Gossip from Art Basel Miami Beach: Kelis serves Milkshake, Madonna reprises Sex, and gymnast turns art on its head

Sex on the beach

Miami, get ready for a very racy Madonna exhibition. The music megastar is re-releasing her 1992 coffee-table book Sex, which raised many an eyebrow with its titillating images of sexual escapades and larks. Thirty years later an exhibition marking the relaunch of the spicy book by Saint Laurent Rive Droite is taking place in a temporary beachside venue off Collins Avenue (until 4 December). Madge fans can savour a series of large-format prints from Sex, curated by the Material Girl herself and Anthony Vaccarello, the creative director of Saint Laurent. Snaps capture the songstress dressed in bondage gear, touching herself seductively, biting men’s bodies and more. Our sources also tell us that the Vogue star is in town and will likely make an appearance at the seaside Sex show. Take note, though: organisers say you must be over 18 to visit. (The Art Newspaper stumbled across the risqué Madonna display pre-opening and was denied entry—we’ll get our kicks elsewhere, thanks.)

Kelis serves Milkshake and more

US singer Kelis kicked off Miami Art Week with a performance at White Cube’s annual party at Soho Beach House. Celebrities including singer and actor Joe Jonas were among the crowd waiting in anticipation for her beloved early-aughts songs. Wearing a shimmery pink two-piece, gold hoop earrings and chains, the singer enraptured the room with her famous anthem: “My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, and damn right, it’s better than yours.” It’s not the first time that Kelis has treated the art world to a dose of sugary nostalgia; earlier this year, she performed at the Southampton Arts Center’s buzzy summer fundraiser, where whipped-cream shots were appropriately served to party-goers during her set.

Cubana de Aviación

Local billionaire Jorge Pérez pulled out all the stops at the launch party for the show of his recent acquisitions of Cuban art at El Espacio 23 in Allapattah. Guests were treated to top-notch canapés and Cuban beats. A talking point at the bash turned out to be a winged vintage car, Hybrid of a Chrysler (2016) by Esterio Segura, on show outside Pérez’s swanky museum. The artist describes the car assemblage as “a provocation to fly, an invitation [for Cubans] to the magic of moving beyond the limit of the waters of the island, to realise their own dreams in a symbol of success”. One party-goer quipped though that it looked like an “automobile adapted by American Airlines”.

Gymnast presents new angle on art

Briana Fitzpatrick is a very flexible artist—literally: the multi-talented gymnast and martial arts expert puts brush to canvas while in mid-air, creating works in contorted poses. “I was watching an online tutorial of how to paint portraits and the instructor said [that] if you struggle with seeing proportions correctly, then flip the painting upside down, and I thought to myself, ‘huh, why don’t I just flip myself upside down instead?’” she explains. Fitzpatrick will be doing demonstrations at the Spectrum Miami fair (1-4 December). Gives a whole new meaning to the art world term of “flipping”…

Violinist puts on abs-olutely thrilling show

The crème de la crème of Miami’s art world descended on the Wynwood district on Monday for the Museum of Graffiti’s bash, which included DJ sets, artist demonstrations and exhibitions. The real star attraction was the ripped performer Kostia, who describes himself as a “violin rebel” on his Instagram page. The musician wowed party crowds with his bare-chested dancing and frenzied fiddling. “It was an amazing night! The art spirit is in the air and that is why I was so inspired and gave the audience all of me,” he tells The Art Newspaper. You certainly did, Kostia.