



1 / 8 Chevron Chevron Photo: Samantha Deitch/BFA.com Sarunas Jackson, Issa Rae, and Broderick Hunter

In the fabled Versace mansion—now the luxury boutique hotel Casa Casuarina—Eva Longoria, Mark Ronson, Sarunas Jackson, Broderick Hunter, and Issa Rae gathered to celebrate the 8th Annual Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series. The series celebrates young emerging visual-art talent, providing an open space for artists outside the barriers of the established gallery world to find a spotlight and mentorship. Last night, amidst the house’s mosaic pool and an array of artisanal Bombay Sapphire cocktails, guests took in the finalists’ works.

“I’m hosting this, and I just love that it’s a great opportunity to align myself with a cause that promotes young, emerging artists—underrepresented artists—that need a platform to showcase their work,” said a glowing Issa Rae, sipping a Champagne and Bombay Sapphire cocktail ("my new drink") from a hidden bar near the mansion’s entrance. “That’s something I’m passionate about from the film and television side.”

The director, writer, producer, and actress was at Art Basel Miami Beach for the first time to host the event, gather inspiration for Insecure (“It’s so funny because I want to incorporate art in my third season,” she mused), and search for new talent to develop her own growing art collection.

“I’m just excited to be here! This is my first time at Art Basel, and I think for me I just look for passion, I look for what their interest is, [and] I look for a point of view. Art, and in particular visual art, is so personal and so up to interpretation. I just find that fascinating,” she said. “I’m just looking for untapped talent. I’m trying to build my art collection. I love stuff from artists of color that represents specific time periods, a cultural reflection of a specific period, but in general [I’m open to] whatever it is! If it feels personal to the artist. [If it speaks to] something that is within their lineage. If it is a window into them.”

Rae’s enthusiasm seemed to spread throughout the room. “I’m obsessed with the Versace mansion. I just love the legacy and the stories!” Longoria said as the night heated up. “And, yes, my husband and I have a couple things on reserve.”

Near the end of the fete, Rae took the stage to announce the winner—Vancouver native Vanessa Lam, a young artist using mixed media to explore issues of consciousness and social responsibility. She’ll collaborate with Artsy over the course of the next year to create a public arts exhibition in New York.