Collins Park

The works on view in Collins Park, presented by The Bass, evoke poetry and nature, while exploring themes like the effects of consumer culture, climate change and lost love. Rondinone’s totemic Miami Mountain (2016) and Weiner’s text-based SHELLS USED TO BUILD ROADS POURED UPON SHELLS USED TO PAY THE WAY, AT THE LEVEL OF THE SEA (2008) directly address the museum’s ocean-front context in Miami Beach, referencing its topography and adjacency to rising sea levels. Sylvie Fleury’s neon Eternity Now (2015) borrows from designer fragrance branding to call attention the city’s propensity toward material perfection, while also speaking to climate issues. 

Installed at the museum’s reflecting pool on Park Avenue and 22nd Street, the newly acquired Too Much I Once Lamented (2019) by Susan Philipsz vocalizes a song dating from 1622 by Welsh composer Thomas Tomkins, which recalls the laments of a heartbroken lover. Using her own voice, the artist creates a madrigal song structure overlaying her recordings of the five parts to evoke solitude, isolation and longing–feelings, which have particular relevance during these times.

Promoting a sense of connectivity, Jim Drain’s Chess Tables (2014) solicits a participatory call to action and activity.