Miami Art Week’s lineup of pop-ups, party installations and VIP viewing rooms just got a major new stop. The Bishop Gallery and The Moore Miami are teaming up for “Emerging and Beyond,” an exhibition running December 4–8 that places rarely seen photographs documenting a young Jean-Michel Basquiat side-by-side with a lineup of rising contemporary artists. In a week when art-world institutions compete for attention, this show is quietly one of the most significant offerings, a rare mix of historical revelation and next-generation curation.
At the center of the exhibition is “The 12th Street Experiment,” over 100 intimate black-and-white photographs shot by Alexis Adler during the pivotal period when she and Basquiat shared an East Village apartment from 1979 to 1980. Adler’s images capture the raw, incandescent period of a pre-fame Basquiat; this is the kind of work that art lovers typically only read about, not see. Recently acquired by the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, these darkroom prints (made by hand) are making their world premiere at the exhibit.
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"This collection represents some of the earliest and most revealing documentation of his creative practice to reach the public,” says Stevenson Dunn, Jr., co-founder of The Bishop Gallery, in an official statement. “It offers a rare look at a young artist developing his voice at 12th Street. Testing forms, shaping concepts and building the foundation of a visual language that continues to inspire and echo through the work of many of the artists in this exhibition."
The curators pair this historic first with 18 contemporary artists whose work reflects the same fearlessness, including Charles Philippe Jean-Pierre, Guy Stanley and Lex Marie.
Throughout the week, visitors can expect a layered slate of programming to accompany the exhibit: a VIP opening night with a panel moderated by a Smithsonian curator; an intimate evening dedicated to the Basquiat photographs; a scholarship presentation uplifting emerging arts professionals; and invitation-based private tours offering deeper engagement with the work on view.