Miami Art Week · Miami Beach
Reading time: 11 minUntitled Art returned to the sand at South Beach with its most confident edition yet: a debut Artist Spotlight sector, tufted rugs and mosaics muscling in on painting’s territory, and a curatorial standard that made the rest of Miami Art Week look loud. Martyn White reports on the galleries, artists and trends that mattered.
Untitled Art Miami Beach 2025 was, by some distance, one of the fair’s most decisive and confident editions to date. Staged in its temporary pavilion on the sand at Ocean Drive and 12th Street during Miami Art Week, the 2025 edition paired a noticeably elevated curatorial standard with a greater sense of cohesion across the floor — striking a rare balance between discovery and depth, and reinforcing Untitled’s reputation as the most rewarding destination of the week for anyone who cares more about art than about spectacle.
This year I returned to Miami and walked the fair over several days. What follows is a review of the standout galleries at Untitled Art 2025, the artists who held my attention longest, and the contemporary art trends that emerged most clearly across the aisles: a renewed emphasis on materiality, on storytelling, and on cultural specificity, alongside a growing presence of galleries championing underrepresented voices and cross-disciplinary practices.
From rigorously curated solo presentations to thoughtfully assembled group booths, the fair offered a nuanced snapshot of where contemporary art is heading, both aesthetically and conceptually. Below, Martyn White USA presents a curated selection of the highlights that captured the energy of Miami’s contemporary art scene, and underscored why Untitled continues to lead the conversation beyond the commercial spectacle.
What is Untitled Art and where does it sit in Miami Art Week?
For readers arriving here without the context: Untitled Art is the beachfront fair that runs concurrently with Art Basel Miami Beach each December, housed in a purpose-built, light-filled pavilion directly on South Beach. Where Art Basel trades in blue-chip certainty, Untitled has always positioned itself around discovery — younger galleries, emerging and mid-career artists, and a curatorial team that shapes the fair rather than simply renting out floor space.
That distinction matters more than ever in 2025. The fair introduced Artist Spotlight, a debut sector dedicated entirely to single-artist presentations, and its impact was visible immediately. Three of the most memorable booths I saw this year sat within it. Solo presentations reward the kind of sustained looking that art fairs usually make impossible, and by carving out a formal home for them, Untitled has given galleries permission to be braver.
If you are planning your Miami Art Week route, this is the fair to give proper time to. It is walkable in a focused half-day, the natural light is far kinder to the work than a convention centre, and the discoveries genuinely outnumber the disappointments.
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The best galleries at Untitled Art Miami 2025
Galería CURRO – sculpture, photography and conceptual restraint
Among the standout presentations at this year’s fair, Galería CURRO distinguished itself with a booth that felt both rigorously curated and quietly confident. Based in Mexico City, the gallery is known for championing contemporary artists whose practices sit at the intersection of sculpture, photography, and conceptual experimentation — an approach that translated powerfully within the fair’s oceanfront setting.
CURRO’s presentation unfolded as a carefully considered dialogue between form and image, pairing sculptural works with photographic and mixed-media pieces that explored materiality, perception, and process. The booth resisted visual excess, instead allowing each work space to breathe; a curatorial restraint that heightened the impact of the artists on view. Textural surfaces, subtle colour palettes, and a sensitivity to scale created a cohesive visual language that invited close inspection rather than spectacle.
What made Galería CURRO’s stand particularly compelling was its ability to balance intellectual rigour with aesthetic clarity. The works spoke to broader conversations around contemporary Latin American art while remaining accessible and visually arresting — a quality that resonated strongly with Untitled’s emphasis on discovery and thoughtful presentation. In a fair defined by strong curatorial voices, CURRO’s blend of sculptural, photographic, and interdisciplinary practices emerged as one of the most memorable encounters of this year’s edition.
SECCI Gallery – mosaic, colour and the case for the coloured wall
SECCI Gallery delivered one of the most visually distinctive and immersive presentations at Untitled Art 2025, standing out for its exceptional curation and confident use of texture, material, and colour. Based in Milan, the gallery is known for a refined, cross-disciplinary approach to contemporary art, and its Miami presentation felt both intellectually considered and emotionally resonant.
