“ILLUSTRATING BAL HARBOUR” ART EXHIBITION SHOWCASES AWARD-WINNING CREATIVE IMPACT
Scheduled to run in concurrence with Miami Art Week and Art Basel, Bal Harbour Shops presents “Illustrating Bal Harbour,” a three-floor exhibition curated by Claire Breuke. An extraordinary display of art in public places, the exhibition will be open to the public, seven days a week from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm.
Running until the end of the year and spanning all three floors of the tropical, open-air shopping complex, the exhibition will feature four winners of Bal Harbour Shops’ Creative Impact Contest. The contest, established by BHS in 2019, is an annual fashion-oriented competition that awards and showcases exceptional, emerging talent from the next generation of illustrators. The creatively diverse range of work is designed to capture the essence of the iconic shopping center’s contemporary, sophisticated style. This year’s winner for 2023 was Sebastian Graham, and previous winners include 2020 Claudia Radvanyi, 2021 Amalia Restrepo, and 2022 Victoria Tentler-Krylow.
“Their oversized artworks depicting Bal Harbour will be hung above the escalator going from Level 1 to Level 2, integrated within an elevator structure on Level 2 and in the back of the north and south elevators on Level 1, so they provide backdrops to the two fountain ponds. The art playfully depicts the spirit of BHS and our commitment to artists,” said Breukel.
Bal Harbour Shops opened in 1965 and began commissioning artwork from the top creatives in the illustration industry. Showcasing artistic talent has remained an important cornerstone of the brand’s DNA. Over the years, many illustrations have graced numerous covers and spread in the editorial pages of Bal Harbour magazine, their highly respected, glossy fashion and lifestyle publication.
In addition to the Creative Impact Contest winners, original artwork and images, including vintage magazine and newspaper advertisements from past decades, were selected from the Bal Harbour Shops collection and Whitman Family Archives and will be displayed over two floors of the destination.
On the second floor, illustrations created between 1980 and the present include Jenny Kroik’s Chanel “alligator,” Reyna Noriega’s colorful, patterned portraits and landscapes, and Ruben Toledo’s mystical fairy atop the destination’s renowned koi pond. On the third floor, from 1965-1980, witty advertisements that originated in the 1970s are displayed, some made using traditional copper plates and printed, with others capturing descriptions that embody the playful charm that underpins Bal Harbour Shops.
“Since our inception over a century ago, Bal Harbour Shops has always acknowledged and respected artists. We have made it a point to cultivate and work with some of the most creative talents in the world. Illustration is an important part of our aesthetic for many of our advertising, branding, and marketing initiatives”, says CEO Matthew Whitman Lazenby.