WEST PALM BEACH — A large-scale apartment and retail complex being completed in the city’s Northwood Village neighborhood will feature an eye-catching bronze sculpture that peers back at passersby.
The striking 10-foot-tall artwork is intended to be a signature focal point in a public plaza at the new District at Northwood
complex, which will feature 382 apartments, a plaza and 60,000 square feet of commercial space.The piece, entitled “Crossroads,” depicts a spherical, cartoon-like figure peering up out of the ground near the corner of Northwood Road and Broadway.
City commissioners last month approved the design for the piece, which is being built to comply with the city’s Art in Public Places program.
The piece is by Los Angeles street artist
Kai and features his recurring character “IF,” short for “imaginary friend.”
Ten feet tall and fifteen feet wide, the sculpture is described in a city government memo as “both object and participant, becoming an unexpected interactive welcome to The District.”
Carolina Puente, the city’s public art coordinator, told commissioners that the piece will function as “a prominent landmark that anchors the site and welcomes passersby.”
“Viewing the sculpture at different angles, its reflective surface mirrors the surrounding architecture, sky, and movement,” she told commissioners. “As the environment shifts, the sculpture changes in response, reflecting Northwood back to itself.”
The 4-acre District complex is being developed by Immocorp Ventures in partnership with the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency, which owned the property.
The city approved plans for the project in 2022. The District's website says completion is expected this year. An Immocorp executive did not respond to a message seeking comment.
The District at Northwood will be just down the street from The Spruce, an eight-story apartment building that celebrated its grand opening this summer and features the city's largest mural.
Andrew Marra is a reporter at The Palm Beach Post. Reach him at amarra@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: A cartoonish bronze sculpture will peer out from a new West Palm plaza