Mosaic works by artist Omar Mismar formed the compelling focal point of the booth, introducing a tactile richness that immediately set SECCI apart from its surroundings. Layered surfaces, fragmented compositions, and a strong sense of craftsmanship created a rhythm across the space, encouraging viewers to slow down and engage with the works at close range. That emphasis on materiality was amplified by the gallery’s decision to introduce coloured walls — a bold but harmonious choice that enhanced the artworks rather than competing with them, and one that a surprising number of galleries still shy away from at fairs.
What made SECCI’s stand particularly memorable was its sense of cohesion. Every element, from the artworks themselves to the architectural framing of the booth, felt intentional and unified. The result was a presentation that read less like a temporary fair stand and more like a carefully staged exhibition, underscoring SECCI’s ability to create environments that elevate contemporary art beyond the purely visual and into the experiential.
Carl Freedman Gallery – a programme that keeps outrunning the trends
While I rarely repeat gallery selections from previous editions, Carl Freedman Gallery once again proved impossible to overlook. Based in Margate, UK, the gallery has built a formidable reputation for exceptional artist curation, and its presentation at Untitled Art 2025 reaffirmed why it continues to command international attention.
What distinguishes Carl Freedman Gallery is the lasting impact of the artists it represents. Time and again, these voices reappear in museum exhibitions, biennials, and major cultural events across the globe — a testament to the intellectual and artistic strength of their practices. The works presented in Miami carried a palpable confidence: pieces that challenged perception, questioned cultural narratives, and pushed boundaries without ever feeling contrived.
There is a rigour to the programme here that transcends trends. Whether through conceptual frameworks, material experimentation, or provocative subject matter, the artists on view demonstrated a depth that rewards sustained engagement. Featuring the gallery again felt less like repetition and more like acknowledgement — a recognition of a programme that continues to shape contemporary discourse and remains consistently ahead of the curve.
K Contemporary – Artist Spotlight: Mychaelyn Michalec
K Contemporary showcased the work of Mychaelyn Michalec in a booth that was both visually arresting and conceptually fearless. The works commanded attention immediately through their bold, unconventional presence: fibre-based compositions that challenge expectations of material, subject matter, and scale.
Michalec’s practice centres on hand- and machine-tufted rug techniques — a medium historically rooted in domestic craft and often dismissed as decorative or feminine. By reclaiming and subverting these processes, the artist confronts themes frequently considered taboo across cultures, including gender, labour, feminism, sexuality, ageing, and desire. Using her own body as both reference and provocation, Michalec exposes unapologetic truths about the female form and emotional life, rejecting sanitised or idealised narratives in favour of raw authenticity.
The presentation subtly but powerfully challenged society’s persistent anxieties surrounding women’s emotional states, anatomy, and outward appearance. Through textured, free-form wall hangings that oscillate between exaggeration and resistance, Michalec dismantled enduring tropes of hysteria and female behaviour, reframing them as sources of intellect, resilience, and internal beauty. The works celebrated complexity — both the glory and the torment of contemporary womanhood — with a confidence that felt urgent and necessary.
Invited by Untitled Art to participate in its debut sector dedicated to single-artist presentations, K Contemporary’s inclusion in the fair’s inaugural Artist Spotlight category underscored the strength and relevance of Michalec’s practice. It was a standout moment within the fair, and a clear indication of Untitled’s evolving commitment to focused, artist-led narratives.
Anna Erickson Presents – Sofía Muljat and the argument for the solo booth
Anna Erickson Presents, based in Nashville, delivered a quietly magnetic solo presentation of Sofía Muljat‘s work, one that drew viewers in through an extraordinary richness of colour and surface. From across the aisle, the works were impossible to ignore; up close, they proved even more absorbing, repeatedly stopping passersby in their tracks.
