Featured Events in Naples in May, 2024 (May Updated)

Looking for a relaxing and creative experience by the shore? Look no further than Sip + Paint by the Beach in Naples! This arts event is set to take place on May 4, 2024, at the stunning venue located at 19 8th Ave S. For just $50, attendees can indulge in a unique painting session while sipping on their favorite beverages. Whether you're an experienced artist or a beginner, this event is designed for art enthusiasts of all levels. The serene surroundings of the beach provide the perfect backdrop for unleashing your inner creativity. So mark your calendars and make sure not to miss out on this one-of-a-kind opportunity to relax, unwind, and create beautiful art at Sip + Paint by the Beach.

Join the festivities at the Pulte Family Life Center Cafe in Naples for the "Big Hats, Bourbon, and Bowties" Kentucky Derby Party. Celebrate the 150th Kentucky Derby with thrilling races to wager on, a variety of refreshments, including Mint Juleps, Bourbon Slush, beer, and wine (complimentary drink with admission). Don't miss the chance to showcase your style with a contest for the best hat and outfit, so come dressed in your Derby Best. The event will take place on May 4th, 2024. Tickets are available for $10. Come and enjoy an evening of fun and excitement at this exclusive Derby celebration.

Experience the elegance of European art at the Art Tasting Night hosted by PASSIONFRUIT Art Gallery in Naples. Immerse yourself in authentic masterpieces while mingling with fellow art enthusiasts over hors d'oeuvres and sparkling beverages. The event will take place at 1100 6th Ave S, Naples, FL 34102, on May 31, 2024. This exclusive evening offers a unique opportunity to appreciate exquisite artworks in a serene waterfront setting. Tickets are available for $15, granting you access to a sophisticated cultural experience. Don't miss this chance to indulge in art and culture at the beautiful gallery by the water.

Akram Zaatari (b. 1966, Saida) has played a critical role in developing the formal, intellectual and institutional infrastructure of Beirut's contemporary art scene. He has produced more than fifty films and videos, a dozen books and countless installations of photographic material, all sharing an interest in writing histories and the search for records and objects, keeping track of their changing hands, the retrieval of narratives and missing links that have been hidden, misplaced, lost, found, buried or excavated. The act of digging itself has become emblematic of his practice while acting to restore connections lost over time, or due to war and displacement. Zaatari has dedicated a large volume of his work to the research and study of photographic practices in the Arab world and has made uncompromising contributions to the wider discourse on preservation and archival practice. Rooted in this research practice, Zaatari’s exhibition in Naples retraces the element of restitution in the artist’s work, expressed mainly through text, documents and photographs that revisit descriptions and recreate objects or ties that once existed but are now lost. The exhibition features works across many media from the last two decades, beginning with his two-hour-long video, (2002), in which the artist looks for a buried letter that never reached its destination. It spans through to Zaatari’s most recent body of work, (2024), in which the sarcophagi of two Phoenician Kings (father and son), separated since antiquity, are reunited. The project is accompanied by a series of new works on paper that look at the Mediterranean as a locus of exchange, extraction and movement across millennia. Amongst these works (2017), (2019) and V (2022), and a new work, (2024), all engage in the process of recreating objects that have either vanished or were never produced. The brass relief – made with artisans in Naples – gives new form to a forgotten photograph taken by the father of Egyptian artist Inji Efflatoun for the purpose of making a painting that was never produced. Zaatari's idea of ‘giving life to things that do not exist in the present’ also applies to the recreation of a stone monolith used to seal King Tabnit’s tomb, which was completely destroyed when his sarcophagus was extracted in 1887. (2022) was made from drawings and notes left by Ottoman statesman and painter Osman Hamdi during his excavation of the Sidon Necropolis. Akram Zaatari lives and works in Beirut, Lebanon. Recent exhibitions include: Against Photography. An Annotated History of the Arab Image Foundation, Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah, UAE (2019); The Script, New Art Exchange, Nottingham, England (2018); The Fold, Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, OH (2018); Letter to a Refusing Pilot, Moderna Museet, Malmö, Sweden (2018); Against Photography. An Annotated History of the Arab Image Foundation, MACBA, Barcelona, Spain (2017); travelling to: K21, Düsseldorf, Germany (2018); Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea (2018); Double Take: Akram Zaatari and the Arab Image Foundation, National Portrait Gallery, London, England (2017); This Day at Ten, Kunsthaus Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland (2016); Unfolding, Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden (2015); Akram Zaatari: The End of Time, The Power Plant, Toronto, Canada (2014); Lebanese Pavilion at the 55th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy (2013); Projects 100: Akram Zaatari, Museum of Modern Art, New York (2013); This Day at Ten / Aujourd’hui à 10, Magasin Centre National d’Art Contemporain de Grenoble, France (2013); Tomorrow Everything Will be Alright, MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge, MA (2012); The Uneasy Subject, MUAC, Mexico (2012); Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y Leon, Spain (2011). Additionally, Zaatari’s work has been part of Sharjah Biennial 14, Sharjah, UAE (2018); the 12th Istanbul Biennial, Istanbul, Turkey (2011); The Yokohama Triennale, Yokohama, Japan (2014); the 55th and 52nd Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy (2013 and 2007); dOCUMENTA (13), Kassel, Germany (2012); 27th São Paulo Biennial, São Paulo, Brazil (2006); the 6th Gwangju Biennale, Gwangju, South Korea (2006); and the 15th Biennale of Sydney, Australia (2006). Zaatari’s work is included in the collections of Centre Pompidou, Paris, France; Louis Vuitton, Paris, France; Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, Bristol, England; Tate Modern, London, England; MCA Chicago, Chicago, IL; Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY; Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA and Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN. The project is also the artist’s doctoral project in Arts at ENSAPC and the Cy university, France, under the direction of François Pernot, Alejandra Riera and Bénédicte Savoy. It has been supported in part by: The EUR Humanities, Creation, Heritage (PSGS HCH), « Investissement d’Avenir ANR-17- EURE-0021 » AFAC, The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture.

Experience the excitement of Derby Day at BURN! // BURN NAPLES on May 4th, 2024, starting at 6 PM. Embrace the Kentucky Derby spirit by dressing to impress in your finest Derby attire and a statement hat. Prepare for a night filled with thrills as we award special prizes for the Best Dressed and Best Hat. Indulge in our exclusive cocktails tailored for this occasion while immersing yourself in the vibrant ambiance. Whether you are a seasoned Derby enthusiast or simply seeking a memorable evening, join the festivities at BURN for an unforgettable celebration of horse racing and fashion. For bottle service or table reservations, contact Ivan@burnbyrockypatel.com. Don't miss out on this extraordinary Derby Day extravaganza at BURN by Rocky Patel Naples, located at 9110 Strada Place #Suite #6160, Naples, FL 34108. Admission is free, so mark your calendars and get ready for an evening to remember.