Sculpture in the City Ninth Edition

Sculpture in the City is an award winning urban sculpture park which launches at the end of June. A cultural initiative delivered by the City of London in partnership with 13 local businesses, it is sited in the EC3 (insurance district) area of the City, around the iconic towers of the Gherkin, the Cheesegrater, Lloyd’s building as well as inside Leadenhall Market. The call for submissions for the ninth edition of Sculpture in the City is now open for preexisting works that can be exhibited outdoors from May 2019 to May 2020.

The aim of the project is to use the area as a contemporary urban gallery space and showcase cutting edge art in an area represented by the iconic contemporary towers but also the layers of history nestled amongst these tall buildings. Since the launch of the project in June 2011, the project has grown significantly in size and scope. The current, eighth, edition of Sculpture in the City is showcasing 19 artists in 20 locations and is on show until May 2019. The current exhibition has achieved extensive press coverage with a successful campaign led by Brunswick Arts.

A film review of Sculpture in the City’s eighth edition can be viewed here and a dedicated website https://www.sculptureinthecity.org.uk/ was launched in June 2018 where there are images and information about all the artworks as well as a downloadable map.

‘The 2018 Sculpture In The City Is The Best Yet [...] This year's crop feels fresher and more adventurous than ever. Big name artists such as Tracey Emin, Sarah Lucas and Marina Abramović all provide exciting pieces, which this year include sound installations.’ Matt Brown, Londonist

‘A project such as Sculpture in the City diminishes the sense of doubt and embarrassment many people may feel when encountering ‘works of art’. Instead, it creates an open-air arena which promotes unconditioned thought’ Hannah Poulton, Artlyst

Requirements

The artworks exhibited are primarily 3D. The proposed artworks need to be pre-existing; the project does not commission.  The artwork needs to be suitable for exhibiting outdoors and available from May 2019 to May 2020.

There are many potential sites in the area of varying size and conditions. The scale of the surrounding tall buildings calls for large scale works which have been shown very successfully to date, and the shiny monochrome buildings provide an ideal context for bold colour work. In addition there are sites, such as the churchyards, which make ideal sites for smaller works. Over the years we have also hung works in Leadenhall Market, in trees, in alleyways, across lampposts, on the Lloyd’s building and on the Cheesegrater. The scope of the project allows for sculpture to be showcased in the most contemporary fashion.

Weight and installation ease are often a defining factor as not many of the spaces have large weight loading capacity and in some cases sites identified prove inaccessible.  

The current edition also includes, for the first time, two sound works and moving forward the project is keen to consider film and digital works, and public art in its wider context.

‘The works on show until next April, seep into the consciousness of City workers, who come to see the pieces as local landmarks. A local business owner makes sure, for instance, that she always listens to Marina Abramović’s birdsong piece, ‘Tree’ (1972, outside 99Bishopsgate)’. Financial Times

‘Now in its eighth edition, Sculpture in the City has installed 18 sculptures - half of which are by women - in often surprising corners of the Square Mile. Tracey Emin pops up here too, with a lovely pink Neon that bathes a rather bleak little alleyway in a rosy glow and reads ‘Your lips moved across my face.’ Daily Telegraph

Selection Process

Works submitted are shortlisted for consideration by the Arts Advisory Group: Iwona Blazwick (Director Whitechapel Gallery), Robert Hiscox (Honorary Chairman Hiscox), Whitney Hinz (Hiscox Curator), Stephen Feeke (Director New Art Centre), Jane Allison (Head of Galleries Barbican) and Wendy Fisher (Chairman of the Guggenheim Board of Trustees).

The shortlist is expected to be confirmed in December 2018.

Following shortlisting by the Arts Advisory Group each artist / gallerist is invited for a site visit to identify which site(s) in the area are most suitable for showcasing the selected work.

When all shortlisted artwork sites have been identified the project team liaises with the landowners to obtain their approval for particular artworks to be shown on their land. The project team also takes care of health and safety, planning, engineering and installation requirements, and any other legal requirements the project needs to comply with.

We aim to confirm the final installation list in April 2019 and will be installing works in May/June 2019 with the official project launch 25/26 June 2019 (tbc).

Conditions of participation

• The works are on loan at no fee for 12 months (May 2019-May 2020).
• Sculpture in the City covers shipping within the UK, installation, insurance and maintenance costs. Please note shipping from outside the UK will be considered but not guaranteed.
• Sculpture in the City works exclusively with MTEC who ship and install all the artworks.
• All artists and galleries participating receive full credit on all marketing and press material and are invited to the official Launch event and other associated events.

How to submit work for consideration

Submissions have to be made online via CuratorSpace and should include, among other elements, photos, bio of the artist, information about the work proposed (inc. dimensions, weight and media) as well as confirmation that the work can be installed outdoors and an estimated cost of installation and crate storage.

We encourage artists considering submitting work to visit the current exhibition to experience the project’s dynamic urban context, as well as looking at past editions on the website.