Off the coast of Miami Beach, a new environmental art installation is transforming the seafloor into an evolving artificial reef.Twenty-two life-sized cars made from marine-grade, pH-neutral concrete have been placed on the ocean floor as part of a project called Concrete Coral.

Created by conceptual artist Leandro Erlich, the installation was unveiled during Miami Art Week and serves as the first major activation of the larger ReefLine initiative, a planned seven-mile underwater sculpture park that merges public art with coral restoration efforts.Unlike traditional shipwreck-style reefs, the concrete vehicles are intentionally engineered to support marine life.

Their composition encourages coral fragments to attach, grow, and eventually spread across the structures, gradually obscuring the car shapes beneath living reef systems.

A specialized attachment method called Coral Lok, developed by ReefLine’s Miami Native Coral Lab, helps secure coral fragments with minimal stress while promoting rapid growth.The structures are also designed to withstand harsh ocean conditions, including hurricane-level forces.

ReefLine was founded by curator Ximena Caminos in collaboration with architect Shohei Shigematsu of OMA, with a mission centered on ecological restoration in response to severe coral decline in Florida waters.

Over time, the installation is expected to shift from recognizable human-made objects into dense marine habitats dominated by octocorals and other reef-building organisms.The project reframes the automobile as both a symbol of pollution and, underwater, a scaffold for regeneration.Instead of serving as a reminder of environmental harm, the submerged cars are intended to contribute to ocean recovery.Future ReefLine installations will expand the concept, including additional sculptural works designed to function as habitat infrastructure.The overall vision positions art not as static decoration, but as living infrastructure that evolves with and is improved by natural ecosystems.