Pilar Zeta and Miranda Makaroff take part in two art installations at the W South Beach Hotel in Miami

W Hotels and Mambo Creatives present a new artistic collaboration commissioned by Pilar Zeta and Miranda Makaroff at the W South Beach Hotel during Miami Art Basel.

Transition and transformation. Freedom and fluidity. Emerging artists Pilar Zeta and Miranda Makaroff will explore these themes, among others, in two new art installations at Art Basel Miami Beach 2022. In collaboration with W Hotels and the agency Mambo Creatives, Zeta and Makaroff will present their work at the newly renovated W South Beach from Tuesday, November 29 through Saturday, December 3, 2022.

For its arrival at Art Basel, W has found synergies with both artists, bold visionaries with fresh and vibrant perspectives who share core values for the iconic hotel company, such as inclusivity, curiosity and originality. Both installations will be unveiled on 29 November at HANDS ON SAND, the acclaimed party series hosted by music producer and DJ Pascal Moscheni. From Ibiza to Paris, HANDS ON HAND encourages guests to dance across an ocean of genres and experience an epiphany of what a real party should be.

“We couldn’t think of two more dynamic or relevant artists to collaborate with than Pilar Zeta and Miranda Makaroff,” says Carly Van Sickle, Senior Director of Global Brand Marketing at W Hotels Worldwide. “Their bold and fun aesthetic and the passion they bring to their work is undeniable. We are ready to kick off Art Basel Miami Beach with an unforgettable staging of their work at W South Beach and have our guests’ energy add to their visions.”

‘Future Transmutation’, A Large-Scale Installation by Pilar Zeta

A year after ‘Hall of Visions’, one of the most talked-about works at Art Basel Miami Beach 2021, Argentinean artist Pilar Zeta returns with ‘Future Transmutation’, a new large-scale site-specific interactive sculpture garden and pathway that engages mathematics, astronomy and occult philosophies as creative devices.

‘Future Transmutation’ is a reminder that, as living entities, we must accept the fact that reality is transformative. To keep pace with transmutation and metamorphosis, we need imagination, which Zeta unleashes with the help of symbolic meaning.

Entirely glazed in a violet hue, a colour known to elevate our consciousness to a higher state, the piece presents us with a series of elements loosely based on traditional masonic altarpieces.

In the centre, 44 tiles (44 being the number of achievements) float above a chessboard-shaped lawn floor, an allegory of the dualities of the ‘self’. As visitors step onto this platform, they are immersed in shimmering, iridescent light and interacting forms, while the mosaics become dynamic with movement and touch.

Guarded by two candles with violet flames, Pilar Zeta urges visitors to look once more at the representation of a portal. Portals are places that harbour a boundary. A space where two things meet, one that begins and the other that ends. Perhaps it is a privileged place for mysterious and magical things to happen. A space that opens a new dimension. To imagine a transformation.

Several independent sculptures surround the installation arranged in triangular forms. Tension is present in two geometric bodies derived from the mathematical theorem of Pythagoras: a sphere, representing the fluid entities that adapt to the environment; and a pyramid, signifying fire, the energetic, forceful and moving things of the world. Finally, there is a sundial, a device connected with the movement and position of the sun. While everything invites us to move towards a future tansmutation, looking at the sundial reminds us of the present moment we are living in and that our future self is happening in transmutation now. It invites us to imagine a future with all our senses and explore what it will be like.

“Life presents many portals, many opportunities to transform who you are, where you are. Travel can be a portal where one can disconnect and be in the moment. That’s what I want those who interact with Future Transmutation to be: present while aligning with a future self,” she says.

‘An Amphibious Love Affair’, A Creative Intervention by Miranda Makaroff

A vibrant, psychedelic exploration of freedom and self-discovery. Ibiza-based artist Miranda Makaroff will premiere ‘An Amphibious Love Affair’ during Art Basel 2022. Presented in and around the WET Deck pool at W South Beach, Makaroff has created a colourful marine universe for guests to dare to explore.

Like the mermaid at the centre of the piece, who goes into the depths of the water to fall in love with an amphibious, fluid creature, rather than doing what is expected and going to the outside world to find her Prince, the artist invites guests to venture into the depths of their soul on a journey of self-discovery. A journey that includes a touch of joy, humour and respect for all.

Makaroff‘s “intervention” of the space includes cabanas adorned with neon lights, as well as abstract oceanic “creatures” floating in the pool. His underwater world will also come to life on exclusive pool towels, literally enveloping hotel guests in his vision.

“When I conceived the piece, I wanted to inspire everyone to make their own way and set their own rules, no matter what society tries to impose” says Miranda. “W is a brand that stands for inclusion, acceptance and diversity, so I wanted my piece to celebrate how welcome everyone will be when interacting with my art.”