ISSUE #1 — ARTSUMERISM
At Miami Art Week brands, galleries and artists are so symbiotic, sometimes we couldn’t tell them apart.
Greetings, and welcome to Power Dynamics, a platform exploring the sometimes fractious interplay of content, philosophy, and consumerism in today's bewildering media and advertising landscape—featuring important and often unheard voices from the coalface of culture.
For our inaugural issue we’ve decided to tap into our esteemed network for their perspectives on the culture industry’s last soiree of 2024, Miami Art Week.
Issue #1:
Hendrik Jürgens, Lucas Funke, Lisa Riordan, Bretton Bird, Nick Chapin, Edited by Clive Martin, Cover Photo by Bob Foster
Miami Art Week was first launched back in 2002, with the aim of bringing a dose of high culture to the shores of South Florida. Since then, it’s mostly been a resounding success story, luring in thousands of visitors and big-name galleries, all showing off their success under the winter sun.
But in recent years, the event has become something of a playground for blue-chip brands seeking credibility, so much so that they often overshadow the art itself with lavish activations aimed at aligning their identities with the art world.
This year, the tension between commerce and creativity was particularly palpable. As brands, galleries, and artists collided in symbiotic spaces, sometimes we couldn’t even tell them apart. When Power Dynamics visited this year’s edition, pushing through the heaving, star-studded lineups, it often felt as if we were not at a must-see arts intervention or a hyped gallery opening but a full-service brand experience.
It’s no secret that Miami Art Week is an eccentric commercial destination, but what’s interesting is how the influence of brands has expanded rapidly over recent years. The multitude of fairs, exhibits, and public artworks on show are not solely attended by Brooklyn sculptors and ageing Geneva businessmen in Commes suits but increasingly by a mishmash of HODL crypto-bros, household name celebrities, members of what Virgil Abloh called “the influence gulfstream,” and a diverse array of non-traditional art collectors.
Much of the art on show is designed not for the elite, but for a broader public—to be accessed via the TikTok algorithm or experienced in an out-of-body mirrored room, rather than merely pondered in the strict institutional tradition. And while MAW is ostensibly about the art, the brand activations surrounding it have increasingly become the main event for many attendees. This year saw the likes of Cartier’s Trinity 100 immersive experience, BMW and KITH’s collaboration on a custom plug-in hybrid paired alongside Ronnie Fieg’s beautiful one-of-one 1981 BMW M1, Gucci’s Wynwood takeover with its giant snow globe and murals by artist Corydon Cowansage, and a migration of wooden elephant sculptures on Miami Beach that turned out to be a launch for luxury perfumer Xerjoff. Even Chiquita Banana got in on the action, with a commentary on the $6.2 million sale of “comedian”, Maurizio Cattelan’s conceptual artwork featuring a real banana affixed to the wall with duct tape.
For most brands, being at Miami Art Week (or any international art fair, for that matter) is, at its core, all about creating some kind of authenticating moment—something that says, “Yeah, what we do is culture too.” It’s a way of moving beyond superficiality and towards higher-value status. The worth of these activations usually boils down to how convincingly brands can align their identity with the values, ethos, and aesthetics of the art space they’re stepping into.
But what does this really look like in practice? Let’s peel back the layers.

To start, art fair audiences—like those found at Miami Art Week—are what you might call “apex consumers,” in that they represent the most savvy, influential, and culturally aware clientele. These audiences are also, by far, the least tolerant towards transactional behaviour. They can spot when a brand is merely ticking a marketing box versus when it has genuinely invested in the culture and community of art. To put it simply, they can smell the cynicism. As one talent manager in our network noted:
“Brands often fail because they try to fit artists into their pre-existing frameworks rather than immersing themselves in the artist’s world or creating something new together.”
This lack of self-awareness in spaces like Miami Art Week can make brand activations feel stale and transactional, a death knell at noisy art fairs where you’re competing with the most exciting artists in the world for attention.
Yet for brands willing to do the work, there’s still immense potential in these kinds of culture-facing programs. By supporting underfunded artists or by creating platforms for emerging voices, brands can position themselves as patrons rather than opportunists and create real, memorable value for potential and current customers. However, this requires a shift from short-term marketing goals and toward long-term cultural investment—a leap many brands seem hesitant or unable to make.

