects that go far beyond the limits of the conventional art fair layout. In combination with the new floorplan and show design that we’ve introduced over the last two years – as a result of the completed renovations of the MBCC – this initiative heralds an exciting new chapter for Art Basel in Miami Beach.’
The new sector will bring together around 30 projects that push the boundaries of a traditional art fair layout. Curated by Magalí Arriola, Meridians will feature ambitious presentations by galleries selected for the 2019 edition of the show. The sector will be staged in the new Grand Ballroom of the Miami Beach Convention Center (MBCC), which is located on level two, on the north side of the MBCC. The Grand Ballroom provides an impressive column-less exhibition space of almost 6,000 m² (60,374 ft²) and is directly connected to the exhibition halls, with additional access via the East and West lobbies and an external entrance on the north side. Meridians will be open during regular show hours and is accessible with a VIP card or with a ticket to the show.
Magalí Arriola is an independent curator currently living in Mexico City. Arriola joins Art Basel with recent institutional experience at KADIST, where she is Lead Curator for Latin America; Museo Jumex, where she was Curator between 2011 and 2014, and Museo Tamayo Arte Contemporaneo, where she served as Chief Curator between 2009 and 2011. She is the curator of Mexico’s participation at the 58th Venice Biennale in 2019, showing artist Pablo Vargas Lugo with a project entitled ‘Acts of God’. Her other recent independent curatorial projects include ‘What do you dream of? The Mohole Flower and other Tales’, Galeria Luisa Strina, Sao Paulo, August-October 2018; ‘A Place out of History’, an exhibition curated into a film screened at documenta14 and FIDMarseille (2018), produced by Destello Films; and Sunset Décor, Marian Goodman Gallery, New York City, June-August, 2017.
