From Norwegian photography to Egyptian sculpture, Art Basel Miami Beach’s very own wunderkammer can be found all over the show floor

A host of treasures: Explore this year’s Kabinett sector

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In Miami Beach, galleries are flexing a curatorial muscle that has been growing steadily. Rather than remaining pure art dealers, many have increasingly become exhibition spaces dedicated to curated exhibitions. <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/miami-beach/exhibitors#9817">The Kabinett sector</a> is focused on such presentations, with a particular emphasis on their art historical relevance. Thirty-one exhibitors are participating, staging capsule exhibitions within their booths. While no portion of the show floor is dedicated to it per se, Kabinett is like 31 treasure chests spread throughout the Convention Center, each containing exceptional - and often rarely seen - works of art.&nbsp;

American artist&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/43601/Ellen-Cantor" target="_blank">Ellen Cantor</a>&nbsp;never shied away from being explicit. Dreamy works from the mid-1990s, blending fairy-tale&nbsp;imagery and sexual references, are the focus of this Kabinett presentation by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1239/P-P-O-W" target="_blank">P.P.O.W</a>.

Presented by P.P.O.W, New York City

Ellen Cantor (1961-2013, United States)

<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/8715/Torbj%C3%B8rn-R%C3%B8dland" target="_blank">The Norwegian photographer</a> maps out the blurred territories between desire and repulsion like few others.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1282/Standard-Oslo" target="_blank">Standard (Oslo)</a> shows an early series of dramatic photographs, in which sex and violence are addressed, but never explicitly shown.

Presented by Standard (Oslo), Oslo

Torbjørn Rødland (b. 1970, Norway, lives and works in Los Angeles)

Mainly known for his collages reflecting on civil rights and African American culture,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/27617/Romare-Bearden" target="_blank">Romare Bearden</a> also experimented with abstract painting, the result of which is on view at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1854/DC-Moore-Gallery" target="_blank">DC Moore</a>’s booth.

Presented by DC Moore Gallery, New York City

Romare Bearden (1911-1988, United States) 

<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7150/Paola-Pivi" target="_blank">Pivi</a>’s whimsical approach to art always keeps viewers on their toes. The Italian artist toys with the idea of value and preciousness with her pearl-covered canvases, shown in Miami Beach by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1104/Massimo-De-Carlo" target="_blank">Massimo De Carlo</a>.

Presented by Massimo De Carlo, Milan, London, Hong Kong

Paola Pivi (b. 1971, Italy)

Presented by Buenos Aires gallery&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1196/Jorge-Mara-La-Ruche" target="_blank">Jorge Mara - La Ruche</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/30415/Washington-Barcala" target="_blank">the late Uruguayan artist</a> combined techniques and materials akin to Arte Povera with poetic yet somber evocations of hardship.

Presented by Jorge Mara - La Ruche, Buenos Aires

Washington Barcala (1920, Uruguay–1993, Spain)

The sensitivity with which&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/13609/Zanele-Muholi" target="_blank">Muholi</a> documents South Africa's LGBTQI community is truly remarkable and unique. Johannesburg and Cape Town gallery&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1283/Stevenson" target="_blank">Stevenson</a> sheds light on the photographer’s oeuvre in a kaleidoscopic presentation.

Presented by Stevenson, Cape Town and Johannesburg

Zanele Muholi (b. 1972, South Africa)

Egyptian artist&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/10775/Wael-Shawky" target="_blank">Wael Shawky</a> tackles the real and fictional histories of the Arab world in an extraordinarily multifaceted practice. Beirut and Hamburg’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1655/Sfeir-Semler-Gallery" target="_blank">Sfeir-Semler Gallery</a>’s presentation sheds light on his project Al Araba Al Madfuna, which includes drawings, sculptures, and videos.

Presented by Sfeir-Semler, Beirut and Hamburg

Wael Shawky (b. 1971, Egypt)

<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1248/Petzel" target="_blank">Petzel</a> shows a brand-new body of work by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/6836/John-Stezaker" target="_blank">the revered British artist</a>, in which he appropriates Miro’s act of cutting holes into canvases. Stezaker does so on slightly naive found paintings, effectively disrupting their pastoral iconography.

Presented by Petzel, New York City

John Stezaker (b. 1949, England) 

At&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1109/galerie-frank-elbaz" target="_blank">frank elbaz</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.galeriefrankelbaz.com/460/artists-jatovia-gary-overview-galerie-frank-elbaz" target="_blank">the Brooklyn-based artist</a> presents An Ecstatic Experience, an experimental six-minute film. In it, Gary delves on contemporary preoccupations such as the female gaze, the manipulation of images, and the appropriation of narratives from the past.

Presented by galerie frank elbaz, Paris

Ja’Tovia Gary (b. 1984, United States)

In&nbsp;<a href="http://www.francisnaumann.com/FOY/index.html" target="_blank">Foy</a>’s drawings, gravity and molecular structures run amok, resulting in twisted bodies, melting objects, and surreal land- and cityscapes. These hallucinatory works are being shown in Miami Beach by New York City gallery&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1232/Francis-M-Naumann-Fine-Art" target="_blank">Francis M. Naumann</a>.&nbsp;

Presented by Francis M. Naumann Fine Art, New York City

Gray Foy (1922–2012, United States)

Historical works from the 1950s and 60s by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/6856/Alfredo-Volpi" target="_blank">the Brazilian artist</a> highlight his phenomenal talent as a colorist. At&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1100/DAN-Galeria" target="_blank">DAN Galeria</a>’s booth, viewers can witness an oeuvre that radiates joy and pleasure.&nbsp;

Presented by DAN Galeria, São Paolo

Alfredo Volpi (1896, Italy–1988, Brazil)

<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/17136/Roger-Brown" target="_blank">Brown</a>’s oeuvre unites two creative reflexes one might deem contradictory: accumulation and repetition. Chicago’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1387/Kavi-Gupta" target="_blank">Kavi Gupta</a> has brought&nbsp;both his ‘curated assemblages’ and geometrical paintings to the Kabinett sector.

Presented by Kavi Gupta, Chicago

Roger Brown (1941–1997, United States)

Discover more Kabinett galleries&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/galleries?showIds=651&amp;sectorIds=-8" target="_blank">here</a>.Top image: Detail from Stevenson's Kabinett presentation, with works by Zanele Muholi, at Art Basel Miami Beach 2017.