Geometry and horticulture come together in artist Gabriel Orozco’s garden design

Mexican artist Gabriel Orozco is known for his soft watercolour series, his abstract paintings and totemic wooden sculptures, and now it seems, he is adding horticulture to his repertoire.
‘The invitation to create a garden as a permanent art work presented a unique opportunity,’ explains the globetrotting artist of his latest work, the garden design at the South London Gallery.
Two years in the making and unveiled last weekend as the winter’s chill takes hold of the capital, the garden was designed alongside 6a architects – the same firm behind the gallery’s award-winning 2010 extension and current renovation of the former Peckham Road Fire Station – and horticulturists from the Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew.
Sketch of South London Gallery Garden.
Struck by the commitment of the gallery to its local community, Orozco set off to design a space that would help that relationship blossom, to ‘create something which could provide an inspiring platform for all of them,’ he says. ‘I started to think about various geometries emerging from the architecture surrounding the space and how they might be re-integrated into it as the basis of a design.’
Circles – a recurring motif favoured by Orozco – form the basis of his geometric design. Intertwining rings are delicately marked out using materials that reflect and continue the physical language of the gallery’s Victorian building (including bricks from the newly opened up rear facade) as a game of symmetry and asymmetry unfolds, creating in its wake a series of ‘spaces’ or ’rooms’. The character or purpose of each designated by the plants that inhabit it, the rise and fall of the ground beneath, and various seating options available to the public. These notional rooms will be used by other artists and, without a doubt, the neighbouring community in the coming months.
Playing on the idea of urban ruin, the garden will evolve to become rambling and overgrown, allowing the omnifarious grasses, low level creepers and fragrant plants to really grow into their own. In the meantime, working drawings and a film capturing the transformation of the garden over the past year take centre stage within the gallery itself.
Circles form the basis of Orozco’s geometric design, delicately marked out using materials that reflect and continue the physical language of the gallery’s Victorian building
A game of symmetry and asymmetry unfolds underfoot, creating a series of 'spaces' or 'rooms' which will in turn be used by other artists in the coming months
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the South London Gallery website
ADDRESS
South London Gallery
65-67 Peckham Rd
London SE5 8UH
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Nothing pitches itself into the premium realm with its new flagship Nothing Phone (3)
The Nothing Phone (3) is a serious creative tool that brings fresh design, new features and a commitment to keeping tech fun
-
Nothing takes its first step into high-end audio with the new over-ear wireless Headphone (1)
Created in partnership with KEF, the Nothing Headphone (1) is designed to shake up the sector and present over-ear audio in a wholly new way
-
In Copenhagen, Charlotte Taylor gave us a glimpse into the mess of real life
At 3 Days of Design, Charlotte Taylor staged ‘Home from Home’, a group exhibition in collaboration with Noura Residency, showcasing the chaos of the everyday, from unmade beds to breakfast leftovers
-
Leila Bartell’s cloudscapes are breezily distorted, a response to an evermore digital world
‘Memory Fields’ is the London-based artist’s solo exhibition at Tristan Hoare Gallery (until 25 July 2025)
-
A bespoke 40m mixed-media dragon is the centrepiece of Glastonbury’s new chill-out area
New for 2025 is Dragon's Tail – a space to offer some calm within Glastonbury’s late-night area with artwork by Edgar Phillips at its heart
-
Emerging artist Kasia Wozniak’s traditional photography techniques make for ethereal images
Wozniak’s photographs, taken with a 19th-century Gandolfi camera, are currently on show at Incubator, London
-
Vincent Van Gogh and Anselm Kiefer are in rich and intimate dialogue at the Royal Academy of Arts
German artist Anselm Kiefer has paid tribute to Van Gogh throughout his career. When their work is viewed together, a rich relationship is revealed
-
Alice Adams, Louise Bourgeois, and Eva Hesse delve into art’s ‘uckiness’ at The Courtauld
New exhibition ‘Abstract Erotic’ (until 14 September 2025) sees artists experiment with the grotesque
-
Get lost in Megan Rooney’s abstract, emotional paintings
The artist finds worlds in yellow and blue at Thaddaeus Ropac London
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the week
It was a jam-packed week for the Wallpaper* staff, entailing furniture, tech and music launches and lots of good food – from afternoon tea to omakase
-
London calling! Artists celebrate the city at Saatchi Yates
London has long been an inspiration for both superstar artists and newer talent. Saatchi Yates gathers some of the best