Sarah Oppenheimer unravels the secrets of the Pérez Art Museum Miami
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

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 (opens in new tab)
ADDRESS
PAMM
1103 Biscayne Blvd
Miami FL 33132
VIEW GOOGLE MAPS (opens in new tab)
-
Apartment interior design: outstanding spaces around the globe
Apartment interiors can be tricky to balance. Create a sense of space and get inspired by our global edit of architect-designed ideas. From minimalist mezzanines and lofts that bridge old and new, to sleek urban penthouses and dramatic transformations
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Zegna’s ‘Triple Stitch’ sneaker captures the house’s 112 years of innovation
Zegna’s signature ‘Triple Stitch’ sneaker returns for S/S 2023, now available in luxurious fabrications – from grained leather to canvas and soft suede
By Jack Moss • Published
-
We’re waxing lyrical over these luxury candles
At a loss when it comes to finding the perfect indulgence or gift? Explore our edit of luxury candles for some bright ideas
By Mary Cleary • Published
-
Ryoji Ikeda and Grönlund-Nisunen saturate Berlin gallery in sound, vision and visceral sensation
At Esther Schipper gallery Berlin, artists Ryoji Ikeda and Grönlund-Nisunen draw on the elemental forces of sound and light in a meditative and disorienting joint exhibition
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Published
-
Royal College of Physicians Museum presents its archives in a glowing new light
London photography exhibition ‘Unfamiliar’, at the Royal College of Physicians Museum (23 January – 28 July 2023), presents clinical tools as you’ve never seen them before
By Martha Elliott • Published
-
New York art exhibitions: what to see this winter
Stay up-to-date with our ongoing guide to the best new and upcoming New York art exhibitions and events for your diary
By Tilly Macalister-Smith • Published
-
London art exhibitions: a guide for early 2023
Your guide to the best London art exhibitions, and those around the UK, as chosen by the Wallpaper* arts desk
By Harriet Lloyd Smith • Published
-
Cecilia Vicuña’s ‘Brain Forest Quipu’ wins Best Art Installation in the 2023 Wallpaper* Design Awards
Brain Forest Quipu, Cecilia Vicuña's Hyundai Commission at Tate Modern, has been crowned 'Best Art Installation' in the 2023 Wallpaper* Design Awards
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Published
-
Michael Heizer’s Nevada ‘City’: the land art masterpiece that took 50 years to conceive
Michael Heizer’s City in the Nevada Desert (1972-2022) has been awarded ‘Best eighth wonder’ in the 2023 Wallpaper* design awards. We explore how this staggering example of land art came to be
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Published
-
Cerith Wyn Evans: ‘I love nothing more than neon in direct sunlight. It’s heartbreakingly beautiful’
Cerith Wyn Evans reflects on his largest show in the UK to date, at Mostyn, Wales – a multisensory, neon-charged fantasia of mind, body and language
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Published
-
Museum of Sex to open Miami outpost in spring 2023
The Museum of Sex will expand with a new Miami outpost in spring 2023, housed in a former warehouse reimagined by Snøhetta and inaugurated with an exhibition by Hajime Sorayama
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Published