Art Basel seems to have learned that when it comes to virtual viewing rooms, less is more. That mantra defines the fair’s third virtual edition this year, which replaces its marquee edition in Basel, Switzerland, that was originally scheduled for June, postponed to September in light of Covid-19, and ultimately canceled. Titled OVR: 2020, the virtual showcase restricts the 100 galleries, including blue-chip mainstays White Cube, Lévy Gorvy, and Lehmann Maupin, to present six works at a time; all must have been created in 2020.

The more focused format follows “feedback we received from our audiences in the past months and weeks,” Art Basel global director Marc Spiegler explains to ARTnews, referring to the fair’s virtual Hong Kong edition that launched when the pandemic first broke out. “We’ve integrated parallel digital programming and other new features to the platform to create further opportunities for our galleries and collectors to interact in more meaningful ways. The viewing rooms that comprise Art Basel’s OVR:2020 represent an incredible force and variety of artistic perspectives, which together offer our audiences the opportunity to experience artists’ more recent works, conveying and contending with the lived experiences of our time.”

Those experiences touch upon today’s vital themes of social justice, racial inequality, and the coronavirus pandemic. At Jessica Silverman Gallery, text-based works by Sadie Barnette explore the 500-page FBI file of her father, Rodney, who founded the Compton chapter of the Black Panthers. Jenkins Johnson Gallery features five African Diaspora artists, including Lisa Corinne Davis, Rashaad Newsome, Blessing Ngobeni, Amani Lewis, and Raelis Vasquez, whose works dismantle inaccurate stereotypes, condemn elitism, and pay homage to queer culture. Lynn Hershman Leeson, showing at Altman Siegel, riffs on the mask as an identity construct. OVR: 2020 will be live until September 26.

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So why now? Much like the world at large, the design industry has been turned upside down over the past year. Design fairs, often the premier stage to launch new products and collections, face an uncertain future. COVID-19 has ushered in a new normal, forcing us to fully embrace remote experiences. Interest in home design is surging as people rethink their living arrangements and adjust to the remote work paradigm shift. The e-commerce revolution has entered an exciting new phase, but with it comes the perils of fast-consumerism. Design Dose will take a more thoughtful approach, one that reflects our core values at Surface: provide intel to our audience, delight the senses, and—above all else—champion great design.

When creating her newest collection of silk scarves, the designer Kyriaki Drakotos turned to the women around her. Considering a specific individual for each design, Drakotos conceived five ethereal patterns inspired by their personalities—with each bearing the initial of their influencer. “They are both deeply personal and universal,” she says, “meant as tributes to honor incredible women.” The women range in age and background: an artist, activist, opera singer, nomadic writer, and politician. Regardless of their stories or history, they’re all united in their ability to transform the world around them.

An ethos of experimentation, spirituality, and interconnectedness permeates the Seville atelier of Antoñito y Manolín founders Pablo Párraga and Trini Salamanca, who radiate a rare passion that’s rooted in the universality of everything. The results are deeply symbolic functional artworks that reference science fiction, tribal cultures, electronic music, brutalist architecture, and everything in between.

When: Sept. 25–Nov. 19

Where: Fort Makers, New York

What: Transforming its Lower East Side storefront into a makeshift greenhouse, Fort Makers enlists more than 40 artists and designers to create an array of sculptural planters, flower pots, and containers that sustain plant life. The works mine various traditions from pre-Columbian Mesoamerican pottery to the Chia Pet.

“Each planter is an idolized expression of our love for nature, and becomes a unique face with a tidy haircut or a wild beast with an unruly mane,” says co-founder Nana Spears. “As we retreated into the privacy of our homes, many found themselves alienated from nature and newly tethered to domestic space. In moments of seclusion, our plant collections become landscapes—each fern, palm, and succulent a sacred intermediary to the outside world.”

The climate crisis has again come into focus as unprecedented wildfires recently ravaged the West Coast. At the same time, the city faces pandemic-induced economic fallout and needs smart ideas to rebound. It seems serendipitous that the nonprofit Trust for Governors Island has released a proposal to rezone parts of its underutilized waterfront, long set aside for economic development, for a climate research center. Renderings by the local firm WXY depict a sprawling complex that features public programs, offices for green tech companies, and space for a university or research institute.

From afar, New York’s outdoor dining may seem lively and optimistic, but the numbers tell a different story. According to a new survey by the NYC Hospitality Alliance, 87 percent of local restaurants, bars, and nightlife venues couldn’t pay full rent in August; 34 percent couldn’t pay rent at all. Outdoor dining and federal financial aid have done little to alleviate the crisis, causing beloved culinary mainstays such as Lucky Strike, Fat Radish, and Augustine to shutter. The city will start permitting indoor dining at 25 percent capacity and has approved a 10 percent surcharge to each bill, but the outlook still remains grim.

“Even before the pandemic when operating at 100 percent occupancy, small businesses were struggling to stay open,” says Andrew Rigie, executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance. “Now we’re seeing widespread closures, approximately 150,000 industry workers are still out of their jobs, and the overwhelming majority of these remaining small businesses cannot afford to pay rent.” He further advocates for urgent rent relief, indefinitely extending outdoor dining, roadmaps to expand indoor dining, covered business interruption insurance, and passage of the Restaurants Act, which may provide $125 billion in financial aid.

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Henzel Studio is a rug manufacturer whose ethos is based on the artistic practice of Calle Henzel. Over the past two decades, he has translated his artistic work into the medium at hand, positioning Henzel Studio as one of the world’s most progressive rug brands. Today, Henzel collaborates with leading contemporary artists and estates.

Surface Says: Art and craftsmanship unite in Henzel Studio’s collaborations. Works by the likes of Nan Goldin and Helmut Lang are woven into imaginative, gallery-worthy rugs.

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