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 makes 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 art works 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 are Mark Wallinger’s life-sized sculpture, The Black Horse (2015), which greets 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 are able to see Gary Webb’s Dreamy Bathroom (2014), that adds 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 are 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.
Sculpture in the City has built a rapport with many who live, work and visit the City of London. Over the past seven years, the annual public art programme has gained attention for bringing both established international artists and rising stars to a broad public. With works juxtaposed against the tall buildings in the Square Mile, this open-air exhibition not only enriches the workday experience of City workers, but draws cultural visitors into this most ancient part of the city.
倫敦城市雕塑展於6月27日開幕。似乎已經成為倫敦每個夏天都不可或缺的一部分,今年的年度公共藝術展一如既往的致力於以頂尖的當代藝術作品裝點城市的方裡之地。
本次展場遍佈倫敦最具地標性的建築群中——倫敦金融城,英倫式的黑色幽默在一塊被稱為「一平方英里」(Square Mile)的地方演繹的淋漓盡致。這些存在于城市之中的雕塑不僅豐富了城市工作者的工作環境,還將世界各地的文化愛好者吸引到了古老而現代的城市角落。
16件作品将藝術與都市人的生活緊密相連,展現出城市變遷的本質與動態的發展。這些作品大多以工業材料作為創作素材,配合光線與運動的元素,成為一塊塊記錄我們當代生活的紀念碑。在倫敦城市雕塑展開放與流動的觀賞氛圍中,實現了與藝術家的隔空對話,從不同角度體會藝術家的幽默感,豐富作品內涵的同時,也為整個城市增添了勃勃生機。
Edited & Translated by Qiwen Ke
編輯 x 翻譯:柯淇雯