Dulwich Picture Gallery’s ambitious “Open Art” project takes a significant step forward with the arrival this week of sculptures by renowned artists Yinka Shonibare CBE RA and Li Li Ren, establishing London’s first gallery-based sculpture garden within the Gallery’s expansive three- acre grounds.
Free for all to enjoy, they join the Gallery’s two existing works by Peter Randall Page and Rob and Nick Carter.
Material (SG) IV (2023) by Yinka Shonibare CBE was originally born out of the artist’s Fourth Plinth commission Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle for London’s Trafalgar Square in 2010. The sculpture takes inspiration from the ship’s sails, enhanced with Shonibare’s signature Dutch wax batik fabric. The large-scale colourful sculpture, standing at four metres high, will be the first work visitors see when they arrive at the main entrance.
Yinka Shonibare CBE RA said:
“The Wind Sculpture series was inspired by a project I did in Trafalgar Square, ‘Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle’. After working on the Trafalgar Square project, I realised that the wind was doing something quite interesting to the sails and that they could be sculpture in themselves. I’m looking forward to seeing the piece in this new context, within the Dulwich Picture Gallery gardens.”
To find a way home (2023) by Li Li Ren is made up of five patinated bronze works, clad with gelatinous glass forms, evoking natural corals. The colours speak to the acidic colour palette of sea creatures, which for Ren represent the sublime in the natural realm. Ren scaled the pieces to encourage interaction, with movement through and around them cultivating intimate moments with each individual work.
Li Li Ren said:
“To find a way home is a reflection on how deeply interlinked all life is. The works are about connection, synchronisation and the possibility of belonging, manifesting in these coral-inspired shapes, which highlight the strangeness and beauty of nature’s biology. The work negotiates new territory at Dulwich Picture Gallery, enriched by their permanent collection which features so many references to the sublime qualities of nature.”
The arrival of these long-term loans signals the first phase of Dulwich Picture Gallery’s ongoing transformation. Over the next two years, the sculpture garden will expand with a carefully curated selection of thought-provoking installations by established and emerging contemporary artists. Each carefully chosen work will aim to spark curiosity and engage visitors through interaction and exploration.
