A series of sculptures have been installed across the City of London, creating a public art trail that brings together an international roster of high-profile artists. Returning for its 11th edition, Sculpture in the City has curated a show of 20 artworks, which will be in situ until Spring 2023.
For 2022, 11 artists have installed new works: Shezad Dawood; Sarah Lucas; Pedro Pires; Jesse Pollock; Emma Louise Moore; Ugo Rondinone; Victor Seaward; Emma Smith; Bosco Sodi and Claudia Wieser. These new pieces join six existing sculptures that have remained in place from the last iteration, created by Mike Ballard; Alice Channer; Bram Ellens; Jun T. Lai; Eva Rothschild and Guillaume Vandame. The pieces are dotted around the city’s Financial District and are flanked by architectural landmarks such as the “Gherkin” and “Cheesegrater”.
The artistic director of Sculpture in the City, Stella Ioannou, described the latest edition of the festival as a “message of optimism” that hopes to engage all visitors to the city – from those living in the area or working in nearby offices, to those travelling from afar or simply passing by.
Throughout the course of the trail, sculptures vary in form, material and size. Sarah Lucas’ contribution comes in the form of a giant, concrete sandwich, which is intended to elevate a humble snack to a monumental scale. Nearby, Jesse Pollock’s “The Granary” sees a life-sized replication of a traditional English grain store coloured in candy orange – as a nod to the tendency to look at the past through rose-tinted glasses.
Some artists have opted to install light works, including Elisa Artesero’s “Garden of Floating Words” and Emma Smith’s “We” – the latter of which sees a simple red neon installation spelling out the sentence “We Are All One”. This year, the event has teamed up with Bloomberg to create an app that allows visitors to interact with the sculptures from afar. More information about the app, the full programme, and each of the works is available on the Sculpture in the City website.
Elsewhere in London, a new solo exhibition of Peter Saul’s paintings is taking place at Michael Werner Gallery.
