16 to 24 September 2023
As part of London Sculpture Week 2023 (16 – 24 September 2023), Sculpture in the City launched SculptureFest (16 September 2023), a day of family-friendly tours and workshops, in addition to a British Sign Language guided tour by Deaf architect and art guide, Martin Glover and a week-long series of free guided tours of its 12th Edition (18 – 23 September 2023).
Sculpture in the City joined three key cultural partners in celebrating sculpture in the capital’s public realm. The programme champions the cultural possibilities of London’s public and outdoor spaces and further establishes London’s status as a world-leading capital of culture.
Cultural partners
Sculpture in the City, Frieze Sculpture, The Line and the Mayor of London's Fourth Plinth
Key locations
City of London, The Regent’s Park, Trafalgar Square and East London’s The Line from Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford to The 02 in North Greenwich)
Larry Bell, Pacific Red (IV), 2017. © The Artist. Courtesy Hauser & Wirth. Install view SITC 12th ed., 2023. Photo Nick Turpin.
A collaboration between Sculpture in the City, Frieze Sculpture, The Line and the Mayor of London’s Fourth Plinth Programme, London Sculpture Week – which launched to acclaim in 2022 and returned this year – drew together the opening of Frieze Sculpture in The Regent’s Park (20 September – 29 October 2023, with a private view on 19 September, and a curator’s tour on 24 September), the Fourth Plinth (with an introductory talk on 17 September), The Line (with a performance by Simon Faithful at Cody Dock on 17 September, and a family workshop on 23 September) and the 12th Edition of Sculpture in the City, which opened in June 2023. The shared ambition of each of these programmes is to elevate London’s public art offering and to bring contemporary sculpture to the widest possible audience.
Sculpture in the City, placed amid some of the most striking skyscrapers of the City Cluster, combines the work of high-profile names on the international stage with emerging artists. The 12th Edition, selected from 447 submissions, features 18 artworks by 17 artists from ten different countries – all chosen for their ability to engage with and respond to the dramatic architectural setting. This celebrated exhibition of public art allows visitors to experience international contemporary art in the public realm, while discovering new and familiar locations at the heart of this continually changing urban landscape.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to see Sculpture Week London return for a second year, and to work with such world-class cultural partners as Frieze Sculpture, The Line, and the Mayor of London’s Fourth Plinth programme. Our shared goal is to bring public art – and in particular contemporary sculpture – to the widest possible audience and we are incredibly excited to do so again this year.”
– Stella Ioannou, Artistic Director of Sculpture in the City and Director of Lacuna
Sculpture in the City 12th Edition's contribution to London Sculpture Week, is supported by Activation Partner, EC BID – the Business Improvement District for the Eastern City.
