For one electrifying week each year, Miami transforms into the beating heart of the art world. From gallery walls to runway shows, from gourmet tables to the cutting edge of blockchain fintech, Art Basel threads together the most vital and provocative currents of our time. Here’s a glimpse at some of the standout experiences that defined this year’s Art Basel Miami Beach.

Luxury resort wear brand COPALA by Ben Rose took an unconventional approach to Art Basel in Miami. COPALA, founded by Ben Rosenfield as a hub for modular wardrobe essentials, curated a week-long oasis for creatives, tastemakers and media at the Hotel Croydon. The immersive pop up, COPALA BEACH, was hosted with intention. From poolside wellness moments to co-working meet ups, the space offered a respite from the buzzing island. This beachside takeover will be the brand’s first of many annual Art Basel activations.

In a celebration of mindful luxury, the brand hosted an intimate cocktail launch party for the COPALA swim collection, designed by artist Daniel Dugan. Dugan’s line work is meditative, precisely spaced organized chaos. The Cuban-American artist collaborated with COPALA on a line of swimwear made from recycled and upcycled materials. The collection was inspired by Dugan’s artwork from Italy, and showcases an earthy palette inspired by underwater obstructions. Both the COPALA BEACH pop up and sustainable swimwear line elaborate on the brand’s dedication to intentional design with high quality craftsmanship.

In nearly every art form, collaboration is the secret sauce—and at ORO, one of Miami’s most coveted rooftop fine dining destinations, that creative exchange took center stage this Basel. Partnering with New York City’s The Noortwyck, the indoor-outdoor sanctuary became a stage for culinary dialogue over the course of two nights, where fine architecture, artistic process, and expansive gastronomy converged.

ORO x The Noortwyck brought together the culinary talents of Executive Chef Victor Muñoz or ORO and Chef Andrew Quinn of the Noortwyck, presenting a collaborative six-course menu, blending the two’s styles seamlessly. Some standout bites included bluefin tuna with pear and yuzu, wagyu monaka with ossetra caviar, rigatoni fra’diavolo with uni butter, Hokkaido scallop with sunchoke, and a wagyu Wellington, followed by a dessert of coffee and donuts. The interplay of Muñoz’s globally influenced artistry and Quinn’s meticulous dedication to craft made each course intentional and inspired.

Rounding out the experience, acclaimed artists Niko Nikolaidis, Michel Velasquez, and Margarita Howis took the stage for a live viewing of their painting process, creating works right before guests’ very eyes. 

Together, the evening unfolded as a study in creative synergy. Food, art, and space moved in conversation, each elevating the other without competing for attention. In true Basel fashion, ORO x The Noortwyck showed that the most resonant experiences emerge when disciplines collide.

If this year has taught us anything, it’s that technology and art prove difficult to disentangle. Working together, artistic and technological developments have worked in parallel since early humans outlined their hands inside their cave dwellings. As the conversation around new tech’s interplay with humans’ most instinctive creative outlet evolves, BitBasel Miami Beach remains at its center, residing at the junction of technology and imagination once a year at Miami Art Basel. 

An immersive, global cultural experience, BitBasel explores the cutting-edge within the art and tech worlds alike. This year’s BitBasel, titled "Fingerprints of Humanity,” tackled themes of storytelling and posterity in our digital age, housed in Art Deco elegance at the Sagamore Hotel in South Beach. The sprawling lineup over 5 days and 8 exhibits featured talks from astronaut-auquanaut-artist Nicole Stott, AGCF Founder Alexandra Gucci Zarini, Pink Floyd saxophonist Scott Page; rare original works by Jean-Michel Basquiat; and DJ sets by Goldcap, Facundo Mohrr, and more. 

In its fifth year, BitBasel has become the arts and culture fair for the future. In a world where innovation moves faster than reflection, the fair gives us a chance to pause and consider what memory and meaning look like in the digital age. At Miami Art Basel, BitBasel stands as both a mirror and a map: reflecting where we stand and hinting at where art—and the way we experience it—might go next.