Dancer and choreographer Su Wen-Chi, of Taiwan, performs a dance titled "Moving Towards the Horizon" on the beach during Miami Art Week, Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021.
Dancer and choreographer Su Wen-Chi, of Taiwan, performs a dance titled "Moving Towards the Horizon" on the beach during Miami Art Week, Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021. Copyright Lynne Sladky/Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Art lovers bask in Miami Beach sunshine as annual show returns

By Scott Brownlee
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The biggest art fair in the U.S., Art Basel Miami Beach, returns to the resort town which has seen an upswing in tourism.

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Art Basel Miami Beach, the biggest art fair in the US, returned to the iconic resort town for the first time in two years, after the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Beachgoers were ousted to make room for jumbo-sized installations and performance spaces that were set up on the world-famous beachfront.

Art Basel kicked off on Thursday, December 1st with a sunrise performance by Taiwanese choreographer and dancer Wen-Chi Su. She presented ‘Moving Towards the Horizon’, a stunning 10-minute work embodying the encounter of light and water.

Lynne Sladky/Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Dancer and choreographer Su Wen-Chi, of Taiwan, performs a dance titled "Moving Towards the Horizon" on the beach during Miami Art Week, Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021.Lynne Sladky/Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Lynne Sladky/Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Sculptures and a giant chess set decorate a plaza as part of a Louis Vuitton art installation during Miami Art Week, Friday, Dec. 3, 2021.Lynne Sladky/Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Lynne Sladky/Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
People lounge at a rooftop swimming pool at the 1 Hotel South Beach, in Miami Beach, Fla., Monday, Nov. 15, 2021.Lynne Sladky/Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Florida welcomed 32.5 million travellers from July to September this year, exceeding the number of visitors during that period in pre-pandemic 2019. It shows a huge recovery for tourism in the region.

Just as Miami Beach locals were re-adjusting to throngs of sun-bathers returning to their beaches, this year’s art fair set up camp along those very same sandy shores. It is an attempt to give the event a bit of ‘breathing room’.

The beachfront at the Faena Hotel — a cultural hub during Art Basel Miami Beach — was home to ‘Hall of Visions’, a site-specific beach installation by Argentinian artist, Pilar Zeta.

Lynne Sladky/Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Alan Faena, left, poses with artist Pilar Zeta, and her installation, 'Hall of Visions', on the beach at the Faena Hotel during Miami Art Week, Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021.Lynne Sladky/Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Lynne Sladky/Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
A cyclist goes past an art installation titled, "Hall of Visions," by artist Pilar Zeta of Argentina, on the beach at the Faena Hotel during Miami Art Week, Tuesday, Nov. 30.Lynne Sladky/Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Florida welcomed 32.5 million travellers from July to September of this year, exceeding the number of visitors during that period in pre-pandemic 2019
Lynne Sladky/Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Beach chairs and umbrellas line the beach, Monday, Nov. 15, 2021.Lynne Sladky/Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Lynne Sladky/Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
People walk through an art installation titled, "Hall of Visions," by artist Pilar Zeta of ArgentinaLynne Sladky/Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Lynne Sladky/Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
People walk outside of the Miami Beach Convention Center after being cleared by a COVID-19 health check during the VIP preview of Art Basel Miami Beach, Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021Lynne Sladky/Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Since international borders have opened up, Miami has been growing as a popular tourist destination. Though concerns have been rising that plans and logistics could be upset by the emergence of the new COVID-19 Omicron variant.

Rules of entry into the US were adjusted this week potentially putting a halt to plans for some travellers that were considering Miami Beach as a possible winter destination.

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