For marketers looking for some inspiration on how to do it correctly, look no further than BMW. The German car giant has charted Miami Art Week's waters since the first season of Art Basel. Its collaborations, such as the long-standing Art Car project and more recent partnerships at events like Superblue, demonstrate a deeper understanding of art’s potential to resonate within the brand emotionally and intellectually. BMW has managed to integrate itself authentically into the art world by building on its historical ties to both design and innovation while giving artists the freedom to create without overly strict censorship or brand safety guardrails.
Ultimately, what most brands are seeking is an elusive sense of “authenticity” in the art world—which is often less about meeting some universal standard and more about aligning actions with intentions. The most successful examples of this create spaces where new ideas can flourish, rather than simply leveraging art as another marketing tool. Really, it’s about respecting the intelligence of audiences who can tell when a collaboration is meaningful versus when it’s just another Instagram moment.
The best examples of this practice reveal that authenticity isn’t just about doing things “right”; it’s also about being honest about your intentions. Brands need to ask themselves why they’re entering the art space in the first place. Is it purely for commercial gain, or is there a genuine desire to support creativity and culture? When brands fail to answer this question honestly—or worse, when their actions reveal their true motives—they risk alienating both artists and audiences.

While brands and artists are changing with the times, so are the audiences. In the current moment, there’s a pervasive feeling that the social media content machine has created a sort of toxic cultural productivity—a hyper-documented production line where low and high culture sit side by side on our timelines, sometimes indistinguishable from each other. This, combined with the innate postmodernism of contemporary reality and an innate distrust of sincerity, has put a lot of people off ‘hardcore’ art and moves us collectively towards more plural, flirtatious, and mass forms of art consumption. It’s the nagging notion that Hailey ‘Hawk Tuah’ Welch may be some great outsider disruptor.
It will be interesting to see how 2025 progresses the more performative notions of “authenticity” that already feel outdated in a newly Trumpified world. These sorts of “virtue signalling” values seem to be on the way out (as the failures of the Kamala campaign have videnced). Because what is authenticity when nobody cares enough to call it out? We’re all a little exhausted by it.
And as the strict political and social codes that once held art circles together continue to erode and dissipate into the algorithmic soup, what will replace them? What is this generation's Doll Factory? If there is one, it will probably be sponsored by Nike or Gucci, just in order to survive. This isn’t necessarily a criticism of the art world, but an observed adaptation to brands entering traditionally institutional spaces with large budgets, coupled with the transformation of many contemporary, content-savvy artists into brands themselves.
As many of our contributors rightly point out, brands should also know that the tension between commerce and creativity is unavoidable in these kinds of interactions. Artists themselves are increasingly adopting branding strategies, blurring the lines between creator and marketer, and this dynamic complicates notions of authenticity further: when both parties are playing by the same playbook of self-promotion and commercial appeal, who decides what’s genuine?
Take commercially-attuned fine artist Daniel Arsham's prolific collaborations with brands like Dior, Porsche, and Uniqlo as an example. By creating a bridge between high art and consumer culture, his eroded sculptures and reimagined objects create a uniquely aesthetic body of work that can be reapplied endlessly to an almost infinite variety of pop cultural objects, symbols, and icons. His work is a perfect reflection of the current fine art zeitgeist—and you’re just as likely to find his work on display at the Perrotin Gallery as you are when shopping for the latest Xiaomi smartphone.

