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See the Top Picks from Design Miami/ with Architect Lee F. Mindel, FAIA

The award-winning talent shines a spotlight on his favorites, including pieces by Ayala Sarfaty, Nacho Carbonell, Maarten Baas, and Wendy Andreu

By Lee F. Mindel, FAIA
Art gallery booth with abstract wooden furniture, sculptures, and wall art in a warmly lit exhibition space.
Gallery Fumi was awarded the prize for Best Stand at Design Miami/ 2023. Photo: Courtesy Gallery FUMI

The world seems to be in a very precarious state with so much conflict in so many places. One thing that never fails to bring us all together is the array of creative minds so poignantly organized at Design Miami/ 2023, where 57 galleries and living artists from a multitude of nations around the world share their artistry under one big tent. Here, the elements of passion, rigor, beauty, intelligence, and humanity are hopeful signs towards the future.

See below for some of the artists and nations represented at the fair: 

Abstract white sculptures in a minimalist gallery setting featuring organic, textured shapes resembling trees and creatures.
Country of Origin: Ukraine. Designer: Victoria Yakusha. Photo: Lee F. Mindel, FAIA
Metal circular mesh sculpture casting intricate shadow on beige textured surface.
Country of Origin: Isreal. Despite the shadows cast about the current situation, artist Ayala Sarfaty of Maison Gerard hopes to see light. Photo: Lee F. Mindel, FAIA
Abstract stone sculpture with smooth, flowing curves on a dark background.
Najla El Zein at Friedman Benda. Country of Origin: Beirut, Lebanon. Photo: Lee F. Mindel, FAIA
Chair shaped like a large comb on display in an art gallery with a patterned wall background.
Jomo Tariku at Wexler Gallery. Country of Origin: Ethiopia. Photo: Lee F. Mindel, FAIA
Art Deco mirror and console with geometric patterns on a green wall, flanked by two matching wall sconces.
Country of Origin: Italy. Rome’s Giuseppe Ducrot was commissioned by the Vatican to make ceramic works. This modern take on the Rococo is poetry in motion from Gallery Twenty First. Photo: Courtesy of Gallery Twenty First
Handmade clock with painted leaves and a red arrow, mounted on a rustic wooden background.
Like the timelessness of a Vermeer painting, Maarten Baas celebrates the passage of time in reclaimed wood. From Carpenters Workshop Gallery. Country of Origin: Holland. Photo: Lee F. Mindel, FAIA
Gold geometric wall sculpture with reflective surfaces, featuring intersecting rectangular shapes.
Wendy Andreu, Modhera, (2023) from Aequo Gallery. Country of Origin: France (made in India). Made-out of the traditional Indian lunch box. Photo: Lee F. Mindel, FAIA
Art installation featuring a tree-like sculpture made of netted material on a large rock base in a gallery setting.
Nacho Carbonell. Country of Origin: Spain. Shown by Carpenters Workshop Gallery. Tree proving both light and shade in copper and concrete and stone. Photo: Lee F. Mindel, FAIA
Textile art piece with textured, folded, and ruffled fabric in a rectangular shape displayed on a light-colored wall.
Lin Fanglu, She’s Landscape, (2023). Country of Origin: China. Shown by Sarah Myerscough Gallery. Photo: Lee F. Mindel, FAIA
Spherical lamp covered in delicate white floral decorations, emitting a soft glow, placed on a dark surface.
KAKU at Ippodo Gallery. Country of Origin: Japan. Made out of recycled mulberry paper the paper and used Noguchi lighting. Photo: Lee F. Mindel, FAIA
Elegant wooden shelf with decorative white gourds on circular shelves against a dark background.
Hamza Kadiri, The Balthazar Armiore shown at Atelier Courbet. Country of Origin: Morocco. Photo: Lee F. Mindel, FAIA
Collection of glossy orange and yellow ceramic sculptures with intricate white linear patterns displayed on a white surface
Shown at Adrain Sassoon Gallery. Pippin Drysdale In her 80s continues to create elegant ceramics. Country of Origin: Western Australia. Photo: Lee F. Mindel, FAIA
Modern white chandelier with multiple bulbous branches in front of an orange wall and ceiling structure in the background.
Ever refining the canopies of light. Rogan Gregory at R&Company. Country of Origin: United States. Photo: Lee F. Mindel, FAIA
Wooden structures with overlapping, shingle-like patterns in warm tones, creating an organic, textured appearance.
Country of Origin: Great Britain. Lukas Wegwerth at Fumi Gallery. A new shingle style armadillo series. Photo: Lee F. Mindel, FAIA
Modern abstract sculpture on a bright red carpet with a textured wall background in an art gallery setting.
Country of Origin: Senegal. Designer: Sylvie Johnson. Shown at Magen H Gallery. Photo: Lee F. Mindel, FAIA
Modern chaise lounge with black frame and woven seat on display against a red wall in a showroom.
Country of Origin: Brazil. Designer Gustavo Bittencourt shown at Mercado Moderno. So influenced by Tenreiro and Niemeyer. Photo: Lee F. Mindel, FAIA
Sculpted wooden chair with a natural finish and a smooth, polished seat, featuring unique texture and dark accents.
Country of Origin: Puerto Rico. The reclaimed mahogany trees destroyed in hurricane Maria find new life the work of Reynold Rodriguez. Photo: Lee F. Mindel, FAIA
Unique white modern sculptural chair shaped like a loop, displayed in an art gallery setting with other artworks in the background.
Country of Origin: South Africa. Porky Hefer, forever the most sophisticated child in all of us, creates Ono, a white dove to comfort us all. Shown at Southern Guild Gallery. Photo: Lee F. Mindel, FAIA