A swimming pool folded in half will soon be erected in the space outside the west entrance of the Miami Beach Convention Center—but visitors will not be able to swim in it. The sculpture, by the Scandinavian duo Elmgreen & Dragset, is one of six new permanent works of public art commissioned by the City of Miami Beach as part of the $600m renovation of the building.
The works, sel ected from more than 500 submissions, include a neon-and-text installation by the US artist Joseph Kosuth for the main lobby, showing Miami Beach as the centre of the world. British-born Sarah Morris will decorate the exterior walls of the north-east entrance with a monumental installation of hand-painted tiles covering 5,000 sq. ft, and the Brooklyn-based artist Ellen Harvey will create a series of glass panels that map the bodies of water in and around Miami Beach for a new grand ballroom. The German artist Franz Ackermann will also make a mural, and the Dutch artist Joep Van Lieshout will install his Humanoids series of sculptures in the north-east park.
