Elliat Albrecht: Bridget, beyond sales or attendance, how do you measure success for Art Basel Miami Beach?

Bridget Finn: Like the show itself, success at Art Basel Miami Beach is multifaceted. What makes the fair so distinctive is its convergence of creative worlds – the way art, design, fashion, technology, and music all come together in dialogue. Each year, the city becomes a true melting pot of ideas and collaboration. For us, success lies in the fair’s ability to anchor that energy – to serve as the backbone of a broader creative momentum that continues to ripple far beyond the week itself.

EA: Yasmil, how does that apply to Meridians?

Yasmil Raymond: It takes a different spirit to define success for this sector. Meridians is a platform for works that are dealing with scale, works that often don’t fit inside a home – unless yours is a private museum. Collecting large-scale works is often the result of a combination of factors, including the collector’s knowledge of the artist and understanding of the historical ambition of their practice. What excited me last year was learning that several works we exhibited went into high-level private collections. That was a real success.

One of the artists showcased in Meridians was later included in the Unlimited sector at Art Basel in Basel, and from there, his work entered an important European collection. Building those relationships across time and geography is exciting. It shows that Meridians has long-term potential.

It’s also meaningful to have the artists present during Meridians and be able to engage directly with them about their process and see them connect with peers they might not otherwise meet. It reminds them they’re not alone in their quests – that they are pursuing similar concepts and interests beyond their specific localities and cultures.

EA: Eli, can you tell me about the impetus behind Zero 10? How do you envision its place and role within Art Basel?

Eli Scheinman: Art Basel has a long history of supporting artists who push boundaries and the eccentric communities that form around them. Zero 10 builds on that by creating a home within Art Basel for new artists, collectors, and gallerists – and, in some cases, for new modes of art creation and collecting. The digital art ecosystem is transforming how art is made, collected, and valued, and we wanted to create a credible, thoughtful space for this movement within the fair.

Beyond commercial success, Zero 10 is about our ability to communicate digital art and interrogate emerging technologies in ways that are legible, compelling, and memorable for Art Basel’s audience – while staying authentic to the communities, artists, and builders already working in this space. The goal isn’t to sanitize or over-contextualize the work, but to foster genuine engagement and lay the groundwork for more of this kind of art to appear across our global platform in the years ahead.

EA: You mentioned wanting Zero 10 to make digital art more ‘legible’ for audiences. What does that mean to you in this context?

ES: Part of my role is to identify artists and projects that ask fundamental questions about what digital art means and how emerging technologies are reshaping daily life. In Zero 10 at Art Basel Miami Beach, visitors will encounter a range of works that interrogate those ideas. They will find interactive works that invite active participation in this dialogue, as well as paintings, sculptures, large-format digital displays, live browser-based artworks, and even robots. Each project offers a distinct perspective on how artists are utilizing technology to contribute to the contemporary art discourse. Taken together, our hope is that these works help articulate what this field represents today.

EA: Bridget, from your vantage point as fair director, how do you think about accessibility or legibility – especially as new audiences encounter complex or experimental work?

BF: We work very intentionally to lower the barriers to entry – for both galleries and visitors – while maintaining the depth and ambition that define the fair. For me, accessibility doesn’t mean simplification; it’s about making complexity navigable and inviting rather than opaque.

A great deal of that comes down to how we think about the fair’s spatial and conceptual organization. We design the experience to unfold in layers – to create opportunities for discovery, reflection, and learning at every turn. The aim is for seasoned collectors and curators to delve deeply into nuance, while new audiences can intuitively find their way through the fair’s structure and connect with meaning in their own way.

Community plays an equally vital role in that accessibility. When, as Yasmil mentioned, so many of the artists are present, it opens up a powerful space for dialogue. I always encourage visitors to ask questions of our gallerists, attend our flagship talks program, Conversations, and return across multiple days. Each visit reveals something new. It’s a rare opportunity to truly immerse yourself – to engage directly with artists, dealers, curators, and the work itself, and to experience the fair as a living ecosystem of ideas.

EA: What are your long-term priorities for Art Basel Miami Beach?

BF: Our long-term priority is to ensure that the fair continues to deliver for our galleries and their artists. This is, first and foremost, a commercial fair, and success means strong sales, dynamic energy, and meaningful engagement across the ecosystem – from collectors and institutions to curators and journalists. Our role is to create the conditions where that can thrive, where the Americas are in full force, the global art world feels genuinely welcomed, and today’s most progressive voices are given space to lead new conversations.

Of course, part of that work involves continually refining how the fair is structured and experienced. This year, for instance, we’re bringing the curated sectors of the fair to a main entrance, positioning them alongside emerging galleries in our core sector to generate fresh energy and visibility.

Ultimately, the goal is to keep evolving the fair in ways that serve its participants – commercially, intellectually, and creatively – while staying true to its role as a platform that reflects and shapes the cultural landscape of the Americas and the art world at large.

EA: You mentioned diversifying the client base. What does that look like in Miami Beach?

BF: There’s been tremendous growth in South Florida, with people from across the country – and increasingly around the world – spending more time in the region. Ensuring that everyone who makes the trip to Art Basel Miami Beach feels genuinely welcomed and seen is incredibly important to me. It’s also critical to note that the show’s location in Miami Beach is intentional: it’s the geographical and cultural nexus between North and Latin America. Reflecting that diversity across the fair has remained a priority since the show’s inception in 2001.

EA: What kind of collectors gravitate towards the works showcased in Meridians?

YR: Specialized collectors – often individuals involved with museums, trustees, or members of collecting committees who are interested in building legacies in their hometowns or countries. For many of them, collecting is an extension of other philanthropic projects and their engagement in civic society. They are often individuals and families thinking long-term, and they tend to focus on acquiring works by artists they deeply admire and understand as key players in a broader historical narrative.

For example, this year Meridians includes a rare work by the late Chinese artist Huang Yong Ping; a legendary nine-panel work The Watering Hole (1996) by Lyle Ashton Harris; and a towering, five-meter-tall ‘Pénétrable’ by the late Venezuelan artist Jesús Rafael Soto. Other important recent works include a new triptych by the Italian artist Luisa Rabbia, a mural-sized video by the Argentine artist Silvia Rivas, and a multi-part installation by the Filipino-born American artist Stephanie Syjuco.

EA: What are you most looking forward to about this year’s show?

BF: Because gallery applications come months in advance, we have a clear sense of what’s on the horizon – and I have to say, it’s an extraordinary year. So many of the presentations are underpinned by pointed, deeply thoughtful curatorial frameworks. As someone who was a gallerist before taking on this role, I’m constantly in awe of my colleagues’ precision and passion. They’re bringing projects that so clearly articulate who they are, what they stand for, and how their work resonates within art history.

I think visitors will be genuinely moved – and, frankly, blown away – by the depth and quality of what’s coming to Miami Beach this year. I’m immensely proud of what our galleries are bringing to the fair.