Muljat’s paintings unfold through layered compositions and luminous palettes that reward sustained looking. The intensity of the colours, paired with a tactile sense of depth, created a visual language that felt both expansive and intimate. Each work seemed to hover between abstraction and suggestion, allowing emotion and atmosphere to take precedence over fixed interpretation — a quality that resonated strongly within the fair’s bustling environment.
What made this presentation particularly successful was its restraint. By focusing on a single artist, Anna Erickson Presents allowed Muljat’s work to breathe, creating a cohesive and immersive experience that stood out amid the visual noise of Miami Art Week. The result was a booth that felt less like a fleeting fair encounter and more like a moment of pause: a testament to the power of colour, materiality, and considered curation when given space to unfold.
Wishbone Gallery – Artist Spotlight: Florencia Rothschild
Wishbone Gallery, based in Montreal, presented an elegant, thoughtfully curated Artist Spotlight featuring the work of Florencia Rothschild, defined by a sophisticated use of materials and a fluid dialogue between form and surface. What immediately stood out was the way Rothschild’s practice translated seamlessly from sculptural ceramic vessels to more canvas-like, mosaic-inspired works, blurring the boundaries between object, image, and architecture.
Material sits at the heart of the practice, with ceramics approached not merely as a medium but as a sensorial, intellectual, and symbolic language. Fragmented and contorted forms evolve into new, imagined bodies, challenging fixed notions of individuality and favouring a more collective, fluid understanding of identity. Architectural references subtly underpin the works, creating a tension between structure and organicity that lends the presentation both rigour and quiet poetry.
Within the context of Untitled Art Miami 2025, Wishbone’s solo presentation felt measured and confident, offering a moment of calm contemplation amid the energy of Miami Art Week. The booth invited sustained engagement, rewarding viewers with works that felt at once embodied and ethereal — a compelling exploration of how material can hold memory, meaning, and human presence.
PIERMARQ* – Ben Crase, Max Daniels and Andrew Salgado
PIERMARQ* delivered an energetic and visually rich presentation, showcasing works by Ben Crase, Max Daniels, and Andrew Salgado in a booth that pulsed with colour, movement, and painterly confidence. United by a shared interest in pushing the boundaries of figurative and abstract painting, the presentation explored the fertile space between reality and fantasy, where form, narrative, and imagination collide.
Among the standout works, Andrew Salgado’s paintings were particularly captivating, weaving figures into fantastical compositions alive with layered patterns and saturated hues. His canvases unfolded as densely choreographed worlds in which bodies drifted in and out of focus, suspended within dreamlike environments that felt at once exuberant and disorienting. Themes of abundance and excess played across the surface, with visual information accumulating to the point of near-overflow.
Throughout the booth, figurative shapes appeared and dissolved, creating a sense of constant motion and transformation. Motifs such as harlequin-like figures and low-hanging moons alluded to long-standing traditions of figurative painting while reimagining them through a contemporary lens. The result was a presentation that felt both referential and forward-looking: a celebration of painting’s enduring capacity to reinvent itself through colour, storytelling, and expressive freedom.
The Fridge – Artist Spotlight: Joji Nakamura
The Fridge, based in New York, presented a solo presentation of Joji Nakamura that stood out immediately for its vibrant colour, playful energy, and liberating forms. The booth felt both joyful and contemplative — a space where abstract expression meets subtle figuration, inviting viewers to linger and explore the artist’s nuanced visual language.
Nakamura’s practice moves fluidly between recognisable figures and abstract shapes, creating a sense of tension and harmony across each composition. Recurring motifs and soft, cloud-like colour shifts define his distinctive language, giving the works a lyrical and immersive quality. While abstract, the paintings retain hints of identifiable subjects, producing a beautiful transition between abstraction and representation that engages both the eye and the imagination.
Each piece emerges instinctively from gestures Nakamura has honed over the past fifteen years, following a consistent format shaped by his ongoing process. Through a daily, almost ritualistic practice, he introduces new elements while maintaining continuity across his body of work — a testament to both discipline and creative freedom. The resulting works are at once playful, thoughtful, and visually captivating, marking The Fridge’s presentation as one of the most refreshing of the fair.
