Ken Kelleher’s Willy and Winky Join the George Pérez Collection at Highley House in Wynwood

MIAMI, FLORIDA — Internationally recognized sculptor Ken Kelleher, also known as Anchorball, has announced the completion, installation or presentation of Willy & Winky, a major project from his expanding international practice.

Part of the George Pérez Collection at Highley House in Wynwood, Miami — a private cultural residence assembled by one of the most influential arts patrons in the United States — Willy and Winky operate at architectural scale, embedding character-driven form directly into the structure of the building. Willy stands in the courtyard; Winky presides over the skylounge upstairs.

The two works belong to Ken Kelleher's Luminal Pop practice, in which recurring characters from the world of Low Orbit City are realized as autonomous sculptural forms rather than enlarged graphics. Willy's camouflage of blue and red and Winky's rainbow stripes read instantly from a distance while rewarding close, in-the-round encounters.

Placed within a serious private collection, the sculptures demonstrate how character-led contemporary art can hold its own alongside significant works — carrying an immediacy and warmth that gives the architecture a personality visitors remember long after they leave.

Their placement within the George Pérez Collection signals the growing relevance of Kelleher’s character-based sculpture to serious private collections. The works show how original character forms can operate as autonomous contemporary art while also carrying the recognizability and cultural reach sought by institutions, developers and brand partners.

The project forms part of Kelleher’s broader practice across Luminal Pop and Elemental sculpture, spanning monumental public art, private collections, institutional commissions, destination placemaking and artist-led cultural activations. Across these contexts, Kelleher develops works that are immediately recognizable while retaining the material ambition, authorship and permanence required of serious contemporary sculpture.

For collectors, galleries and cultural institutions, the work reflects a practice at an important point of international development. Kelleher’s sculptures are now established across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, with projects ranging from unique private commissions and tightly controlled editions to major architectural installations and public-facing cultural experiences.

For developers, hospitality groups and brand partners, the project demonstrates how original contemporary art can create identity, emotional connection and long-term cultural value. Rather than operating as decoration, Kelleher’s work is conceived to become a defining image of its setting: a landmark, gathering point and visual memory that audiences associate directly with the place.