El Espacio 23: More than 27,000 of solidarity letters reach Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara

 

Following the symbolic delivery of more than 27,000 letters of solidarity to Cuban artist and activist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara in private event at El Espacio 23 in Miami, Amnesty International said: 

“Today, thousands of messages of solidarity finally reached Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara in person. Each letter is a reminder that, even when the Cuban authorities tried to silence and isolate him behind prison walls, people around the world continued to stand with him demanding his freedom. 

Luis Manuel should never have spent a single day in prison for his art, his activism, or for peacefully expressing his views. His freedom today does not erase nearly five years of injustice, nor the fact that he was forced into exile. The Cuban authorities must release all those imprisoned solely for exercising their human rights and guarantee that Luis Manuel can return to Cuba, if he so chooses, without surveillance, threats or reprisals,” said Astrid Valencia, Deputy Director of Research for the Americas at Amnesty International. 

Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara is a Cuban artist and activist known for using his art to defend freedom of expression and challenge restrictions on artistic and civic space in Cuba. Designated as a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, he was sentenced to five years in prison in June 2022 after being arbitrarily detained in July 2021.  After nearly five years unjustly deprived of his liberty, he was released in July 2026 and forced into exile. He is now living in Miami, where he continues his artistic work and advocacy at El Espacio 23. 

The event, hosted at El Espacio 23 in Miami, brought together Luis Manuel, Amnesty International and members of the Cuban artistic, activist and human rights community who have stood with him throughout the years. The gathering also highlighted the essential role of art and solidarity in resisting efforts to silence critical voices and preserving spaces where people can express themselves freely. 

“Bringing Luis Manuel and these thousands of letters together at El Espacio 23 is a reminder of what happens when a community refuses to let an artist’s voice disappear. Miami has always been a place where artists, ideas and people from across Latin America come together,” said Jorge M. Pérez, philanthropist, art collector, and founder of El Espacio 23. “The response to this campaign shows just how deeply his work has resonated beyond Cuba. We’re proud to have Luis Manuel here, where he can connect, share perspectives and be part of a community that believes in the power of art to create conversation and drive change.”  

The delivery of the letters marks a powerful moment for Luis Manuel and the thousands of people who mobilized for him, but the work is not over. Amnesty International will continue calling on the Cuban authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all those imprisoned solely for exercising their human rights and to end the repression and criminalization of artists, activists, journalists and others who peacefully express dissenting views. 

NSU Art Museum presents a new exhibition: Wilfredo Lam's Legacy, August 30, 2026 - February 14, 2027

Wifredo Lam's Legacy August 30, 2026 - February 14, 2027 In Memory of Pearl Goodman

NSU Art Museum presents a new exhibition, Wilfredo Lam's Legacy, August 30, 2026 - February 14, 2027. Born in 1902 in a sugar-cane harvesting region of Cuba, Wifredo Lam (1902-1982) was a transatlantic artist whose mixed heritage as the son of a Chinese immigrant father and Afro-Cuban mother shaped his distinct Surrealist work. Lam had a profound influence on Cuban artists. Lam’s adoption of Afro-Cuban rituals, the reclaiming of African identity, the celebration of the tropical landscape, the use of coded emblems of social and political protest, and the stylization of abstracted hybrid personages are evident in the works on view in this exhibition. Most of all, Lam’s fame as a transnational artist was a source of pride and an example of how art transcends national borders. As artist Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons (b. 1959) stated on the occasion of Lam’s recent retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, “When I was young, we were all trying to be Lam.” Drawn exclusively from the museum’s permanent collection and the recent generous gift from Stanley and Pearl Goodman of their Latin American art collection, the exhibition includes works by Wifredo Lam, Ray Azcuy (Broward), José Bedia (Miami), María Brito, Agustín Cárdenas, Los Carpinteros, Kcho, Ana Mendieta, María Martínez-Cañas (Miami), María Magdalena Compos-Pons, and Ricardo Zulueta (Miami), among others.

