The Best Public Pop-Ups and Installations to See During Art Basel Miami

Every December, Art Basel descends on Miami, bringing with it a flock of art aficionados eager to take in its cultural cache. But while the official event takes place in the Miami Beach Convention Center, there's plenty of avant-garde offerings outside its industrial walls-in fact, some now call the whole affair "Art Week," an acknowledgement of all the offerings worth doing and seeing in the city.

So, after perusing Art Basel and its neighboring fair, Design Miami, what should you get up to? Below, the best pop-ups and installations in Miami Beach and beyond.

Pink Beast (Design District)

Tucked into the trees in Miami's Design District are pink sisal-tassel sloths, all part of the outdoor installation Pink Beasts. London-based, Mexican-born artist Fernando Laposse created these creatures with red dye from the tiny cochineal insect, a native species that have been used for textile-coloring since the Aztec age. (An added splash of lemon juice and baking soda gives them their Art Deco a propos pink shade.) Accompanying these arboreal animals are sculptural hammocks by Angela Darnman, meant for public use.

"Dollar a Gallon" (Paseo Ponti, Between NE 40th & 41st Streets)

Virgil Abloh continues to flex his multi-hyphenate status with "Dollar a Gallon," an installation at Paseo Ponti. The sculpture is a Sunoco gas sign, complete with prices, that sinks into the ground. It serves as a commentary on how necessities, like energy, are often repackaged as brands- and, as a result, it reflects capitalism as a whole.

Versace x Sasha Bikoff, Versace Store ( 186 NE 39th Street Miami, FL)

Like Miu Miu and M/ M, Versace and bold-bright-and-brash interior designer Sasha Bikoff first debuted their collaboration during Salone del Mobile. Now armed with some new pieces, the updated collection debuts at Versace's Design District Store. It's inspired by South Beach during the 80s and 90s, as well as prints from the Italian house's archive- think a hot pink chair with a blazing sun emblazoned on the back. On view from December 6 through December 8.

House of Suntory Qungle Plaza, 3801 NE 1st Ave, Miami)

Suntory transports their "Tiny House" traveling bar from Japan to Miami this week, offering up traditional highball cocktails and spirits. And while the drinks surely are divine, the service too, will be a cultural experience: the Japanese are known for omotenashi-or hospitality that puts guests before all else.

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