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In present times, the art market is growing increasingly  global.  Our society is tending towards the international, and  the art market reflects this tendency (or does life imitate  art?).  In this inclusive atmosphere, the ABMB is also growing  more culturally diverse with the inclusion of African-American artists,  curators, and collectors in greater numbers than ever before.  A  shift towards the diversification of culture shows us that people are  breaking new boundaries and becoming accepting of, even admiring, new  perspectives in art.  Today's artists, collectors, curators,  etc. are not unlike those of the past.  Much like their  predecessors, those seeking to create or invest in art are searching out  the best, brightest, and most inspiring of work.  This work  will act as a signal for the patrons and collectors of today much as  they did for those of the previously studied Renaissance era.   The difference can be found in the benefits.  While the  forerunners sought social status and wealth as a result of the  audience's reaction to viewing a work, modern day collectors seek  reputation and wealth through the worth and prestige of the work  purchased, despite the fact that their collections might never be seen  by others.  Many modern collectors buy work and store it, or  keep it for personal pleasure instead of public displays of  grandeur.  Benefits to art collectors and artists can be  magnified at events like ABMB when characters from all over the  international art community come together.  Alliances can be  struck, collaborations dreamed up, work sold or admired, prices boosted,  reputations built.  \[Art fairs are a contemporary meeting  point\|http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/03/arts/design/art-basel-miami-beach-review.html?_r=3&pagewanted=all\]  for artists who would normally not be exhibited together or seen by the  same crowd because of conceptual or aesthetic differences in the work  or the barriers of distance.  Being selected for ABMB is in  itself a rare honor signaling distinct talent, as recognized by  contemporaries, as the selection pool is limited each year.   Further, admission to the events is constrained by the admission costs  and the shortness of the engagement.  Attending ABMB can be  difficult for people below a certain level of wealth who do not have the  means to pay for transportation, accommodation, or admission.   Yet the advent of Art Basel in Miami lead the city from a "cultural  wasteland" to a booming artistic center in less than a decade because of  an influx of patrons, collectors, and art aficionados as described in  this video from the Early Show. 

The prominent contemporary artist that I have chosen  to follow is an installation artist named Nina Beier, represented by  Standard (Oslo), Oslo.  She was born in Denmark, educated in  London, currently lives and works in Berlin, and showcased her work in  the \[Art Public\|http://www.artbaselmiamibeach.com/go/id/eof/\] sector of  the ABMB in 2011.  She has only been on the art scene radar  since \[her first group exhibition in  2007\|http://www.laurabartlettgallery.co.uk/Artist-biography/33\].   In her mid-30s, she is making contemporary art for a contemporary  audience in every sense, breaking bounds in media and relating to a  hugely broad international fan-base.  She has shown in  galleries all over the world and her image-based work raises  implications and questions about everyday life which is understandable  in any language.  Her works, titled "The Demonstrators", will  be on display in Collins Park.  Like any multimedia artist,  there is the underlying question of "how will I sell my  work?"   An art fair like ABMB allows her a more  varied audience than would normally visit galleries in Berlin, Oslo,  Brussels, or Melbourne alone.  Moreover, having her work  displayed in the Art Public sector means that Nina's work will be some  of the only work that can be seen for free by anyone during the  exhibition.  This will allow her, along with her fellow  artists, to reach out to a broader community in the Miami Beach area,  giving them insight into the new mediums of sculpture and installation  arts.  The show here attempts to vary the media and art  concepts associated with public art, to expand the genre with more  "texture and openness".  It does not abandon traditional forms,  but rather builds upon them and adds to them increasing their  conceptual and performative nature.   \!http://portable.tv/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Nina-Beier-The-Demonstrators-2011.-Standard-Oslo.jpg\|align=center,border=1,width=200\!

Curator  for the Art Public Sector of the Art Basel Miami Beach is Christine Y.  Kim, a Korean-American woman who has recently become assistant curator  for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.  She was chosen for  this museum as a result of efforts to infuse the programs with new  perspectives and it "\[reflects a growing ethnic  diversity\|http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/04/entertainment/la-ca-curators4-2010apr04\]".   Thus she seems an appropriate choice for the fresh face of the ABMB  curatorial team.  Though her position is at a relatively  traditional institution, she is able to bring the best of both worlds  (old and new) as a young curator who understands the time in which her  contemporaries are working.