The Institute of Contemporary Art Miami (ICA Miami) Four Rooms: Selections from ICA Miami’s Permanent Collection

 

Ming Fay, 'Money Tree Floating Vine' 1990s/2025 

Four Rooms: Selections from ICA Miami’s Permanent Collection

Special Exhibition / 2nd Floor on view April 30 – October 4, 2026

 “Four Rooms” on view at The Institute of Contemporary Art Miami (ICA Miami) assembles a suite of four exhibitions comprising works from the museum’s permanent collection, each organized by one of the museum’s curators, with a focus on recent acquisitions. The resulting presentations, which take the form of vignettes, demonstrate both the diversity and the historical depth of ICA Miami’s collection. The exhibition continues the museum’s ongoing approach to generating dialogue between newly commissioned works and works from the last fifty years and expresses the global scope of ICA Miami’s collection. 

Spirit Matter, curated by Donna Honarpisheh, Associate Curator, Art + Research, brings together diverse experimentations with material that transform matter into portals of spiritual encounter across global contexts. In an exhibition dedicated to grisaille, Gean Moreno Director, ICA Miami’s Art + Research Center, presents works that are meditations on the body and its traces, where presence, memory, and identity emerge through black-and-white photography and subtle performative gestures. Associate Curator Amanda Morgan invites viewers to reflect on intimacy and one’s relationship to the spaces of everyday life. Her exhibition brings together works that feature emotionally laden domestic objects and built environments that imply presence without depicting the human form. Finally, Alex Gartenfeld, Artistic Director, highlights a concise presentation of the museum’s wide-ranging examples of minimalism, highlighting a recent major acquisition of work by Miriam Schapiro. 

Featured artists include Larry Bell, Talia Chetrit, Anne Collier, Rose Marie Cromwell,  Kim Farkas, Ming Fay, Dan Flavin, Samuel Fosso, Paul Gardère, Ron Gorchov, Hugh Hayden, Lonnie Holley, Peter Hujar, Hudinilson Jr., Nikita Kadan, Matt Keegan, Tau Lewis, Louise Nevelson, Damián Ortega, Dalton Paula, Thomas Ruff, Miriam Schapiro, Heji Shin, Tatiana Trouvé, Kaari Upson, Sara VanDerBeek, Celia Vásquez Yui, Ai Weiwei, and Luis Fernando Zapata.

NSU Art Museum: VR Immersive Art

 

Enjoy VR Immersive Art at NSU Art Museum from June 23 at 11:00 am - July 30 at 3:00 pm. Join in for an immersive, experimental artmaking session using VR/AR technology and your creativity. NSU Art Museum is offering guided VR art sessions by appointment only now through July 30th. 

Create your own original work of Virtual art in response to an artwork on view in the museum's exhibitions. Museum interns will guide you through the session using OpenBrush, a VR painting program.  These sessions will be offered by appointment only on Tuesdays & Wednesdays, included with museum admission, & can accommodate up to 3 people each session. One session will be up to a 2-hour experience with the VR Headsets. REGISTER HERE.

SaveArtSpace presents The Extravagance of the Quotidian, a public art exhibition on bus shelter ad space in Miami, FL, opening July 31, 2026, curated by Hermes Berrío.

 

SaveArtSpace is proud to present The Extravagance of the Quotidian, a public art exhibition on bus shelter ad space in Miami, FL, opening July 31, 2026, curated by Hermes Berrío.

What is the most extraordinary thing we walk past every day?

Not everything meaningful arrives with spectacle. Sometimes it’s already there; hanging from a clothesline, sitting on a sidewalk, glowing under fluorescent light at the corner store, carrying the marks of labor, routine, and survival.

The Extravagance of the Quotidian is an invitation to look closer at the everyday and recognize its weight, its beauty, and its contradictions. This open call seeks artists whose work transforms the familiar into something undeniable; where ordinary objects, domestic rituals, street corners, gestures, and fragments of daily life become containers for memory, identity, struggle, humor, and grace.

