Jon-Paul Wheatley’s “Badly Drawn Ball” Arrives Among Miami’s Most Luxurious Shopping

A soccer ball has taken over one of Miami’s most glamorous shopping destinations, and it might just be the most thoughtful one you’ve ever seen.

Photo Credit: World Red Eye

Bal Harbour Shops unveiled “12 Pentagons” on Wednesday evening, a multi-week immersive art installation by British multidisciplinary artist and football designer Jon-Paul Wheatley. The launch was marked by a cocktail reception in the destination’s iconic Center Courtyard, where guests mingled with the artist over signature bites and drinks from Slim’s while taking in the centerpiece of the experience: a monumental oversized soccer ball sculpture inspired by Wheatley’s acclaimed Badly Drawn Ball series.

Photo Credit: World Red Eye

The work is exactly what it sounds like, and far more than it appears. Wheatley’s Badly Drawn Ball project is built on a simple but disarming premise: people around the world submit hand-drawn sketches of soccer balls from memory, and the results reveal something surprisingly human. No two are alike. Most are charmingly imperfect. Together, they form a global portrait of how we internalize one of sport’s most universal symbols.

Photo Credit: World Red Eye

At Bal Harbour Shops, that idea scales up dramatically. Visitors can engage with an interactive digital experience to create and contribute their own badly drawn designs to an evolving global archive, making the installation as much about participation as observation. Behind-the-scenes visual content documenting Wheatley’s meticulous handcrafted process is woven throughout all three floors of the shopping center, alongside exclusive collectible merchandise, signed posters, and limited-edition offerings.

The timing is deliberate. Miami is gearing up for one of the most anticipated moments in global soccer, and Bal Harbour Village is leaning into the cultural energy with an installation that frames the sport not through statistics or spectacle, but through creativity and community.

Photo Credit: World Red Eye

“12 Pentagons” runs at Bal Harbour Shops through June 28, after which the oversized sculpture will move to Bal Harbour Village Beach from July 1 through July 27, trading the marble corridors of luxury retail for Miami’s open oceanfront. The extension also coincides with Bal Harbour Village’s 80th anniversary, giving the celebration an extra layer of significance.

For a destination better known for Chanel and Cartier than cleats, it’s a bold and surprisingly fitting pivot. There is something quietly radical about finding beauty in a badly drawn circle. Wheatley reminds us that imperfection, rendered with intention, is its own kind of luxury.