Monumental 45-Foot-Tall Burning Man Sculpture During Miami Art Week

Lincoln Road, the iconic outdoor shopping, dining and cultural destination situated in the heart of Miami Beach, announces the arrival of a monumental 45-foot-tall, 32,000-pound kinetic sculpture during Miami Art Week named ‘R-Evolution’, that will glow in the sun and illuminate at night thanks with RGB LED lights. The towering nude female sculpture, which will be showcased on the East Coast for the first time ever, first debuted at Burning Man and was designed by Marco Cochrane, the artist behind monumental sculptures seen at the Smithsonian Art Museum and the $4.3 billion Resorts World.

‘R-Evolution’ will be on display on the 400 Block of Lincoln Road starting November 14 and will be on display through April 2024.  

The ‘R-Evolution’ sculpture symbolizes feminine strength and liberation, featuring 16 motors in her chest to simulate breathing and demonstrate how her energy radiates into the world by involuntary forces. 

Using a Pantograph – a medieval-era enlargement tool – the sculpture was built by hand by Marco using classical sculpting techniques starting with a life-size original, enlarged first to 15 foot clay version, and then to her final metal form. The completed 45 foot sculpture is made of steel rod and tubing, utilizing two layers of geodesic triangles (necessitating 55,000 welds) covered by a stainless steel mesh. 

‘R-Evolution’ is the third and final sculpture in Cochrane’s “The Bliss Project” series, intended to catalyze social change by challenging bystanders to see past the sexual charge surrounding the female body. To actualize the series, Cochrane worked with singer, songwriter, dancer, model, humanitarian and farmer Deja Solis as a collaborator and model and called upon hundreds of volunteers to take part in the creation. 

“Lincoln Road has been the epicenter of art and culture of Miami Beach since the 1960s and has strengthened since Art Basel began here more than 20 years ago,” said Anabel Llopis, executive director of the Lincoln Road Business Improvement District. “Every year, we curate game-changing exhibits that push the boundaries of what has been done on Lincoln Road, and we can’t wait to bring Marco Cochrane’s ‘R-Evolution’ to Miami Beach residents and visitors. Our mission is to be the largest public art museum and to provide access and engagement with art to all. The piece will draw thousands to the destination with her energy and the magnitude of her presence. Being steps away from the most iconic art show, Art Basel at the Miami Beach Convention Center and Design Miami, Lincoln Road will continue to serve as a premier hub for modern culture-seekers to discover free public outdoor art.” 

Lincoln Road’s broad public walkway is embellished with splashing fountains, tropical gardens, and an amphitheater, influenced by Modernist Architect Morris Lapidus who was commissioned in 1960 to redesign the road by creating a shopping esplanade in the Art Deco Style. Located just steps from the Miami Beach Convention Center, Lincoln Road is the most-visited open-air destination in South Florida, with over 8 million visitors annually. Lincoln Road showcases free outdoor public art year-round, displaying permanent works and pop-up installations by famous local, national and international artists at every turn. Works include Dan Graham’s “Steel-and-Glass Concave,” a fun house-like homage to architect Morris Lapidus; a mural inside H&M by local self-taught Cuban-American artist ABSTRK that bridges the gap between Miami Beach’s art deco architecture and the compositional lines of gestural graffiti; and a captivating work by contemporary artist Bradley Theodore on the exterior wall of Chotto Matte that celebrates the restaurant’s Peruvian roots with colorful icon depictions.  

This exhibition continues the rich history of previous exhibitions on Lincoln Road including 2020’s “Botero on Lincoln Road” public art show, a series of monumental bronze sculptures by world-renowned Colombian artist Fernando Botero, whose work has been showcased in famous destinations such as the Champs-Élysées in Paris, Yebisu Garden Place in Tokyo, the Lustgarten in Berlin and Park Avenue in New York City, and 2022’s open-air activation featuring bright, geometric, life-size animal statues from French artist Richard Orlinski’s Champs-Élysées exhibition.