What we call ordinary is often where life reveals itself most honestly. In public space, these works become interruptions; small monuments to the lives we are living, even when no one is looking.

All artists are invited of all ages and talents to submit their artwork between May 4 and June 15, 2026 in order to be considered for the exhibition. This is an opportunity to have your work placed on bus shelter ad space in Miami, FL.

The application fee is $35 for 1-3 images; each additional image carries a $10 fee. Fees support the production of the exhibition, including the purchase of bus shelter ad space. All fees paid to SaveArtSpace are 100% tax deductible donations. 

Selected artists will be announced after June 29, 2026. Public art will be on view starting July 31, 2026 in Miami, FL, and will be on view for at least one month.

Her Majesty Queen Sofía presents prestigious Sophia Awards for Excellence in Gala at Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM)

 

Her Majesty Queen Sofía of Spain

Her Majesty Queen Sofía will travel from Spain to Miami to present the Sophia Awards for Excellence during a major international Gala at the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) on Saturday, March 21st at 6:30pm. Honoring Jorge M. & Darlene Pérez and Frank & Haydée Rainieri.

Organized by the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute, the Sophia Awards for Excellence (formerly the Gold Medal) is one of the most distinguished honors linking the Spanish-speaking world and the United States. As the highest distinction bestowed by the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute, it has recognized some of the most influential figures in global arts, culture, diplomacy, science, and public life, including President Bill Clinton, Henry Kissinger, Plácido Domingo, Penélope Cruz, Norman Foster, Alicia de Larrocha, Carolina Herrera, Mario Vargas Llosa, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Carlos Slim, Chef José Andrés, and Gustavo Dudamel, underscoring the award’s exceptional prestige.

RSVP to attend the Sophia Awards for Excellence Gala HERE.

 

Experience the Opening of "Get in the Game: Sports, Art, Culture" at the Pérez Art Museum Miami on March 19, 2026

 

Get in the Game: Sports, Art, Culture explores the dynamic interplay between athletic performance and artistic expression. Coinciding with major international sporting events taking place in Miami—the Miami Open, the Formula 1 Grand Prix, and the FIFA World Cup, the exhibition positions Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) as a site where global audiences converge to reflect on the cultural impact of sport. In a city shaped by exchange and diversity, the exhibition underscores how games and competitions create common ground across traditions, identities, and rivalries.

Sam Fresquez, NASCAR Nation, 2022; courtesy of the artist and Lisa Sette Gallery, Phoenix, AZ; © Sam Fresquez; photo courtesy of the artist

Featuring more than 100 works by artists from around the world—including highlights from PAMM’s collection—Get in the Game demonstrates how sport has inspired both personal expression and shared cultural memory. Visitors encounter Ernie Barnes’s soulful depictions of neighborhood basketball games, Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno’s cinematic meditation that follows French soccer star Zinedine Zidane’s in real time over the course of a match, and Tara Mateik’s reenactment of the historic 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. Artworks are presented alongside historic sports memorabilia—from 1970s Nike sneakers to original McLaren Racing steering wheels—revealing the intertwined histories of creativity, athleticism, and spectacle.

Hugh Hayden. Nubian Queen, 2022. Synthetic hair, basketball rim, and backboard. 149 x 50 1/2 x 26 inches. Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, museum purchased with funds provided by PAMM’s Collectors Council. © Hugh Hayden; Courtesy Lisson Gallery

Ultimately, Get in the Game honors the resilience, energy, and imagination that define sports culture, while inviting visitors to consider how art reframes these themes across time and place. Immersive installations extend the experience beyond the visual, encouraging audiences to step into the arena.

On view: March 19, 2026 – August 23, 2026.

