Miami Artist Naomi Fisher brings botany to Art Basel with Rootwork, her solo show at The Kampong, David Fairchild’s former home on Biscayne Bay in the Grove.
Long before she began showing her work in galleries, museums, and art fairs around the world, artist Naomi Fisher was a regular at The Kampong in Coconut Grove, the former home of the celebrated botanist and plant collector David Fairchild.
Her father Jack Fisher was a botanist at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, so she often attended events with him or babysat the children of visiting scientists there.
That personal relationship with the historic home and gardens shaped her new solo exhibition Rootwork: The Botanically Inspired Art of Naomi Fisher, which will be on display next week at The Kampong when the art world comes to town for Miami Art Week.
The archival works, sculpture, ceramics, and paintings that comprise the show reflect not just Miami’s flora, but Fisher’s 25 years as a renowned contemporary artist.
Fisher’s art fills the entire house and spills out into the surrounding gardens. The show is open to the public with admission to The Kampong.
The exhibit, which opened in late October and continues through December 31, is on the schedule for the prestigious Art Basel Miami Beach VIP artist-led walk-throughs and will include live dance performances during Miami Art Week.
Other exhibits and events in Coconut Grove for Miami Art Week include the Pinta Miami art fair at The Hangar, a one-night-only photo show documenting the Grove by University of Miami photojournalism students, and a pop-up gallery at the Gibson Education Center on Grand Avenue (details below).
Fisher is a dedicated community-builder as the curator and director of artist-led organization Bas Fisher Invitational (BFI), named for Fisher herself and fellow artist Hernan Bas.
Now in its 20th year, BFI has been foundational in creating a respected contemporary art scene in South Florida, including presenting Art Basel Miami Beach events in the Miami Beach Convention Center.
This Miami Art Week, BFI will show video art at the Miami Beach Bandshell by New York pioneer digital artist Marisa Olson.
When Fisher was young, her father’s office faced that of Fairchild Tropical Garden’s house botanical illustrator, Priscilla Fawcett.
In a time before digital photography, Fisher says, “instead of using photographs to help see what a plant looks like, it was really about what’s the signature attribute of a leaf, of a flower… This very detailed observation of a plant, where art was actually scientific.”
Fawcett took Fisher’s desire to make art seriously and nurtured her interest. Spending time with Fawcett made Fisher realize that she could actually become an artist herself.
“I look at my childhood sketch books, and it’s interesting, there were these two sides of who I was, one the botanical illustrator and two the tortured teenage girl feminist — you put it all together and that’s who I am today,” she laughs.
Fisher begins developing new works by first drawing from nature and then adapting the images to create final abstract forms.
This process is on display in the library area of The Kampong as part of Rootwork, with works on paper that inspired the creation of her 15-foot-tall steel public art sculpture, which was commissioned by Oslo Kommunes Kunstsamling and influenced by bluebell flowers native to Norway.
“I want the public to connect with the process of what it takes for someone to really site a long-term permanent work that’s appropriate to its local conditions,” she says.
Fisher has long been invested in site-specific public art based on plants growing in the area where the work is on display.
“They hopefully get people to have a deeper connection, that we all need plants in our lives, and hopefully become more protective of the beautiful nature around us.”
Coconut Grove has not traditionally been a hotspot for Miami Art Week events, which are largely clustered around the larger art fairs like Art Basel, Scope, and NADA. Pinta Miami at The Hangar is an exception.
With gallery spaces at a minimum, there are fewer opportunities for artists — both visiting and local — to show their work in the community during Miami Art Week, or throughout the year. The main reason, Fisher says, is affordability.
“The Grove was historically an artist’s neighborhood, but now it’s too expensive for artists to live and work if they don’t already own property. It’s a miracle that the Kampong has become a place for art,” she says.
That is due in part to Garden Director Brian Sidoti, who since joining the Kampong in 2023 has taken a special interest in expanding educational and arts opportunities and widening the Kampong’s audience.
Sidoti has known Fisher and her family for years and was drawn to her deep connection to the city and its tropical plants, noting her work as a featured artist in their Fall 2023 Biscayne exhibition.
He works closely with the Kampong’s Art Advisory Committee and staff to select artists and schedule exhibitions on a four-month rotation. They’re booked for another year of contemporary art shows with complementary programming.
“The Kampong has a long tradition of engaging with the arts, from exhibiting works by Lisa Remeny and Lauren Shapiro, to hosting Michele Oka Doner, partnering with the New World School of the Arts for Art Basel, and collaborating with Villa Albertine on a residency program,” Sidoti said via email.
“Since I became garden director, our exhibitions have centered on plants and conservation, and we’ve consistently showcased artists ranging from emerging local talent to internationally recognized figures. These exhibitions create interdisciplinary learning experiences that highlight the beauty and importance of plants through both scientific and artistic lenses.”
The Kampong has also been a research center aimed at combatting plant extinction and restoring habitats. This legacy of cutting-edge scientific research started in Fairchild’s day and is being carried on by Florida International University’s International Center for Tropical Botany (ICTB).
Rootwork brings that exploratory spirit into a new discipline, Fisher notes.
“Art should be considered cutting edge research into culture.”
Rootwork: The Botanically Inspired Art of Naomi Fisher. October 28 through December 31, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (last entrance at 3:00 p.m.), at The Kampong, 4013 South Douglas Road. Details at https://ntbg.org/events/rootwork/
Other Miami Art Week events in Coconut Grove:
The Pinta Miami art fair featuring Latin American art returns to The Hangar, 3385 Pan American Drive next to Miami City Hall, from Thursday 12/04 through Sunday 12/07. Tickets required.
Village Visionaries, a photo exhibit documenting Coconut Grove by University of Miami photojournalism students, Thursday 12/04 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Shake-a-Leg Miami, 2620 South Bayshore Drive in Coconut Grove. Free, with proceeds from the sale of artwork benefiting Shake-a-Leg.
Miami Art Week 162: Embracing Bahamian Artistry, on Friday 12/05 from 6 to 9 p.m. and Saturday 12/06 from 12 noon to 4 p.m. at Miami Dade College’s Gibson Education Center, 3629 Grand Avenue, Coconut Grove. Free.
