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Our Guide to Art Basel Miami 2023

We have officially entered the month of December! Not only are we well headed into the holiday season, it also means it is time for Miami Art Week, where the city becomes home to over 20 international art fairs, and thousands more galleries and artists.

Whether you are Miami-bound or watching these events unfold from afar, here’s our guide to some of the most widely anticipated events, and what we are looking forward to learning from them.

#1: Uncover the future of digital art at the Blackdove Digital Art Fair

Blackdove, a manufacturer of digital canvases, is hosting a 2-day digital art event in the Miami Design District on December 7 and 8, which will bring together leading artists, collectors, and curators in the space.

The event kicks off with a 2 hour Artist Breakfast, and is then followed by a series of exciting panels covering a huge range of topics from how traditional art relates to digital art, the future of generative art, and plenty more.

Join HUG at the Artist Breakfast starting at 10am, followed by a panel on “Understanding a Collector’s Mindset” on December 7.

#2: Immerse yourself in live art at The Art Lounge by The Art Dept

Multimedia gallery and event venue in Los Angeles, The Art Dept, is hosting a multi-day event at the Surfcomber Hotel at Miami Beach. Featuring the work of artists like Gabe Weis and Sarah Main, multiple artists will be painting live at the Art Lounge, transforming the space into a canvas of dynamic expression.

The week culminates in a Neon Paint Party on Saturday night (Dec 9), where there will be 20+ surprise artists, live performances, and more.

#3: Experience museum-worthy art at The Gateway Miami

Officially in its third installment, The Gateway by NFT Now has officially arrived in Miami, where it will be taking over the Faena Forum—a stunning events space designed by Rem Koolhaas and OMA.

Aside from being transformed into an interactive exhibition space filled with flowers and greenery in accordance with the theme, Blossoming, The Gateway will also feature some of the world’s leading artists.

Most notably, one of the most intriguing exhibits will be Refik Anadol’s “Sense of Healing,” which will be shown for the first time on US soil. A product of Refik’s research into neurotherapeutic art—works of art that can actually affect the state of mind of the viewer, Sense of Healing once again produces a multi-sensory immersive experience that has been similarly enjoyed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and the Sphere in Las Vegas.

#4: Discover the potential of AR art with Tezos through an interactive Scavenger Hunt

Ready to reimagine art appreciation? Tezos is bringing its first-ever Tezos Art Walk, an augmented reality (AR) Scavenger Hunt to South Beach.

Scattered throughout South Beach are seven AR artworks for the public to discover and mint. Participants who share and collect all seven AR works will also be eligible for a lucky draw for tez!

​The experience is free and open to all, but if you would like to learn more about the artists and artworks, sign up for one of their guided tours.

Not in Miami? Not to worry - explore the Tezos Art Walk on your own here.​

#5: Follow HUG’s Folklore exhibition all over Miami!

Curated by artists Elena Fiorenza Gatti and iscreamcolour, HUG will be showcasing 100 artworks inspired by the theme Folklore on a mobile gallery that will be traveling through Miami on December 8!

Follow HUG on X for the gallery’s live whereabouts, and in the meantime, congratulate and discover these amazing artists on HUG.

Closing thoughts

Not all of us are in Miami, and that’s okay! Follow along some of these events, and check out their programming to draw inspiration for what kinds of events you would like to attend or even host in the future.

Lastly, don’t forget that the beauty of online community is that you can still continue to discover and connect with artists and art lovers every single day, no matter where you are. Start by following some artists on HUG today.

Artist Grants & Opportunities

HUG-exclusive

• ☕️ Calling all coffee lovers We are teaming up with Lion’s Milk Cafe in Brooklyn, NY to bring coffee-inspired art to their walls, so that their hundreds of daily visitors can savor both coffee and your art. Learn more and submit here.

• 🤖 Take your AI-inspired artwork to the Bronx Love or hate AI, community-based organization BronxArtSpace is looking for artwork inspired by AI (even negatively!) to showcase at their space in January. Learn more and submit here.

• 🤝 Be a part of a virtual exhibition celebrating creative collaboration Explore the theme of collaboration in the digital realm in a one-of-a-kind virtual exhibition with Arena Art Space. Learn more and submit here.

• 💰 HUG is offering $500 USD grants to two artists each month in exchange for unminted artwork to raffle off to our community. Learn more and meet all our HUG Visionaries here.

Other Open Calls

• HUG Artist Rebecca Rose has curated a list of opportunities from grants to exhibitions to take your art even further. Learn more here.

This Week’s Art Drops

Did you know that these are just 8 of hundreds of art drops on HUG? Get a full list of this week’s art drops from HUG here.