Lee Moriarty. Summer Garden Selfie, 2024. Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, gift of Adam Abdalla. © Lee Moriarty

Betsy Odom, Bulldog 30 shoulder pads 2009; courtesy of the artist; © Betsy Odom; photo: courtesy of the artist

Miami Design District Public Art Tour

 

Enjoy the Miami Design District Public Art Tour on Saturday, March 21st from 11am – 12pm. Join the Miami Design District for a walking tour of the district, explore the history of the art and architecture that characterize the neighborhood. Visit outdoor installations and murals including Buckminster Fuller Fly’s Eye Dome, Virgil Abloh’s Dollar a Gallon, Criola’s Interdimensional Portal, and more. Meet in front of the Fly’s Eye Dome on the first floor of Palm Court (enter at 140 NE 39th Street). This Event is Free & Open to the Public. RSVP HERE.

Public Art in the Miami Design District | Katie Stout: Gargantua’s Thumb

 

A Must-See in the Miami Design District, Katie Stout: Gargantua’s Thumb - located throughout the neighborhood, Miami, Florida 33137. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of Miami Design District’s Annual Design Commission, Katie Stout transforms the neighborhood with “Gargantua’s Thumb”, a series of sculptural benches that merge function, fantasy, and play. Stout brings a fantastical cast of furniture to life, including a dog and whale-shaped bench. Each piece begins as a small, hand-sculpted clay animal that is later digitally scanned and enlarged, encouraging people to rest, explore, and engage with their surroundings. Suspended from the trees, clusters of colorful orbs inspired by flora and fauna motifs transform the streets into a whimsical world of motion and wonder.

Arts, Culture, & Nature: How To Be A Tourist In The Betsy Hotel’s Backyard

 

With nine art galleries, live jazz every night, a packed schedule of arts and culture programming, and an in-house specialty coffee shop, The Betsy is like a city within a city. But step out their front door, and Miami Beach beckons.

One of the world’s most iconic destinations, Miami Beach has a dynamic artistic energy to match its vibrant nightlife and trademark beach scene. Live music, modern art, rich history, and spectacular architecture.

The Art Deco Historic District 

Miami Beach’s glamorously retro Art Deco Historic District is made for wandering, awash in color and brimming with architectural landmarks. The area is a street photographer’s dream — with pastel backdrops and plenty of unusual shapes and styles. For the history buff, book a walking tour and get the stories behind the district’s distinctive architecture. True art deco enthusiasts should stop by the Art Deco Museum and the Art Deco Welcome Center for an even deeper dive into Miami Beach’s fascinating architectural heritage.

Ocean Drive 

The quintessential Miami Beach street, Ocean Drive is the Art Deco capital of the world, spanning 1st to 15th Streets and buzzing with restaurants, shops, and a world-famous row of hotels. Cruise down the newly car-free Ocean Drive, on foot or by bike (available for rent right in front of The Betsy), and refuel with a sunset cocktail on The Betsy’s porch, with a front row seat to the magic of Miami’s most iconic avenue.

KX2 Studio Video + Recent Installations + Upcoming Events and Shows

Hello Friends, Colleagues and Fellow Art Lovers, As we step into the new year, we wanted to share a quick update from the studio and a new video that offers a look at what we've been working on recently. The past months have been full, with a lot of time spent developing new ideas and pushing the work forward. This video captures a bit of that process and the direction things are moving. Looking ahead, the year is shaping up to be a busy one, with several fairs on the horizon, upcoming shows in new markets, and a growing list of commissions underway. We're excited about the momentum building as the year gets underway and look forward to sharing more as things unfold. ~ Dana & Ruth CLICK TO WATCH Local Studio + Art Walk Invite Arts and Culture Center Hollywood, FL January 17, 5pm For those of you local to South Florida, Dana will also be participating in the Downtown Hollywood Art Walk this Saturday as part of her residency at the Arts and Culture Center. The evening will begin with a Champagne Welcome and Curated Tour led by the Artists in Residence, followed by the Art Walk throughout downtown. It's a great opportunity to see work in person, connect, and kick off the weekend — we'd love to see you there. Recent Installations We're grateful to the galleries and partners who place our work in such thoughtful collections and interiors. Custom projects continue to be an important part of our practice, and we always enjoy collaborating on site-specific and commissioned work. Feel free to reach out if you'd like more information. CONTACT THE STUDIO Upcoming Shows Sponder Gallery Art Palm Beach January 28 - February 1 Laura Rathe Dallas Group Show February 7 - March 14 Square One Gallery Three Person Show opening February 13

