Outdoor Sculpture Trails - 2023

Art Review
Written By Darren

➡️ Click here for the 2024 Guide. ⬅️

The page below is the list for 2023. Links may no longer work.


Whether you’ve got a 15-min fag break or a three-day bank holiday weekend to fill, chances are good that you’ll be near some outdoor art. Because in London, there’s LOTS of it!

From permanent trails that get annual updates to the seasonal specials that always seem to disappear as soon as they’ve arrived, this is the only list you’ll need to stay updated and informed.

This page will be regularly updated to reflect major changes, and we’ll add any new temporary trails that last longer than two weeks, so… Bookmark it. Tell a friend. Check back often. (See it. Say it. Sorted.)

Oh… and before you lace up those walking boots don’t forget to check the What’s On list to see if there are any great art shows near where you’ll be.


LATEST UPDATES

05 Jan 2024 —> New page created for 2024 trails.

Temporary Trails

A Wild Life for Wildlife

🟢 OPEN NOW

When: 19 September - 15 March 2024

Where: Between London Bridge and Tower Bridge

Eleven sculptures from the always popular Gillie & Marc “invites you to become an integral part of the journey with endangered animals through interactive sculptures and engaging experiences. By taking a seat on a tandem bike, joining a game of chess, or throwing a ball in a pool, visitors can connect with the stories of these imperilled species. Each sculpture is accompanied by QR codes that transport viewers to important information about the animals' lives, needs, and threats, providing a deeper understanding of the urgent need for their conservation.”

Walking with The Snowman

🔴 CLOSED / FINISHED

When: 21 November - 05 January 2024

Where: Across the ‘Fleet Street Quarter’

Twelve festive recreations of The Snowman are now to be found in the Fleet Street Quarter — each one decorated to represent one of the 12 Days of Christmas. Ya know, like the song? (Fiiiiive… Gollll-den Riiinnngggssss!) You’ll find the Snowmen nestled in streets such as Chancery Lane, Carter Lane, Ludgate Hill and Fleet Street. Singing along is optional.

Permanent Fixtures

Canary Wharf - Art on the Estate

🟢 OPEN NOW

Where: Canary Wharf, London E14

If you haven’t been to Canary Wharf then you’ll be forgiven for not knowing that they have an extensive, and growing, collection of outdoor art. There are currently over 100 works spread across the estate, generally clustered into 5 easy to digest sections. With super fast access via the Jubilee and Elizabeth Line and a growing selection of shops, cafes and restaurants, you’ve got no excuse not to plan a visit.

Chelsea Barracks Estate

🟢 OPEN NOW

Where: Chelsea Barracks — Enter on foot from Pimlico Road or Chelsea Bridge Road, SW1W 8RF

Some of the most expensive new-build property in London is being built on the site of the former Chelsea Barracks. Prices start at £4.9M and rise to a whopping £60 Million for the 14,704 SqFt, 7-story townhomes that have an underground pool, 2-car garage, cinema and living quarters for your staff. As you might expect for that price point, everything looks amazing and that extends to the exquisitely manicured fountains and grounds that wrap around the estate, housing a dozen and a half large sculptures. The best part? The grounds are open to everyone!

Some of the works are permanent, like the giant Conrad Shawcross “tree”, but many others will come and go on a rotating basis. The current trail, or “Phase III” as their PR team refers to it, sees the introduction of a dozen works by five female artists (Jill Berelowitz, Anna Gillespie, Sophie Ryder, Louise Plant and Zeus Li) that will be on display until June.

Entry to the grounds is FREE to the public from 9am-9pm.


Sculpture in the City

🟢 OPEN NOW

When: 27 June — Spring 2024

Where: City of London, between Liverpool Street, Fenchurch Street and Aldgate stations

Sculpture in the City is a compact trail that makes clever use of what little space is left between the City of London skyscrapers that keeping appearing like weeds, hiding the once prominent Gherkin from almost every skyline view except the East. You could easily see all of the installations on your lunch hour, if you were in a rush.

