Top Miami Contemporary Artists Set to Shine

Emmett Moore

Daring Design, @emmettmoore

In December, artist and designer Emmett Moore showcased his work at Nina Johnson’s booth at Art Basel Miami Beach and opened his solo exhibition, Neon Sun, at the gallery. On view through early February, Neon Sun showcases imaginative and functional furniture crafted from everyday materials, revitalized with bright colors and fresh, sculptural forms. Word has it Emmett has been tapped for a 2026 design project in Wynwood….

Shayla Marshall

Everywhere Artist @shaylamonii

Omnipresent, Shayla Marshall’s collaborative installation Meet Me at the Source created at the Femme Continuum residency, is on view at Miami’s Green Space until April. Her work is also viewable in Walgreens windows for the Bakehouse and Bass Museum annual public art collaboration. Internationally, Marshall returned to the Royal College of Art in London, where she completed her master’s degree, to exhibit tintype photographs thanks to a Black Student Union fellowship. Her upcoming residency in Suriname may offer rest… or more inspiration.

Reginald O’Neal

Musicians Reimagined @reginaldoneal

Paintings from Reginald O’Neal’s renowned Jazz Figurine series are currently on view in Spinello Projects’ 20th anniversary exhibition. The series includes an oversize sculpture titled “The Saxophonist,” a highlight at Art Basel Miami Beach’s Meridians in 2023. This sculpture, along with 16 paintings created between 2022–2025, constitutes Reginald O’Neal’s The Performance exhibition. On view through June—as part of Florida Contemporary 2025-2026 organized by Artist-Naples, The Baker Museum—The Performance continues to illuminate the problematic psyches and sociopolitical agendas underlying representation.

Leo Castañeda

Art-Tech Talent @leocastaneda_

Paintings meet technology in Castañeda’s boundary-blurring artistic practice. His 2024 immersive installation, Sea Change, at the Pérez Art Museum Miami, explored human relationships to environmental shifts through a combination of handpainted images, video, game engines, and other media. From his studio at the Bakehouse Arts Complex, Castañeda is working on a group gallery exhibition in Munich this January, as well as a museum and gallery exhibitions in New York later this year.