Wandering sculptor: Not Vital arrives at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
![House To Watch The Sunset](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QkjfjnKCYtFgwgCVfeboFB-415-80.jpg)
For a man who was born in the remote Swiss village of Sent, Not Vital is a seriously global sculptor. The nomadic artist has ongoing projects as far-flung as Rio de Janeiro, Bataan, Niger – and now Wakefield.
Until January next year, Yorkshire Sculpture Park in the Bretton Hall Estate will display an extensive range of Vital's work. Each nook of the 18th century grounds has been occupied by a visionary Vital piece, including Let 100 Flowers Bloom (2008), which is scattered across the park's lengthy terrace. This complex installation comprises a century of elegant lotus buds on 3m-long stems, rendered in stainless steel.
Vital's smaller works are equally as eye-catching. Down in the Underground Gallery, visitors stumble upon Snowball (1999), a delicate glass globe encasing what appears to be a hand-formed ball of snow, evocative of Vital's wintry birthplace. Here, paintings and more fragile works are sensibly shielded from the Yorkshire elements.
Back in the open air of the parkland, Big Tongue (1996–97) nestles near the mouth of Bothy Gardens, and HEADS (2014) stand tall against the dark green of a historic yew hedge. Despite their contemporary shine, YSP director of programme Clare Lilley notes that 'the works bear resemblance to 18th century follies' – it feels like they could have lived in the grounds for years.
Their natural appearance belies their tricky installation. 'Siting an almost 8m-high tongue in a late snow blizzard wasn’t the easiest,' confirms Lilley. 'And the huge ceramic HEADS came from Jingdezhen in the south of China on a very slow boat. They nearly missed the party.'
Despite the diverse and eclectic range of sculptures, the display is effortlessly cohesive. 'It’s not easy to imagine an exhibition when you’ve only ever seen its components in different parts of the world, but this far exceeds my expectations,' she concludes. Each sculpture poetically reflects the place it was created, but all bear Vital's signature, unifying touch.
The nomadic artist has ongoing projects in locales as far-flung as Rio de Janeiro, Bataan and Niger. Pictured: Moon, 2015
The 18th century grounds have been filled with visionary Vital pieces. Pictured: Let 100 Flowers Bloom, 2008, is scattered across the park's lengthy terrace
Vital's smaller works are just as eye-catching as his larger, monumental ones. Pictured: installation view of the Underground Gallery
Down in the Underground Gallery, visitors stumble upon Snowball (1999), a delicate glass globe encasing what appears to be a hand-formed ball of snow, evoking Vital's wintry birthplace. Pictured: Snowball, 1999
Here, paintings and more fragile works are shielded from the Yorkshire elements
Back in the open air of the parkland, Big Tongue nestles near the mouth of Bothy Gardens. Pictured: Big Tongue, 1996–97
YSP director of programme Clare Lilley explains, 'the huge ceramic HEADS came from Jingdezhen in the south of China on a very slow boat. They nearly missed the party.' Pictured: HEADS, 2015
INFORMATION
'Not Vital' is on view until 2 January 2017. For more information, visit the Yorkshire Sculpture Park website
Photography coutesy the artist and YSP
ADDRESS
Yorkshire Sculpture Park
West Bretton
Wakefield, WF4 4LG
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Elly Parsons is the Digital Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees Wallpaper.com and its social platforms. She has been with the brand since 2015 in various roles, spending time as digital writer – specialising in art, technology and contemporary culture – and as deputy digital editor. She was shortlisted for a PPA Award in 2017, has written extensively for many publications, and has contributed to three books. She is a guest lecturer in digital journalism at Goldsmiths University, London, where she also holds a masters degree in creative writing. Now, her main areas of expertise include content strategy, audience engagement, and social media.
-
Take off: Mathieu Lehanneur's Olympic Cauldron rises into the Parisian night sky
The Paris 2024 Olympics’ opening ceremony was closed with a soaring cauldron spectacle that will go down in history
By Hugo Macdonald Published
-
Phaidon’s new Graphic Classics is a lavish greatest hits of graphic design
Graphic Classics is a compendium of seven centuries of visual culture, from the everyday and ephemeral to visionary works that reshaped our world
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Birley Chocolate hits the sweet ’n’ chic spot in London’s Chelsea
The new Birley Chocolate shop, a sibling to Birley Bakery, is a confection of colour as delicious as its finely crafted goods
By Melina Keays Published
-
Harlem-born artist Tschabalala Self’s colourful ode to the landscape of her childhood
Tschabalala Self’s new show at Finland's Espoo Museum of Modern Art evokes memories of her upbringing, in vibrant multi-dimensional vignettes
By Millen Brown-Ewens Published
-
Wanås Konst sculpture park merges art and nature in Sweden
Wanås Konst’s latest exhibition, 'The Ocean in the Forest', unites land and sea with watery-inspired art in the park’s woodland setting
By Alice Godwin Published
-
Pino Pascali’s brief and brilliant life celebrated at Fondazione Prada
Milan’s Fondazione Prada honours Italian artist Pino Pascali, dedicating four of its expansive main show spaces to an exhibition of his work
By Kasia Maciejowska Published
-
‘I just don't like eggs!’: Andrea Fraser unpacks the art market
Artist Andrea Fraser’s retrospective ‘I just don't like eggs!’ at Fondazione Antonio dalle Nogare, Italy, explores what really makes the art market tick
By Sofia Hallström Published
-
John Cage’s ‘now moments’ inspire Lismore Castle Arts’ group show
Lismore Castle Arts’ ‘Each now, is the time, the space’ takes its title from John Cage, and sees four artists embrace the moment through sculpture and found objects
By Amah-Rose Abrams Published
-
Gerhard Richter unveils new sculpture at Serpentine South
Gerhard Richter revisits themes of pattern and repetition in ‘Strip-Tower’ at London’s Serpentine South
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Peter Blake’s sculptures spark joy at Waddington Custot in London
‘Peter Blake: Sculpture and Other Matters’, at London's Waddington Custot, spans six decades of the artist's career
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Oozing, squidgy, erupting forms come alive at Hayward Gallery
‘When Forms Come Alive: Sixty Years of Restless Sculpture’ at Hayward Gallery, London, is a group show full of twists and turns
By Hannah Silver Published