Site-specific: ’Sculpture in the City’ adorns London’s architectural landmarks

In its largest edition yet, the sixth annual ‘Sculpture in the City’ has transformed the Square Mile once again into an open-air, urban exhibition. Until May 2017, works are being showcased in and around some of London’s architectural landmarks.
‘Sculpture in the City’ is a public art program run by the City of London that installs contemporary artworks in unexpected locations around the district. A collaboration between the City of London Corporation, local businesses and the art world, the program provides an opportunity for the public to engage and interact with contemporary art and the artists on show. It aims to enhance the urban environment with its juxtaposition of creativity and the landscape of finance. Featuring both established and emerging international artists, previous contributors have included Ai Weiwei, Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin.
Seventeen works are exhibited this year. The curation features large-scale pieces by English artists Sarah Lucas and Sir Anthony Caro, South African artists William Kentridge and Gerhard Marx, and Italian sculptor and conceptual artist Giuseppe Penone. Also included are a 7m-high, cast-iron head by Catalan sculptor Jaume Plensa at the Gherkin and delicate paper chain sculptures by Peruvian artist Lizi Sánchez strung throughout multiple locations from Leadenhall Market to the Cheesegrater.
On top of the installations dotted around the city, complementary educational workshops run by Open-City are being held after the project's installation, to engage and inspire schoolchildren and the wider community.
Run by the City of London, it aims to juxtapose art pieces with the urban environment of the capital’s insurance district. Pictured: Untitled, by Enrico David, 2015
Both domestic and international practitioners are featured, from Sarah Lucas and Sir Anthony Caro, to South African artists William Kentridge and Gerhard Marx, and Italian sculptor and conceptual artist Giuseppe Penone. Pictured: Fire Walker, by William Kentridge and Gerhard Marx, 2014. Courtesy the artists
Sculptures greatly range in size, from the 7m-high piece by Jaume Plensa to small paper-chain installations by Lizi Sánchez. Pictured: Laura, by Jaume Plensa, 2013
The smallest work, Cadenetas, by Peruvian artist Lizi Sánchez, is installed across Leadenhall Market, Bishopsgate, and in and around the Cheesegrater. Pictured: Cadenetas, by Lizi Sánchez, 2016
In total, 17 artworks have been installed across the Square Mile, turning the area into an urban canvas. Pictured: Florian and Kevin, by Sarah Lucas, 2013. Courtesy the artist
In keeping with the aim of engaging and inspiring the community, educational workshops for schoolchildren and the public are being run after the project’s installation. Pictured: World Axis, by Jürgen Partenheimer
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the City of London's website
Photography: Nick Turpin
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
The ancient and the erotic inspire Sessions Art Club’s Frieze London 2025 pop-up
‘I think food should hum beneath the skin, like a good painting,’ founder Jonny Gent tells Wallpaper* on the opening of his temporary restaurant-cum-art-installation
-
A rugged new tourer from Zero Motorcycles is an important step forward for all-electric biking
Can batteries bring the same level of engagement and spontaneity to long-distance two-wheeled touring? We try Zero’s new DSR/X Black Forest to find out
-
'Brutalist Berlin' is an essential new guide for architectural tourists heading to the city
Blue Crow Media’s 'Brutalist Berlin' unveils fifty of the German capital’s most significant concrete structures and places them in their historical context
-
Leo Costelloe turns the kitchen into a site of fantasy and unease
For Frieze week, Costelloe transforms everyday domesticity into something intimate, surreal and faintly haunted at The Shop at Sadie Coles
-
Can surrealism be erotic? Yes if women can reclaim their power, says a London exhibition
‘Unveiled Desires: Fetish & The Erotic in Surrealism, 1924–Today’ at London’s Richard Saltoun gallery examines the role of desire in the avant-garde movement
-
Tiffany & Co’s artist mentorship at Frieze London puts creative exchange centre stage
At Frieze London 2025, Tiffany & Co partners with the fair’s Artist-to-Artist initiative, expanding its reach and reaffirming the value of mentorship within the global art community
-
Em-Dash is a small press redefining the indie zine beyond nostalgia
The South London publishing studio's new imprint 'Practice Meets Paper' translates a chosen artist’s practice into print. Wallpaper*s senior designer Gabriel Annouka speaks with the founders, Saundra Liemantoro and Aarushi Matiyani, to find out more
-
‘It is about ensuring Africa is no longer on the periphery’: 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London
The 13th edition of 1-54 London will be held at London’s Somerset House from 16-19 October; we meet founder Touria El Glaoui to chart the fair's rising influence
-
‘Sit, linger, take a nap’: Peter Doig welcomes visitors to his Serpentine exhibition
The artist’s ‘House of Music’ exhibition, at Serpentine Galleries, rethinks the traditional gallery space, bringing in furniture and a vintage sound system
-
Who was Denton Welch, the cult writer and painter who inspired everyone from Alan Bennett to William S. Burroughs?
Cult queer figure Denton Welch was a talented, yet overlooked, artist. Now an exhibition of his work at John Swarbrooke Fine Art aims to change that
-
Frieze Sculpture is back – here's what to see in Regent's Park
Frieze Sculpture has returned to Regent's Park. As London gears up for Art Week, here's what to see on the fringes