London Sculpture Week 2023

London Sculpture Week returns to celebrate public art in the capital, from 16 – 24 September 2023! 

The second edition of London Sculpture Week kicks off this Saturday, for what is set to be a week full of all things public art, spanning from East to West London! 

Running from 16 – 24 September 2023, the event brings together four London cultural initiatives – Frieze Sculpture, Fourth Plinth, Sculpture in the City, and The Line. From guided art tours to family workshops to artist performances, there are many events scheduled to highlight and celebrate the vast variety of public art showcased all across London. 

Sculpture in the City, Family Day. Photo by Luke O'Donovan

Sculpture in the City

The 12th Edition of Sculpture in the City features 18 artworks by 17 artists from ten different countries – all chosen for their ability to engage with and respond to the dramatic architectural setting. With works by artists, such as Phyllida Barlow and Simeon Barclay, placed amongst the towering skyscrapers of the City of  London, visitors are able to experience international contemporary art in the public realm, while discovering new and familiar locations at the heart of the continually changing City landscape. 

Simeon Barcaly, Pittu Pithy Pitoo. Courtesy the artist and Workplace UK. Photo © Nick Turpin

Events: 


16th September: 

  • SculptureFest. Featuring free family events, such as Poetry, Making and Build Workshops, as well as Children's Tours of the sculptures.

18th to 23rd September: 

SITC, Jesse Pollock, The Granary (2021), Copyright the artist. Photo © Nick Turpin

The Line 

The Line is a free public art walk in East London, stretching from Greenwich Peninsula to the East Bank in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Art installations by world renowned artists such as Anish Kapoor, Larry Achiampong, Tracey Emin and Serge Attukwei Clottey adorn the landscape and accentuate the natural beauty of East London’s waterways.

The Line - Serge Attukwei Clottey. Photo by Thierry Bal

Events: 

17th September: 

23rd September: 

  • Mask-making workshop at Greenwich Peninsula with Thames Festival Trust, where recycled materials are used to explore themes of heritage and identity in the style of Ghanaian artist Serge Attukwei Clottey.

  • Free BSL-interpreted guided tour of The Line with Remiiya Badru (12:00pm-14:00pm).

  • Public conversations about outdoor sculpture led by The Line's Youth Guides.

Tracey Emin, A Moment Without You Three Mills. The Line. Courtesy of the artist and White Cube. Image Credit Angus Mill

Frieze Sculpture

Hosted in The Regent’s Park’s historic English Gardens since 2012, Frieze Sculpture is a major public art exhibition, free and open to all, that showcases a breadth of contemporary sculpture. Coinciding with Frieze London’s 20th anniversary, this year's presentation is curated for the first time by acclaimed independent curator Fatoş Üstek. The 2023 edition features works by 21 leading international artists including Leilah Babirye, Zak Ové, Tomas Saraceno and Holly Stevenson. 

Holly Stevenson, A Duck for Georgia (2022). Ceramic 24 x 31 x 16 cm. Courtesy of the artist, Pi Artworks and Sid Motion Gallery. This work was made during a 'Peer to Peer’ project, commissioned by Art.et.al. for my peer, the Australian neuro-divergent artist, Georgia Szmerling

Events: 

21st September:

24th September: 

Suhasini Kejriwal, Maquette for Garden of Un-Earthly Delights, 2023. Acrylic paint, fibreglass, metal H: 30 in. Courtesy of Suhasini Kejriwal and Nature Morte Gallery Photo by Vivienne Sarky

Fourth Plinth

Trafalgar Square’s iconic Fourth Plinth, an acclaimed public art commission, invites leading international artists to create sculptures for the plinth. The Fourth Plinth commissions are chosen through public consultation by an independent panel of artists, curators and journalists. In 2022, Antelope by Samson Kambalu was announced as the Fourth Plinth sculpture. 

Samson Kambalu, Antelope, 2022, The Mayor of London Fourth Plinth Programme. Photo: © James O Jenkins

Events: 

17th September:

  • An Introduction to the Fourth Plinth will take place in Trafalgar Square from 4pm to 4.30pm, where Samson Kambalu’s Antelope is on show as the Mayor of London’s 14th commission.

Samson Kambalu, Antelope, 2022, The Mayor of London Fourth Plinth Programme. Photo: © James O Jenkins

London Sculpture Week runs from 16 – 24 September 2023. For more information, visit London Sculpture Week

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RIBA + Grimshaw Foundation Annual Art Lecture

The 2024 RIBA + Grimshaw Foundation Annual Art Lecture returns, bringing together the interdisciplinary worlds of art and architecture.

This year the lecture will be given by Guyanese-British sculptor Hew Locke, followed by a conversation and questions with writer and curator Ekow Eshun.

The lecture will take place on Thursday 5th December at the RIBA in London. 

Launched in 2022 as a collaboration between RIBA and the Grimshaw Foundation, the lecture series supports the aspirations of the two organisations: elevating creativity as an essential skill for the future and creating opportunities for young people from diverse backgrounds to explore and engage with the worlds of art, design, and architecture.

Book Tickets Here