Sculpture in the City, 2019

Sculpture in the City returns to the Square Mile for its 9th edition, brightening up that that part of London usually associated with bankers and glass-fronted buildings. 17 artworks have been announced so far.

Salvatore Arancio’s It Was Only a Matter of Time Before We Found the Pyramid and Forced it Open (to go on display at 1 Great St Helen’s) takes the form of rainbow coloured columns, rising up from amorphous black bases, which resemble cooled lava. It is as though these shiny, bright forms are being born from the earth of some alien planet, having been forged deep within an other-worldly crust. Amazingly, Arancio created this sculptures while under the influence of hypnosis.

Salvatore Arancio, It Was Only a Matter of Time Before We Found the Pyramid and Forced it Open, (2017), courtesy of the artist and Federica Schiavo Gallery, photography by Andrea Rossetti

Nina Saunders is an artist who likes to play with interiors and soft furnishings. She will be exhibiting her work Abstract Mass on Undershaft (near the Gherkin), a sculpture that takes the form of two armchairs cast in concrete. The work toys with our idea of comfort and scale, backdropped by one of the City's largest buildings.

There are several neon works going on display this year. Patrick Tuttofuoco’s The Source is modelled after the artist’s hands, and will hang in the opulent Leadenhall Market. Also in the market Shaun C Badham’s aptly named I’M STAYING (2014), remains in place from last year’s edition.

Patrick Tuttofuoco, The Source, (2017), courtesy of the artist, OGR - Officine Grandi Riparazioni and Federica Schiavo Gallery, photography by Andrea Rossetti

Nathan Coley’s neon work The Same For Everyone will be on display near the Gherkin. Coley brings together words and locations to produce new meanings, compelling the viewer to consider their surroundings in a new light. Head on a three minute walk west to Heneage Lane to see Clare Jarrett’s Sari Garden, a work made up of lengths of Indian fabric, hung between Victorian lampposts. And on the newly pedestrianised space below the skyscraper at 70 St Mary Axe, Elisa Artesero’s neon poem The Garden of Floating Words (2017) will appear to hang in the air after dark.

There are number of events accompaniying Sculpture in the City this year, including Nocturnal Creatures, a one-off arts festival launched in partnership with the White Chapel Gallery and a walk led by artist Guillaume Vandame, which encourages people to join in, dressed in colours associated with the LGBTQIA+ community.

There will also be a series of ticketed public tours available. Please click here for more information.