These highly visible, commercially astute, artists-as-brands also expose another of the contemporary art world's inherent inequalities; it is a space dominated by wealth and exclusivity, making it challenging for brands outside the arts industry to break through or find a unique curatorial voice.
"Artists are just as wrapped up in the machinery of commercialism as the brands they critique—if not more so. Brands are captives of their own realities, driven by numbers, so in some ways, you can’t blame them. These days, it feels like many artists are too comfortable playing along instead of pushing back or challenging the system."
Art fairs are businesses, and they live and die on the capitalist impulse. Transparency issues around pricing and territorial curatorial practices further divide the landscape, often favouring established players over newcomers. Brands entering this space should note the art world’s structural voids: a thriving pool of emerging talent, a secure echelon of established artists, and a glaring lack of support in between.
This hollowing out of the middle is largely due to the disappearance of midsize platforms and is a systemic problem begging for intervention and perhaps the perfect opportunity for a forward-thinking brand to step in. But fostering platforms for growth requires more than token gestures; it demands long-term investment and engagement, something that can often be difficult to achieve within shifting corporate org structures and priorities.

Ultimately, authority in the art world isn't just about financial investment; it's about cultural legitimacy. Brands that seem to succeed at this understand this balance, embedding art into their DNA rather than treating it as an accessory.
Brands that have built long-term relationships with the art world—like Louis Vuitton, Carhartt WIP, Ruinart, BMW, or Audemars Piguet—tend to fare better because these collaborations are seen as part of a larger narrative rather than opportunistic grabs for cultural cachet. These partnerships are not just about aesthetics; they reflect shared values and storytelling that resonate with both art enthusiasts and the broader public.
Set within the final moments of a fractious year and in the eye of the US election hurricane, it's revealing to look at what worked for brands (and what didn’t) during this year's Miami Art Week. It seems we’re moving towards a moment of both opportunity and uncertainty—there are huge opportunities for brands that want to put the work in, particularly with more emerging artists and galleries who struggle to find a voice at big commercial art weeks like Miami Art Week. But it also feels like we’re entering a chapter that allows for a more flexible definition of authenticity in art and more pliable forms of collaboration—it’s an open invitation to brands who want to build cultural depth in 2025.

If we were a brand, here’s what we’d be asking before we rocked up to Miami Art Week 2025:
First, what is your purpose for being there? Is it to build brand equity, foster cultural connections, or simply generate brand heat? Miami Art Week is a playground for the affluent and culturally attuned, but they can also be an unforgiving crowd if you’re coming in for the wrong reasons. Brands need to ensure their presence aligns with the ethos of the event. A poolside party with no substance might grab Instagram likes but won’t leave a lasting impression. Instead, think about how your activation can contribute meaningfully—whether by empowering artists, creating immersive experiences, or sparking dialogue.
Next, how does your activation reflect your brand’s DNA? If you’re a heritage brand like Cartier, leveraging your history through immersive storytelling makes sense. On the other hand, if you’re a utilitarian furniture brand like USM, debuting for the first time at Art Week, maybe you simply present your products as high end retail furnishings, both at the official Art Basel Store and at The Standard Spa as containers of art. Whatever you do, ensure it feels organic to your brand’s identity and values.
Another critical question: what’s the legacy of your project? The art world values longevity over one-off stunts. Will your activation empower artists to create new work? Will it introduce audiences to underrepresented voices? Will it live on in some form after the fair ends? These are the kinds of questions that separate meaningful contributions from shallow plays. For a good example, check out Audemars Piguet’s “Rendez-Vous” concept.
Then there’s the matter of casting and audience engagement. Who are you trying to reach? Miami Art Week attracts ultra-high-net-worth individuals , younger collectors dipping their toes into the art world, and of course a random smattering of international influencers and DJs. Consider offering multiple entry points—luxury exclusivity for VIPs alongside accessible touchpoints for emerging and influencial audiences. A great example of this done well is Saint Laurent’s Madonna-themed exhibit, combining high-profile gallery events with broader cultural programs for relevance.
Lastly—and perhaps most importantly — are you prepared to understand the context, beyond surface-level engagement? The best activations at Miami Art Week don’t just showcase art; they immerse attendees in a narrative or experience that feels deeply connected to the culture in that place. Creating connections that reflect genuine community values rather than superficial pop-ups. This might mean collaborating with local artists or curators who bring insider perspectives or designing an experience that reflects local culture or sparks civic conversation. See Prada Mode 👀