Transition and transformation. Freedom and fluidity. Rising artists Pilar Zeta and Miranda Makaroff will explore these themes and more in two new installations at Art Basel Miami Beach 2022. In collaboration with W Hotels and Mambo Creatives, Zeta and Makaroff will stage their work at the recently renovated W South Beach from Tuesday, November 29-Saturday, December 3, 2022.
For their Art Basel debut, W has found kindred spirits in Zeta and Makaroff, daring visionaries with vibrant, fresh perspectives who share values core to the iconic hotel brand such as inclusivity, curiosity and originality. Both installations will be unveiled Tuesday, November 29 at HANDS ON SAND, the iconic party series hosted by music producer and DJ, Pascal Moscheni. From Ibiza to Paris, HANDS ON SAND invites guests to dance through an ocean of genres and experience an epiphany of what a real party should be.
“We could not think of two more dynamic or relevant artists to collaborate with than Pilar Zeta and Miranda Makaroff,” said Carly Van Sickle, Senior Director, Global Brand Marketing, W Hotels Worldwide. “Their bold, yet playful aesthetic as well as the passion they infuse in their work is undeniable. We’re ready to kick off Art Basel Miami Beach with an unforgettable staging of their work at W South Beach and have the energy of our guests add to their visions.”
“Future Transmutation” A Large Scale Installation by Pilar Zeta
Open to the Public: 9am-10pm, Wednesday, November 30 – Sunday, December 4, 2022 (excluding private events Tuesday, November 29 from 7pm-12am + Wednesday, November 30 from 12pm-3pm)
WHERE: LAWN, W South Beach, 2201 Collins Avenue
On the heels of “Hall of Visions” – one of the most talked about works of Art Basel Miami Beach 2021 – Argentinian-born artist Pilar Zeta returns with “Future Transmutation”, a new site-specific, large-scale interactive sculptural garden and pathway that engages mathematics, astronomy and occult philosophies as creative devices. “Future Transmutation” is a reminder that, as living entities, we must come to terms with the fact that reality is a transforming one. In order to keep up with transmutation and metamorphosis, we need imagination, which Zeta triggers with the help of symbolic meaning. Completely glazed in a violet hue, a color known to elevate our consciousness to a higher state, the piece presents us with a series of elements loosely based on traditional Masonic altarpieces.
In the center, 44 tiles (44 being the number of achievement) float above the LAWN floor in a checkerboard arrangement, an allegory of the dualities of the self. As visitors step up onto this platform, they become immersed in glowing, iridescent light as well as interacting shapes, while the tiles become dynamic with movement and touch. Guarded by two candles with violet flames, Zeta urges visitors to look once more at the representation of a portal. Portals are places that harbor a limit. A space where two things meet, one starts and the other ends. Maybe it’s a privileged place for mysterious, magical things to happen. A space opening a new dimension. For imagining a transformation.
Several free-standing sculptures encircle the installation arranged in triangular shapes. Tension is present in two geometric bodies
derived from Pithagoras’ mathematical theorem: a sphere, representing the fluid, flowing entities that adapt to the environment, and a pyramid, signifying fire, the energetic, forceful, moving things in the world. Finally, there is a sundial, a device connected to the sun’s movement and position. While everything is inviting us to move towards a future transmutation, looking at the sundial reminds us of the present moment we are living, and that our future self is happening in the transmutation now. It invites us to imagine a future with all of our senses and explore what it will look like.
“Life presents many portals – many opportunities to transform who you are, where you are,” said Zeta. “Travel can be a portal, where one can disconnect and be in the moment. That’s what I want those to interact with ‘Future Transmutation’ to be: present while aligning with a future self.”
“An Amphibious Love Affair” A Creative Intervention by Miranda Makaroff
Open Exclusively to Guests of W South Beach
WHERE: WET Deck, W South Beach, 2201 Collins Avenue
A vibrant, psychedelic exploration of freedom and self-discovery, Ibiza-based artist Miranda Makaroff will debut “An Amphibious Love Affair” during Art Basel 2022. Staged in and around the WET Deck pool of W South Beach, Makaroff has created a colorful marine universe for guests to dare to explore. Like the siren at the center of the piece who goes into the depths of the water to fall in love with an amphibious, fluid creature – instead of doing what’s expected and going to the outerworld to find her Prince – the artist invites guests to venture to the depths of their soul on a journey of self-discovery. A journey that includes a touch of joy, humor and respect for everyone.
Makaroff’s “intervention” of the space includes cabanas adorned with neon as well as abstract, oceanic “creatures” buoyantly floating in the pool. Her underwater world will also come to life in exclusive pool towels, literally enveloping hotel guests in her vision.
“When concepting the piece, I wanted to inspire everyone to make their own path and set their own rules, no matter what society tries to impose,” said Makaroff. “W is a brand that stands for inclusivity, acceptance and diversity so I wanted my piece to celebrate how welcome everyone will be when interacting with my art.”
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