Sarah Oppenheimer unravels the secrets of the Pérez Art Museum Miami

The Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) is debuting a major new work from New York-based visual artist Sarah Oppenheimer. Commissioned by the museum, the new project required the exhibition space on the second floor to be reoriented – and that is its genius. Oppenheimer thus bridges art, architecture and engineering in 'intensive spatial modifications'.
'Every building has its secrets,' says PAMM curator René Morales. 'PAMM’s architects employed brilliant and innovative structural techniques that are hidden within the museum’s iconic form. Sarah’s work explores and unravels the secrets of the buildings she engages.'
In 'S-281913', Oppenheimer creates two architectural 'switches' – rotating glass elements that alternate in transparency and reflectivity in relation to lighting conditions and viewing position. These switches are independent of each other and play between Herzog & de Meuron’s lighting grid and PAMM’s view of Biscayne Bay. A trick of the eye, a play on space and proximity.
'The complex production of this piece and its installation in the museum’s gallery testifies to Oppenheimer’s status as a proponent for sculpture in an ever-expanding field, one that also comes to terms with architecture and engineering,' says director Franklin Sirmans. 'Believing that artists and their imaginations spur innovation and experimentation in technology, PAMM supports contemporary artists who push the boundaries of diverse fields of inquiry, while suggesting new paths for art-making.'
Oppenheimer created a pair of architectural ’switches’ – rotating glass elements that alternate in transparency and reflectivity in relation to lighting conditions and viewing position
The new project required the exhibition space on the second floor to be reoriented. Oppenheimer thus bridges art, architecture and engineering in ’intensive spatial modifications’
Installation view of ’S-281913’ at PAMM
INFORMATION
’Sarah Oppenheimer: S-281913’ is on view until 30 April 2017. For more information, visit the Pérez Art Museum Miami website
ADDRESS
PAMM
1103 Biscayne Blvd
Miami FL 33132
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Daniel Scheffler is a storyteller for The New York Times and others. He has a travel podcast with iHeart Media called Everywhere and a Substack newsletter, Withoutmaps, where he shares all his wild ways. He lives in New York with his husband and their pup.
-
Composer Max Richter’s new trilogy turns Krug champagnes into music
In a dialogue between taste and sound, Krug and the genre-defying composer embark on a musical journey that celebrates intentional craftsmanship
-
Johnston Marklee’s sofa for Knoll is inspired by the Michelin Man
1970s design icons, Bibendum, and macaroni were on architects Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee's minds while designing the ‘Biboni’ sofa for Knoll
-
Frieze London 2025: live updates from the Wallpaper* team
From 15 - 19 October 2025, Frieze takes over London. Here's what is going on at the fair and around town, as seen by the Wallpaper* art editor
-
Jamel Shabazz’s photographs are a love letter to Prospect Park
In a new book, ‘Prospect Park: Photographs of a Brooklyn Oasis, 1980 to 2025’, Jamel Shabazz discovers a warmer side of human nature
-
The Hammer Museum in Los Angeles launches the seventh iteration of its highly anticipated artist biennial
One of the gallery's flagship exhibitions, Made in LA showcases the breadth and depth of the city's contemporary art scene
-
Thomas Prior’s photography captures the uncanny fragility of American life
A new book unites two decades of the photographer’s piercing, uneasy work
-
Central Park’s revitalised Delacorte Theater gears up for a new future
Ennead Architects helmed an ambitious renovation process that has given the New York City cultural landmark a vibrant and more accessible future
-
Stephen Prina borrows from pop, classical and modern music: now MoMA pays tribute to his performance work
‘Stephen Prina: A Lick and a Promise’ recalls the artist, musician, and composer’s performances, and is presented throughout MoMA. Prina tells us more
-
Curtains up, Kid Harpoon rethinks the sound of Broadway production ‘Art’
He’s crafted hits with Harry Styles and Miley Cyrus; now songwriter and producer Kid Harpoon (aka Tom Hull) tells us about composing the music for the new, all-star Broadway revival of Yasmina Reza’s play ‘Art’
-
Richard Prince recontextualises archival advertisements in Texas
The artist unites his ‘Posters’ – based on ads for everything from cat pictures to nudes – at Hetzler, Marfa
-
The best Ruth Asawa exhibition is actually on the streets of San Francisco
The artist, now the subject of a major retrospective at SFMOMA, designed many public sculptures scattered across the Bay Area – you just have to know where to look