28 June 22-28, 2023 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times b e s T o f m i a m i ® 2 0 2 3 kaleidoscopic byproduct of Miami’s diaspora. His search to fulfill both sides of his ethnic identity led to painstaking research into textile arts during trips to Syria and Iran. The re- markable artistry that followed is on full dis- play at the Pérez Art Museum Miami in Coming to Fruition, Seife’s first museum show in the U.S. and, perhaps more important, the culmination of a boyhood dream to have his art exhibited in his hometown. B E S T A R T G A L L E R Y Spinello Projects 2930 NW Seventh Avenue, Unit 103 Miami 33127 646-780-9265 spinelloprojects.com Founded in 2005 by art dealer and curator An- thony Spinello, Spinello Projects connects lo- cal, national, and international art lovers to relevant, cutting-edge artworks, from interna- tional art stars to emerging Miami-based paint- ers and conceptualists. The Wynwood-adjacent gallery’s programs are ambitious and constantly evolving: It got its start with highly conceptual work but has transitioned to paintings that are more approachable yet still visceral (take the recent exhibition In So Deep by Miami-based artist Ema Ri). Spinello’s commitment to artists who were born and reared in Miami extends to helping to expand their careers with art fairs and special presentations around the world. A study-abroad system of sorts, the gallery also forges new paths locally for out-of-town and in- ternational artists. The gallery is open to the public Wednesday through Saturday from noon till 5 p.m., by appointment only. Email gallery@ spinelloprojects.com to connect. B E S T A R T FA I R Untitled Art Lummus Park Ocean Drive and 12th Street Miami Beach, 33139 646-405-6942 untitledartfairs.com After Thanksgiving, multiple fairs pitch their tents on the sands of Miami Beach for Miami Art Week. But none is as exciting as Untitled Art. Founded in 2012 by Jeff Lawso, it is among the most highly respected indepen- dent art fairs with a reputatio for paying it forward by subsidizing booths for emerging artists, fledgling galleries, and nonprofit orga- nizations. The long list of participating galler- ies always features local representation. At the 2022 fair, in fact, the Bonnier Gallery pro- vided one of the most impressive works on view: All is well, All is well, All is well, a cylin- drical stainless steel piece by artist Amanda Keeley that was inspired by Buddhist prayer wheels and encouraged viewers to spin it around and around. B E S T M U S E U M Coral Castle Museum 28655 S. Dixie Highway Homestead, 33033 305-248-6345 coralcastle.com Miami’s contemporary art scene is world-re- nowned, but no local exhibition has baffled sci- entists and engineers quite like the Coral Castle Museum in Homestead. The limestone sculp- ture garden is often referred to as Florida’s Stonehenge because no one’s quite sure how its eccentric creator, Edward Leedskalnin, single- handedly carved more than 1,000 tons of coral rock, including a tower, furniture, and a nine- ton gate that moves with the touch of a finger, without modern construction equipment. Cryptically, Leedskalnin, who is said to have stood just over five feet tall and tipped the scales at 100 pounds, would boast that he “knew the secrets of the pyramids,” but what- ever those were, he took them with him to the grave in 1951. There has been speculation about supernatural powers and reverse magnetism, providing fodder for segments of Ancient Aliens and Leonard Nimoy’s series In Search of.... Arts & Entertainment
