Cars wait in line at the coronavirus drive-in testing site, set up at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach.
Larry Marano/Shutterstock
It is hard to imagine Art Basel in Miami Beach being held inside its usual convention centre, not least one that is currently being used as a coronavirus (Covid-19) testing site and temporary hospital. In a letter sent to exhibitors today, the organisers of the fair acknowledged the ongoing uncertainties, announcing they are waiving the 75% booth fee charge for dealers who pull out of the event after 1 August. Full booth costs are still payable by 1 October.
The announcement comes after the hospital lease on the site was extended to 6 September, with an option to add a further 30 days. Signed by Noah Horowitz, the director of the US fair, among others, the letter comes amid a surge in Covid-19 cases in Florida, which have almost doubled in the past two weeks. The Miami-Dade County has been particularly hard hit.
The organisers say they “are following the latest developments in the US and South Florida closely, and are in regular dialogue with both city authorities and our local partners”. They promise to provide an update, they say, by early September “at the latest”.
Plans are still tentatively being laid. Booth sketches will be sent in mid-September, as will the acceptance decisions for participation in the Meridians sector, dedicated to large-scale works, and the thematic Kabinett section.
The organisers also stress that any decision to withdraw will not impact relationships with Art Basel or participation in future shows. “We fully recognise the complexities of the current situation and value above all else our longterm relationship with you,” they say. “Our main focus at the moment is to give you as much support and flexibility as possible during this period of uncertainty.”
Despite it being “challenging to predict what the global situation will be like in December”, the organisers say they are “nevertheless deeply committed to holding the fair in Miami Beach if at all feasible”.
No fewer than 20 satellite fairs will also be nervously eyeing the situation, among them Volta Miami, which is due to debut on 1 December, replacing the long-running Pulse art fair.
Volta’s director Kamiar Maleki says he still plans to launch in the US in December, but remains “very flexible” as galleries grapple with the current restrictions around travel and other uncertainties.
“We initiated a plan back enable galleries to either rollover their booth payments or receive repayment within 12 months,” Maleki says. “Our job is to support the galleries with a robust selling platform; we have all been suffering.”
The fair will relocate from Miami Beach, where Pulse was held, to Mana Wynwood where Maleki anticipates around 60 galleries will take part. “If there is a second wave is now, hopefully it will soon pass and people will feel more confident come December,” Maleki says. “We just have to be positive.”