The 12th edition introduced work by Simeon Barclay, Phyllida Barlow, Larry Bell, Rafael D’Aló, Vanessa da Silva, Arturo Herrera, Isamu Noguchi and Mika Rottenberg. They join 9 sculptures from previous editions that have been given an extended stay.

The Line

🟢 OPEN NOW

Where: Between Stratford and North Greenwich

This dedicated public art walk includes some of the largest outdoor sculptures in London, giving artists a chance to explore big ideas through monumental installations. Many works are permanent and it’s constantly being revised. Most recently, two colourful 10ft high chairs have arrived on Greenwich Peninsula.

Walking the full route takes half a day and gives you an excuse to ride the Emirates cable car. Use the audio guides and go at your own pace, or join one of the free Thursday Wellbeing Walks or Saturday Guided Walks. If you haven’t yet walked The Line… what are you waiting for?

  • Visit the Official Website and follow @thelinelondon on Instagram for more info

  • Download the map

  • TIP: Download the Bloomberg Connects app for a digital map, artist bios and other extras, like informative audio recordings of the artists explaining their art. They’re fantastic to listen to as you make your way from work to work.


Even More Options!

ArtUk.org has an online database of over 13,500 public sculptures dotted around the UK. Click here to search the database to see what they have to say about your favourites, or maybe you’ll find something new to see near you.

But also…

Have I missed any? Have you walked them all? Get in touch and let me know!

PLUS…

Ones you missed!

Here’s the archive of listings for the temporary trails that popped up throughout London throughout the year. Which ones did you walk?

Art in Mayfair Sculpture Trail

🔴 CLOSED / FINISHED

When: 12 June - 09 July

Where: Mayfair, mostly on/around Bond Street

It seems that this year’s trail (the 4th) is now being overseen by Bond Street. Yes, that Bond Street. Or at least the consortium that collectively manages it.

The map lists 20 sculptures but the majority are permanent works that you can see year-round, like Everyone I’ve Ever Known by Rhys Coren which I reviewed in June ‘22. This year’s temporary loans include four works by Bernar Venet in Grosvenor Square, a series of Bob & Roberta Smith flags that hang on various streets, and the rest are scattered along Bond Street.

Battersea Power Station Light Festival

🔴 CLOSED / FINISHED

When: 19 Jan - 05 Mar 2023

Where: Battersea Power Station — Battersea

There’s only 8 items in this “festival” but unlike most light-based sculptures, these are designed to look just as good in the daylight as they do lit up at night. Though to be fair, many of them are going to look a helluva lot better after dark, like that giant Slinky with the rainbow lights that pulse like a wave, and the ghostly clothesline. And in case it rains, two are indoors — which is also a good excuse to check out the amazing refurbishment inside if you haven’t seen it yet.

Croydon Stands Tall

🔴 CLOSED / FINISHED

When: 21 August - 27 October

Where: Croydon

Disclaimer: This is a trail that I’ve only read about online, so I don’t have any first-hand stories about the 30 large and 30 small giraffes that have been decorated by artists, schools and community groups. You’re got 10 weeks to find these standing tall all over town, after which they’ll be auctioned off. Proceeds support Crisis Skylight Croydon.

Frieze Sculpture

🔴 CLOSED / FINISHED

When: 20 Sept - 29 Oct

Where: Regent’s Park

Can you believe Frieze London turns 20?! Curator Fatos Üstek will be bringing works from 22 international artists into Regents Park, including some from artists who are debuting major public works for the first time. Thanks to its prominent location, this outdoor exhibit is always a heavily visited attraction and sure to cause delight and debate in equal measure.

Kensington + Chelsea Public Art Trail

🔴 CLOSED / FINISHED

When: 16 June - 31 August

Where: Throughout Kensington & Chelsea


The sixth annual trail, The Art of Change, includes 18 artworks. Selected artists include Ai Weiwei, Misha Milovanovich, Baker & Borowski, Josephine Chime, Satur Chong, Lucy Oates, Malgorzata Lisiecka, Norma D Hunter and Peter Morris.

