Sculpture in the City, the City of London’s annual public art programme set amongst some of London’s most iconic architectural landmarks, launches on 27 June.
This year 16 artworks will make up the outdoor sculpture park in the Square Mile and includes works from internationally renowned artists including Paul McCarthy, Ryan Gander and Martin Creed nestled around some of Britain’s most famous buildings including The Leadenhall Building (the ‘Cheesegrater’) and for the first time, Richard Rogers’ Lloyd’s building.
For Sculpture in the City’s seventh edition, the artworks are spread further than ever across the Square Mile, including installations at six new locations, and range greatly in form and scale. This year the scheme expands its locations, with works like Daniel Buren’ s 4 Colours at 3 metres high situated work (2011), located to the eastern City in front of the newly completed One Creechurch Place, allowing visitors a meditative moment and sensorial escape from the City.
This year, there are two new works exhibited for the first time, Peter Randall-Page’s Envelope of Pulsation (For Leo) (2017) and Fernando Casasempere’s Reminiscence (2017). A six metre high sculpture of a human anatomical model, Temple (2008) by Damien Hirst takes up residence in Cullum Street, and Kevin Killen’s Tipping Point (2016), a series of neon light arrangements, will map out an urban landscape at The Leadenhall Building.
Accompanying these works will be Mark Wallinger’s life-sized sculpture, The Black Horse (2015), which will greet visitors at the corner of Bishopsgate and Wormwood Street, near to Martin Creed’s Work No.2814 (2017). These works lead to Paul McCarthy’s Apple Tree Boy Apple Tree Girl (2010), one of the latest works from McCarthy’s Hummel series, executed on a monumental scale. Another work outside Hiscox offices at 1 Great St Helen’s is Ryan Gander’s Never has there been such urgency, or The Eloquent and the Gaga – (Alchemy Box # 45) (2014), an air-dropped parcel suspended from a tree by its parachute.
On the other side of Leadenhall Street, visitors will be able to see Gary Webb’s Dreamy Bathroom (2014), that will add an element of whimsical abstraction at 51 Lime Street, The Willis Towers Watson, alongside Mhairi Vari’s Support for a Cloud (2016), a sculpture in multiple sections, some of which will be installed on the Lloyds Building, with a third on a lamppost on Lime Street.
Participating artists for Sculpture in the City 2017 include Daniel Buren, Fernando Casasempere, Martin Creed, Ryan Gander, Damien Hirst, Kevin Killen, Paul McCarthy, Nathaniel Rackowe, Peter Randall-Page RA, Recycle Group, Bosco Sodi, Karen Tang, Gavin Turk, Mhairi Vari, Mark Wallinger and Gary Webb.
Tours will be held on 29 June between 12.30pm and 2 pm, and on 30 June between 4.30pm and 6 pm. Co-directors of Sculpture in the City, Stella Ioannou and Simon Glynn will introduce the public to the project and the great stories behind each artwork. The tours are part of the London Festival of Architecture.
Download a map of the artworks HERE
For more information on Sculpture in the City 2017 see The City of London’s website HERE