 

Enjoy the Ocean Drive Promenade Music Series at Lummus Park on Miami Beach Sunday, January 4th at 5pm.

 

The Betsy Hotel is proud, as a member of the Ocean Drive Association, to actively partner in presenting a concert on the Ocean Drive Promenade every Sunday evening. Enjoy an oceanside concert with Ocean Drive Association’s free weekly music series. Pack a picnic blanket or lawn chair to stake out your seat on the lawn. Showtime is at 5:00 PM.

The Ocean Drive Association presents a resident-centric and family-friendly concert series, bringing music outside of the concert hall and into the community.

These events are free and open to the public-- and will take place in Lummus Park between 14th Street and 14th Place. Bring your chair, blanket, and picnic - ENJOY! Rainy-day location is inside The Betsy Hotel lobby!

This program is part of the weekly Promenade Sunday Concert Series generously underwritten by The City of Miami Beach, The GMCVB and The Ocean Drive Association.

The Bass presents Third Thursdays: Miami Beach A Million Years Ago

 

Thursday, January 15th from 6–9pm enjoy 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀: 𝗠𝗶𝗮𝗺𝗶 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗮 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗔𝗴𝗼 at The Bass featuring Talk & Tour with Historian Malcolm Lauredo. Experience an immersive outdoor walking lecture that blends storytelling, mobile projections and archival discovery. Led by local historian Malcolm Lauredo, reimagine Miami and its beaches long before its iconic skyline and shores.

Take a deep dive into its geological and cultural past with a tour route around the museum block featuring wall projections that promise to bring historical findings to life. Concluding back inside the museum, guests are invited to explore the pop-up research tent of treasured articles, photographs, artifacts and more.

Limited seated based on first-come, first-served. Complimentary admission, RSVP HERE.

 

Photography by Zachary Balber. Courtesy of The Bass, Miami Beach.

Collector Martin Z. Margulies Makes Major Gift to NSU Art Museum

RENOWNED MIAMI COLLECTOR MARTIN Z. MARGULIES MAKES MAJOR GIFT TO NSU ART MUSEUM OF A SCULPTURE BY AMERICAN ARTIST GEORGE SEGAL On view in the Museum’s collection exhibition, The Riddle of the Sphinx, Part II Exhibition Dates: November 16, 2025 - April 26, 2026

George Segal, Blue Girl on Black Bench, 1977, NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale. Gift of Collection Martin Z. Margulies. © 2025 The George and Helen Segal Foundation/ Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Photo by Peter Harholdt.

NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale is proud to announce a major gift from renowned Miami collector Martin Z. Margulies of genre-bending Pop artist George Segal’s sculpture Blue Girl on a Black Bench, 1977. Until its recent relocation to NSU Art Museum, this work was placed at the entrance to Margulies’s private residence for decades. Blue Girl on a Black Bench will have its NSU Art Museum premiere on November 16 in the exhibition The Riddle of the Sphinx Part II in conjunction with the public opening of the exhibition Robert Rauschenberg: Real Time.  Blue Girl on a Black Bench, 1977, features one of Segal’s uncanny plaster figures seated alone on a real New York City subway bench. The scene captures the fleeting vision Segal experienced of a young woman waiting on a subway platform before suddenly vanishing from his sight. Segal suggested the transience of this experience by painting only the girl’s left hand in flesh tones. The rest of her body is enveloped in a dream-like blue.