As with previous years, the “trail” is really just a random selection of high profile locations including Duke of York Square, Sloane Street, Earl’s Court and High Street Kensington. If you’re familiar with the area, then you already know you won’t be able to walk them all in an hour, or even half a day, as they’re all spaced pretty far apart. Planning in advance is required if you want to be sure to see everything.

Leytonstone Arts Trail

🔴 CLOSED / FINISHED

When: 01 - 09 July

Where: Various indoor & outdoor locations in Leytonstone

This annual festival of visual arts in Leytonstone, run by artists and volunteers since 2008, is an opportunity to see local creations proudly displayed in cafes, shops, businesses, community halls and even artists’ homes. The ‘trail’ is a great way to explore Leytonstone and the map (link below) indicates where there are things to see. All you’ve got to do is show up and knock!

There’s also a variety of free art workshops, including a womens-only nature walk. Check the website for dates & times.

Note: The images below were provided by the organisation.

Morph’s Epic Art Adventure

🔴 CLOSED / FINISHED

When: 19 June - 20 August

Where: The Southbank between the Millennium and Tower Bridge, and scattered throughout City of London.

Now here’s a trail that will help you occupy more than a few weekends, because there are over seventy (yes, 70!) sculptures of the much-loved character, Morph, to be found. From from Tate Modern to Tower Bridge, and St Paul’s to the City, trying to tick every Morph off the list is a great way to get exposed to some of London’s most famous landmarks. Plus each sculpture will unlock a series of rewards and fun facts! The trail is step-free with information and opportunities to learn more about how together, we can remove barriers and create a more inclusive society. 

Tusk Gorilla Trail

🔴 CLOSED / FINISHED

When: 14 July - 12 October 2023

Where: Covent Garden

In support of the African conservation charity Tusk, 15 life-sized gorillas will be spending their summer posing for selfies with tourists in Covent Garden and Seven Dials. The works will be auctioned off for the charity, and are sure to generate some high values because all the works have been decorated by some pretty big name artists, actors and musicians. Ronnie Wood, Jon Cleese and Chila Kumari Singh Burman to name just three!

Wembley Park Art Trail

🔴 CLOSED / FINISHED

When: 03 July - 30 September

Where: Wembley Park

Disclaimer: I haven’t been to this yet and only read about it online, but it sounds like a good way to kill some time before whatever event you might be going to at the stadium. Or pick a quiet day and just go for an art wander! There are 22 works scattered around the Wembley Park boulevards, including paintings, digital mixed media, upcycled sculptures and some permanent murals.

  • Visit the Official website and follow @wembleyparkldn on Instagram for more info

  • Tip: Check the Wembley Stadium schedule before you go. You don’t want to get stuck in any massive crowds for the footy or a concert!

Winter Sculpture Park

🔴 CLOSED / FINISHED

When: Sat 18 Feb - Sat 29 April 2023

Where: Manor Way, Bexley DA5 3QG

2023 welcomes the 3rd edition of one of London’s newest outdoor sculpture parks, with over 40 works of art spread across 4 acres of disused farmland. Work will be on display 24/7 throughout the run of the show, although recommended visiting hours are 9 AM - 5 PM. The sculpture park is open to anyone and everyone (just show up!) and is sure to be a pleasant surprise to ramblers walking Section 2 of the London Loop, which passes right through it. If you’d like to learn more about what it takes to develop and maintain a large annual event like this, you can read my interview with Gallery No. 32.

  • Visit the Official Website and follow @gallery_no.32 on Instagram for more info

  • TIP: There are frequent trains to Bexley from London Bridge (27 min direct) and Charing Cross (37 min direct). Be sure you head to Bexley and not Bexley Heath!

Darren
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