Miami fairgoers have long had to ping-pong between NADA and Untitled Art, making strategic decisions about which fair to hit first to game the traffic and catch the best discoveries before they disappear. Design District versus the beach? First opening versus follow-up? There are no right answers and once again, these fairs opened on the same day, each courting the mid-level and emerging tiers of the market, offering collectors a more accessible economic entry point and space for discovery versus the blue-chip spectacle that is Art Basel Miami Beach.
While both openings were packed and sales chatter was constant, the
audience this year—at least early in the week—has been primarily
American and notably local, with a handful of visitors from South America and many more from the broader Latino community with ties to Miami.
There are far fewer Europeans and almost no Asian collectors. The
composition of this opening-day crowd seems to confirm that the nonstop global fair calendar, now delivering international offerings everywhere, is finally encouraging collectors to stay closer to their own regions unless they travel with the explicit intention of discovering new ecosystems through geographically focused fairs.
A similar tension unfolds at Albertz Benda, where rising Brazilian
artist Larissa de Souza presents works of material prayer and emotional
force, shaped by personal symbolism connected to ancestral Afro-Brazilian traditions. Born in 1995 and raised in one of São Paulo’s poorest strata, she began making art at fifteen while working in an art-supply store, finding in material elaboration a channel for lived experiences and cathartic rituals.
Interest was strong and sales steady, with works ranging from $7,000 to$14,500, setting the stage for her anticipated January exhibition following a successful one in São Paulo.
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