Patty Suau, Freedom installation (Photo courtesy of Paula Celestino)
“Miami taught me that art and affection share the same humidity - they both linger in the air, stick to your skin, and remind you you’re alive.” Patty Suau, participating artist showing in the Klimpton Surfcomer hotel, with a perfect summation of the 2025 exhibition “No Vacancy.”
You won’t need tickets or a reservation to visit the dozen art exhibitions occurring 24/7 in twelve iconic hotels on Miami Beach. A sixth season of “No Vacancy,” the popular Public Art Project, which opened on Nov. 13 and continues through Dec. 20.
City groups supporting the arts created “No Vacancy” in 2020, an exhibition utilizing the architectural individualism of Miami Beach, augmenting local artists into the narrative of the historical buildings. A jury from the city of Miami Beach Art in Public Places, in tandem with the Cultural Arts Council and the Miami Beach Visitors and Convention Bureau have matched up a dozen chosen diverse artists with a variety of hotels.
For the 2025 exhibition of “No Vacancy,” visitors, both local and international, will traverse the dynamic vintage hotels, most of them imaginatively refreshed for the brave new world of who we are now.
Get acquainted with these Miami artists or art collectives with whom one may or may not be previously familiar. Artists let the spaces whisper their secrets, sharing a message to each meandering soul for one all-encompassing crash course into what makes Miami a magnet.
With a plethora of world issues changing shapes, it is interesting to unravel what artists are focusing in on for this calendar year. If this year's previous art fairs are a harbinger, we have been craving the serenity of the natural world and moments of a simpler, quieter time. It seems galleries are shutting their doors in a more rapidly occurring sequence as a digital wave takes over the quaint idea of foot traffic, giving way to online art portfolio orchestration.
Evelyn Sosa, No Place is Far Away (Image courtesy of artist)
Artist Evelyn Sosa, paired with the Nautilus Sonesta Hotel Miami Beach (1825 Collins Ave.) poses a query for all to spend some mental and emotional time. This Cuban born photographer’s exhibit titled “No Place Is Far Away” asks “What Object Did You Take With You When You Emigrated?” A sobering thought whether you’ve experienced that moment by proximity or a cultural overlay. Sosa’s work leans heavily on the atmospheric nature of black and white photographs. She interviewed a number of emigrants to see what they chose to take on an unknown journey.
Sosa shares her creative process with us: “When I entered the hotel, the long hallway caught my eye, a path people walk through. At first, they look at the photographs, then continue on their way, leaving something behind in a way, but I think they also take something with them. I like the two armchairs and the small table at the beginning of the hallway. Those could be the armchairs in any home. I think that, together, these elements of the hotel support and connect with the series' concept: displacement, transit, memory, home, what remains with us.”
Evelyn Sosa, No Place is Far Away (Image courtesy of artist)
Continuing, I asked Sosa what participation in projects such as “No Vacancy” means for her: “In addition to supporting and reaffirming artists' careers, they create visibility in more everyday spaces where people might not typically visit art galleries or museums. In a way, it expands possibilities and connections for both artists and venues, as well as for the public. I personally feel very grateful for this opportunity.”
Sosa marries her work with the 1951 Miami Modern design of the Nautilus Hotel by architect Morris Lapidus, a man known for designing some of South Florida’s most glamorous hotels of the era.
Each chosen participant expresses their own message on a different palette. Artist Patty Suau unveils her compelling work of interactive optical illusion installations called “Unexpected Encounters,” in the Kimpton Surfcomer Hotel (1717 Collins Ave.). Built in 1948 as two separate hotels, the Secomber and the Surf Cumber, were later combined into one Art Deco hotel. It was acquired and updated by Kimpton Hotels in 2011.
I asked Suau about her experience with the hotel project: “Getting an entire hotel to myself - with tropical gardens and all those charming little corners - felt like being handed the keys to a very glamorous playground. The Kimpton Surfcomber’s layout immediately made me think about movement and discovery, so I decided to turn the whole project into a kind of affectionate treasure hunt.”
International Inn (Image from hotel site)
Suau explained the concept of her work as “a blend of mirrors and life-size figure drawings that only come alive when viewers step into them. The illusion works only when you physically participate, which means you’re not just looking at the art; you’re completing it. The Kimpton Surfcomber’s mix of public and private spaces felt like the perfect metaphor for what I’m exploring - that dance between exposure and intimacy, playfulness and vulnerability.”
Summing up: “It’s a little surreal, a little romantic, and, hopefully, a reminder that connection - even with your own reflection - can be joyful, surprising, and deeply human.”
The Betsy (Image from the hotel)
...And her influence of being an artist in Miami, I inquired? “Miami has this rare quality - it greets you with warmth before it asks for your name. That instinctive physicality, those cheek-to-cheek hellos and long goodbye hugs, are absolutely part of my artistic DNA. We don’t do polite distance here; we do connection. That sense of closeness directly informs my interactive optical illusion installations, which rely on the viewer’s presence and participation to come to life. We’re living in a time where genuine connection can feel tricky - where people are quick to build walls and slow to lower them. I like to joke that I come to the battle armed with hugs, kisses, and visual trickery. It sounds ridiculous, but when experienced, it feels deeply human - primal, even. Miami taught me that connection is our native language, and my work is my slightly flirty accent. My work steps in armed with hugs, kisses, and mirrors to soften the edges. It’s silly when said it out loud, but it’s primal and deeply satisfying when experienced. Miami reminds me that connection isn’t optional - it’s a survival strategy. The city gives me permission to make art that celebrates softness in a world that’s often too sharp. Miami reminds me that art, like love, works best when you get close enough to feel it.”
In the Faena Hotel, Artist Pepe Mar’s “Tropical Stomping Grounds,” is an immersive installation inspired by South Beach ephemera formed into an ebullient self-portrait. Printed, cut, stained, sewn, and appliquéd pieces are composed into large compositions that fills the room, again revisiting the concept of past and present. The Faena Hotel (3500 Collins Ave.) was originally two facades: the 1928 Mediterranean Revival style Paraiso Apartments and the 1948 Streamline Moderne design Saxony Hotel.
Many of the twelve venues of “No Vacancy” are within walking distance. Breathe in the air between each hotel stop, let the sunshine and the palm trees do their work on your potentially over-loaded psyche. Stopping to take in the artwork will encourage you to look more closely at the “bones” of the hotel’s style. Let Miami be Miami.
Participating Hotels/ Artists
- Avalon Hotel Miami, 700 Ocean Drive - Andrea Myers, A Soft Pixelation
- The Betsy Hotel, 1440 Ocean Drive - LIZNBOW, Portal to Niña
- Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club, 3925 Collins Ave. - Denise Treizman, Wish You Were Here
- The Catalina Hotel & Beach Club, 1732 Collins Ave. - Edison Peñafiel, Florida Florarium
- Casa Faena, 3500 Collins Ave.- Pepe Mar, Tropical stomping ground
- International Inn on the Bay, 2301 Normandy Drive - Nathalie Alfonso, BayScape-
- Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel, 1717 Collins Ave. - Patty Suau, Unexpected Encounters
- The Miami Beach EDITION, 2901 Collins Ave. - Amanda Linares, Tierra Húmeda
- Nautilus Sonesta Miami Beach, 1825 Collins Ave. - Evelyn Sosa, No Place is Far Away
- Riviera Suites Miami Beach, 318 20th St. - Fabiola Larios, Heartware
- The Shelborne by Proper, 1801 Collins Ave. - Lee Pivnik, Wellspring
- Sherry Frontenac Hotel, 6565 Collins Ave. - James Sprang, Take Me Home