Vigo Gallery – Johnny Abrahams, Henrik Godsk and Moira Cameron
Vigo Gallery, based in London, presented a thoughtfully curated selection of works by artists including Johnny Abrahams, Henrik Godsk, and Moira Cameron, among others. Despite featuring a larger roster, the booth felt balanced and intentional, never cluttered or overwhelming — a testament to the gallery’s careful consideration of space, scale, and flow.
Among the works on view, Henrik Godsk’s abstract portraits were particularly striking. Characterised by vibrant colour, refined brushwork, and a fluid abstraction, his pieces drew the eye immediately, creating a visual anchor within the broader presentation. Godsk’s ability to convey presence and personality through abstracted forms underscores why his work consistently captivates viewers and stands out in any fair context.
The overall presentation combined curatorial rigour with visual delight, allowing each artist’s voice to resonate while contributing to a cohesive narrative. The result was a booth that felt both inviting and intellectually engaging, showcasing the gallery’s capacity to present multiple perspectives without sacrificing clarity or impact.
Read the interview with Henrik Godsk here.
Contemporary art trends at Untitled Art 2025
Walking the fair as a whole, four trends surfaced repeatedly.
1. Materiality over image. Tufted fibre at K Contemporary, mosaic at SECCI, ceramic at Wishbone — the works that stopped people were the ones that demanded to be seen in person. In a market saturated by the screen, tactility has become the strongest available argument for showing up.
2. Craft media reclaiming fine-art status. Rug-making, mosaic, and ceramics all appeared here not as decorative adjuncts but as the primary language of serious conceptual practices. The historical dismissal of these media as “feminine” or “domestic” is precisely what several of the artists on view were interrogating.
3. The solo booth as a competitive advantage. The three Artist Spotlight presentations I have singled out above were not coincidentally among my favourites. Restraint reads as confidence, and in a fair environment it is the fastest way to be remembered.
4. Figuration reinvented rather than repeated. PIERMARQ* and The Fridge both showed painters who take the figure as a starting point and then dissolve, layer, or complicate it. Figurative painting is not retreating; it is metabolising abstraction.
Frequently asked questions
When and where does Untitled Art take place? Untitled Art runs annually during Miami Art Week in early December, in a temporary beachfront pavilion on the sand at Ocean Drive and 12th Street, Miami Beach — concurrent with Art Basel Miami Beach.
How is Untitled Art different from Art Basel Miami Beach? Untitled is a curated fair oriented toward discovery: emerging and mid-career artists, younger and independent galleries, and a curatorial team that actively shapes the selection. Art Basel is larger and weighted toward blue-chip and established secondary-market material. Many visitors do both; Untitled is where the surprises are.
What was new at Untitled Art in 2025? The introduction of Artist Spotlight, a debut sector dedicated to single-artist presentations. K Contemporary (Mychaelyn Michalec), Wishbone Gallery (Florencia Rothschild), and The Fridge (Joji Nakamura) all featured within it.
Which galleries stood out at Untitled Art Miami 2025? Galería CURRO, SECCI Gallery, Carl Freedman Gallery, K Contemporary, Anna Erickson Presents, Wishbone Gallery, PIERMARQ*, The Fridge, and Vigo Gallery.
Is Untitled Art worth visiting? Yes — and it is the fair I would prioritise if you only have time for one beyond Art Basel. It is walkable in a focused half-day, the natural light flatters the work, and the ratio of genuine discovery to filler is the best in Miami.
Final thoughts
It was a pleasure to be back in Miami for Untitled Art 2025 and to witness firsthand the range of work on offer. The fair felt particularly fresh and vibrant, with galleries presenting new, compelling voices and revisiting established ones in ways that felt both thoughtful and unexpected — a rare achievement on the scale of Miami Art Week. From bold solo presentations to meticulously curated multi-artist booths, there was a palpable sense of discovery at every turn. This edition stands out as one of the strongest and most inspiring yet, reaffirming why Untitled remains a highlight of the contemporary art calendar.
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