Each year, the art world descends on Miami for a week in December.
Whether the week is actually about art is a question we all quietly entertain, but having launched my advisory and curatorial firm, Bureau.Art, this past May—coming off our debut exhibition during Paris Art Basel—it felt like the right moment to take on this rite of passage.
Drawn by the warm weather, invitations to support friends’ exhibitions, and my best friend’s DJ set, I booked a 72-hour trip.
For 72 hours, I ran around Miami Beach (with one stop in the Design District), and when you look past the chaos and tackiness, the meaningful conversations and new relationships are what made the week worthwhile. The dedication from gallerists—showing up for their artists during one of the most important weeks of the art calendar—also stayed with me. If you didn’t make it to Miami Art Basel, or even if you did, here’s the photo diary of what lingered with me once I was back in the cold streets of New York.
Rubell Museum: Solo Presentation by Lorenzo Amos & Gratin’s Opening Dinner
I landed at 9 PM and went straight from the airport to my friend Talal Abillama’s dinner celebrating the opening of his artist, Lorenzo Amos, at the Rubell Museum. Talal’s LES gallery, Gratin, carries an uncanny mix of artists—from Seung Ah Paik, who also opened a solo commission at the Rubell, to Ziad Antar. His devotion to his artists is unwavering; the way he nurtures their creativity and gathers a community around each artist’s mission is something I take notes on constantly. Every gallery dinner he hosts feels like a family reunion—I credit it to the Lebanese in him, able to make everyone feel appreciated and at home.
Seeing Lorenzo present a solo show at the Rubell during Miami Art Basel at only 23 years old is no small feat. But knowing Talal, it didn’t surprise me that he made it happen.
Art Basel: Carbon 12 & Nour Malas
On day one, I headed to VIP preview before public hours. My favorite booth by far was Nour Malas at Carbon 12. A Syrian Canadian artist, living and working in New York, I first encountered Nour’s work during her solo show with the gallery last winter. Immediately, I was drawn into her landscapes and their subtle references to Hannah Arendt’s Banality of Evil.
She’s the kind of artist I’m most compelled by, one who engages the past to illuminate the present, while leaving space for the subconscious to wander.
Her works carry a strong presence, a fierce attitude, and ask—bluntly—is there safety in repetition? Can we find solace in the ending of one day and the beginning of another? Behind Nour stands Nadine Knotzer, Carbon 12’s co-founder, one of the first to evolve Dubai’s art scene. Watching her champion Nour, whom she first showed in New York in 2022, reaffirmed my belief in trusting your intuition and committing to an artist at the beginning of their journey.
Design Miami: Chair by India Sachi at Friends Art Space
During Paris Art Basel, Bureau.Art presented the debut exhibition of India Sachi, a painter from New York I’m lucky to call a friend. We transformed a suite at Hotel Grand Amour as part of Upstairs Art Fair—replacing everything in Room 104 with works India created specifically for the space. It was a magical week, surrounded by all my closest friends.
Beyond painting, India has a gift for craft and object-making. At Friends Art Space, she painted a chair designed by her friend Theju, embedding her signature hidden faces, metamorphic fish, ornate patterns, and dreamlike textures into the object. The palette—purples, blacks, yellows—is one of my favorites of India, and with my dress I managed to blend right in.
NADA: Elise Nguyen Quoc at Gratin Gallery
Gratin’s booth at NADA was another highlight, with a strong group presentation that included a work by one of my favorite artists on their roster, Elise Nguyen Quoc. A graduate of Beaux-Arts de Paris, Elise works almost exclusively with Bic ballpoint pen. Visiting her studio last year revealed the meticulous rigor behind her practice—each color chosen with near-scientific precision, each Bic pen pushed to its absolute limits. There’s something hardcore about her work, and about her, that I deeply admire.
Marni x Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery – Alma Communications
Miami is also where brands attempt to signal their relationship to the art world. Some feel performative; others land with sincerity. Marni’s collaboration with Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery, powered by Alma Communications, was one of the more meaningful fashion-art moments I experienced this week. My favorite pieces in the presentation were Zoe Mohm’s combs. The brains behind the collaboration, Hannah Gottlieb-Graham and Maria Rose Vogel have become friends I deeply admire!
Miu Miu Vinyl Club
I’ve been grateful to attend Miu Miu’s Tales and Tellers exhibitions—first during Paris Art Basel 2024, then the New York edition during Frieze 2025. With Miuccia Prada at the helm, their thoughtful curation of women filmmakers is no surprise.
Through their programming, I’ve discovered films by MENA women such as Hiam Abbass and Haifaa Al-Mansour. Their art adjacent exhibitions and projects have made them one of my favorite brands.
While their Miami event was less art-focused, it was a warm celebration of the week. My best friend Jade Croo, managing director at Les Filles music agency, had one of her artists—Gilly Chan—DJing on vinyl. Conversations with Miu Miu’s thoughtful team capped the night, and a special-edition Miu Miu vinyl was gifted that I’m excited to play! Miu Miu remains a brand to watch for meaningful engagements in the arts, and I’m hoping for another Tales and Tellers exhibition in 2026!
