Art Basel has descended on myself, and my team for the 7th time now and I have several quick words to describe it. Exhausting, colorful, energetic, amazing. As the years passed the heart of Basel in Miami has changed, well actually I can only speak of Wynwood since I rarely get to venture far from my shop EVLworld.
What was once a block filled with galleries has been changed to a block filled mostly with retail and bars and restaurants but the walls, all the walls in Wynwood, that hasn’t changed yet. Still artists from come from near and far to showcase their talents, reminding me of days of watching the colorful pieces that flowed throughout the NYC train system, everyone showing their best just to say they were there. I have still not seen a city like Wynwood and even in its gradual gentrification its still amazes and inspires me.
From my shop I get to converse with some of the best of the best of urban artists but the talk that stood out most this year was the chat I had with a very young artist, I’m guessing she was about 10 and she was just flabbergasted over my art, meeting me and meeting her, and all her incredible energy (her 3 sisters were there as well but this little artist shone brightest to me), she reminded me of my beginnings when then were few opportunities if any but the art energized me from a core I never knew existed in me until I experienced it. I thank this tiny young artist for bringing that memory back to me, reminding me that my life begins and ends with art and the creation of art, not the business end of it and as amazing Wynwood is still its still the embodiment of the business part of creativity, just as it was in LES, Williamsburg, downtown LA, etc. This Basel I was wonderfully reminded of what’s really important.
Art and Soul