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A kissing gate and humorous bench plaques: 17 sculptures to seek out on the streets of London

Temple, Richard Mackness, part of the 13th edition of Sculpture in the City.
Temple, Richard Mackness, part of the 13th edition of Sculpture in the City. Copyright Copyright Richard Mackness. Photo © Nick Turpin
Copyright Copyright Richard Mackness. Photo © Nick Turpin
By Rebecca Ann Hughes
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This year's edition of Sculpture in the City will see 17 sculptures by 15 artists grace the streets of the City of London for 12 months.

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Sculpture in the City has returned to London, brightening the UK capital’s streets and public spaces with bold artworks. 

The annual event “uses the urban realm as a rotating gallery space,” according to the organisers. 

The 13th edition will see 17 sculptures by 15 artists grace the streets of the City of London, with some already installed and others arriving in September. 

Participating artists include Clare Burnett, Hilary Jack and Oliver Bragg. 

Find these 17 artworks hidden around London

Sculpture in the City sees everything from giant statement sculptures to neon writing decorating the Square Mile in the UK capital. 

This year’s new sculptures include the interactive work Kissing Gate by Maya Rose Edwards, situated in Aldgate Square, which playfully brings a rural kissing gate into the urban landscape, prompting romantic encounters between passers-by.

At Mitre Square, CAUCUS by Samuel Ross invites public engagement with the sculpture, prompting familiar gestures like sitting, standing, and leaning.

Transforming a gilded paper bag to architectural scale, Temple by Richard Mackness evokes both the mundane of everyday commerce and the sacredness of a shrine from its location on the corner of 99 Bishopsgate and Wormwood Street.

Kissing Gate, Maya Rose Edwards, part of the 13th edition of Sculpture in the City.
Kissing Gate, Maya Rose Edwards, part of the 13th edition of Sculpture in the City. Copyright Maya Rose Edwards. Photo © Nick Turpin

At 120 Fenchurch Street, a digital artwork by Seph Li, Everything Before, Everything After, features a meandering river rendered in Chinese ink painting style which speaks to the roof garden above the screen and provides the opportunity for a meditative moment while the river flows to achieve eternity.

Oliver Bragg’s work, In Loving Memory, features engraved brass plaques situated on existing benches around the City of London commemorating fictional or abstract ideas with a mix of optimism, humour, and reflection.

The Granary, Jesse Pollock.
The Granary, Jesse Pollock. Copyright the artist. Image credit_ Nick Turpin, courtesy of Sculpture in the City

A few works are remaining on show from last year's edition. Mimicking fantastical fruits and functioning as bird nests, the Nest Series works by Victor Lim Seaward blend into trees outside 99 Bishopsgate while providing a safe, insulated space for nesting.

Taking residence in Cunard Place and also remaining on show is The Granary by Jesse Pollock, which renders a traditional English grain store in pearlescent candy orange to evoke a nostalgic ideal of the past.

You can download the Sculpture in the City app to follow the artwork trail and learn more about each piece from the artists themselves. 

The sculptures will be on display until summer 2025 with a few, like Bragg’s plaques, becoming permanent fixtures. 

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