Robert Chambers at Ping Pong. Photo by Wendy Wischer

Art Basel Miami Beach hasn’t officially begun yet, but some art peeked through early, maybe so as not to get lost in the shuffle. And sometimes, even in the biggest, most cramped fairs, just a few good pieces are enough to satisfy, maybe even letting you feel less hollow when you leave after only seeing part of it (and able to buy even less of it).

So, for instance, in the quirky little fair/exhibit Ping Pong, which this year is located Downtown in the historic Alfred I. Dupont building, there are only a dozen artists – each with one or two pieces – who hail from Miami; Basel, Switzerland; and Los Angeles. And likely the pieces that will stand out and make you chuckle come from Miami’s own.

“The Death of the Death of Painting” is a classic Robert Chambers – one of Miami’s veteran artists – a plucky little mechanical sculpture, cobbled together like it was made a century ago. Dangling on a chain that is connected to a small rotating device, a skeleton is painting (or erasing) a still-life of a vase of flowers. It’s great.

On your way out, you may want to refresh at an old drinking fountain. Press the lever, and the fountain starts to guffaw, you’ll laugh too; it’s from multi-disciplinary artist Ruben Millares.

At the first major fair to open this week, Untitled on the sands of 12th and Ocean Drive, it is easy to look at the tons of work, relatively speaking, as it is designed to let the booths spread out, and the galleries themselves seem to follow in concept, rarely stuffing their booths and keeping it simple.

There, you can enjoy the “solo” show from Israeli artist Reuven Israel at Fridman Gallery (C-07). The New York gallery on Spring Street just opened last year, and the artist is a newcomer. His sculptures are deceptively simple, looking like barbells or weights, but they are made of wood and carry more meaning than the literal.

Another solo show at New York gallery Cindy Rucker (A-14) comes from Adrian Esparza, who unravels the colorful threads from a Mexican serape and reworks them into his own contemporary tapestries. His works was commissioned last year for the opening of Perez Art Museum Miami.

Ping Pong runs Tuesday through Sunday from 3-6 p.m., with a DJ party on Friday until 9 p.m., at the Alfred I Dupont Bldg., 169 E. Flagler St., Miami; www.ping-pong-miami.us. Admission is free. Untitled Art Fair runs Wednesday through Sunday. Admission is $25. Visit www.art-untitled.com for time details.