Dancers perform as part of Shen Wei’s “In Black, White & Gray,” which combines dance and paintings. IMAGE: LYNNE SLADKY/ASSOCIATED PRESS

If you’re one of the lucky birds who flies south for the winter, hopefully you were able to indulge your artistic side by visiting the annual Art Basel in Miami: the 44th installment was a memorable one, occurring December 4th to 7th in the heart of Miami Beach. Some highlights are pictured here.

Demont Pinder’s paintings referenced Mike Brown and Eric Garner at the #REVOLTBlendedCultures event. IMAGE: MARC SEROTA/INVISION FOR REVOLT/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Miami isn’t exactly considered the art capital of the world, but it certainly has its own eccentric flair that distinguishes it from every other city: white, sandy beaches, Versace’s extravagant hotel, palm trees shading Cuban food joints overlooking the ocean. It may not have the makes to inspire history’s grandest artists like Paris, Rome and Madrid do, but it’s the place for a great weekend-long party; and it also boasts its fair share of art museums, a Cuban history museum and even a Holocaust museum (maybe for a cloudier, more somber day).

Miley Cyrus performed at the MAC Viva Glam concert, at one point ripping off her shiny top.

Modern and contemporary art lovers, this is your haven: just take a look around at the omnipresent Deco architecture. This year, the Art Basel in Miami attracted approximately 70,000 visitors and showcased art from over 250 galleries across the world (according to their official site). The show is comprised of nine sectors, each which exhibits work that reflects a specific theme or falls under a certain category. The sectors are listed below:

Hank Willis Thomas made waves with this affecting piece, called “Raise Up” IMAGE: @HANKWILLISTHOMAS ON INSTAGRAM

• GALLERIES- Feast your eyes on thousands of Modern and contemporary art pieces from more than 200 of the world’s most renowned and recognized art galleries. You would have seen paintings, drawings, structures, installations, photography and videos created by 4,000 of the world’s most talented artists.
• NOVA- The Nova sector will introduce you to never-before-seen pieces. Here, galleries present what’s new: each gallery showcases one, two or three new artists toting new works that were created in the last few years.
• POSITIONS- Curators, critics and collectors all come together to discover new talent: Positions allows a platform for a single artist to show one major project.
• EDITION- Leading publishers of editioned works, prints, and multiples collaborate with artists and then present the literary/artistic outcome here.
• KABINETT- Comprised of works like art-historical showcases, thematic group exhibitions and solo shows, artists in the Kabinett sector are chosen from their gallery to present separately from the group.
• PUBLIC- In collaboration with the Bass Museum of Art, art show-goers can admire outdoor sculptures and witness performances in Collins Park.
• SURVEY- For all you history buffs, here is your one-stop-shop for art-history-inspired projects: feast your eyes on representations of cultures, generations and places past.
• FILM- Not that the title doesn’t it away, but here you can enjoy films by artists, about other artists.
• MAGAZINES- Catch up on your reading; view magazines from art publications from around the world.

“A kid could do that!” – Baz Luhrmann took on an old criticism of modern art with an installation featuring works by Wassily Kandinsky, Joan Miró and Pablo Picasso. IMAGE: GALERIE GMURZYNSKA

Which sector sounds most appealing to you? Will you be joining Miami’s residents (and tourists) next year for the 45th show? Beautiful weather, pristine beaches, shopping, modern art – how could you go wrong?