Booker's solo exhibition "The Observance" opened at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, accompanied by a University of Chicago Press publication.
On March 8, 2013, the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami opened Chakaia Booker: The Observance, a solo exhibition dedicated to the artist's ongoing sculptural investigations. The show represented a major institutional showcase in one of the United States' most vibrant contemporary art hubs, timed to coincide with Miami's rise as a global center for contemporary art amid the influence of Art Basel Miami Beach.
The exhibition was accompanied by a scholarly publication distributed by the University of Chicago Press, lending significant academic weight to critical discourse surrounding Booker's work. This publication helped position her sculptural practice within broader conversations about material culture, environmental reclamation, and Black artistic identity in contemporary American art.
The Observance continued Booker's exploration of tires as a medium capable of expressing complex themes — including labor, industrialization, and the body — through their transformation into intricate, almost sentient forms. The exhibition's Miami setting also underscored her expanding international visibility, as the city's contemporary art scene draws collectors, critics, and curators from around the world.
This show remains one of the most critically documented moments in Booker's career, frequently cited in retrospectives and scholarly accounts of her artistic evolution during the early 2010s.