City of Sculpture

City of Sculpture brings contemporary and traditional sculpture to iconic outdoor locations across the city in collaboration with artists and galleries from London and across the world. 

All successful applicants must apply for planning permission and exhibit at their own expense. In return, we offer the space free of charge.

The deadline for spring 2024 submissions has now passed and we are now co-ordinating installation. Ad hoc applications will be considered if space becomes available. 

Scope

City of Sculpture accepts artwork that enhances its surroundings and is suitable for public display. 

We invite submissions from public and private galleries and artists from across the UK and internationally at all career stages and from a diversity of backgrounds. We welcome applications from new and emerging artists.

Proposals that include cultural engagement with local people such as artist talks and workshops will be considered favourably. Multiple sculptures will be considered where a suitable location is available.  

We are particularly keen to encourage applications from female artists in line with our cultural strategy to support public art that reflects our diverse communities.

Submitting your nomination

1. Please complete a submission form.
2. Submissions will be considered by an advisory panel who meet twice a year. We will contact you if your sculpture has been selected for one of the available sites. 
3. Informal stakeholder/freeholder engagement around successful submissions.
4. Submit a planning application for your sculpture. This will take a minimum of seven weeks.
5. Arrange installation on an agreed date. A risk assessment, sculpture insurance and public liability insurance must be in place ahead of installation and you will be asked to sign a licence agreement.

Locations

The following locations form part of City of Sculpture: 

• Berkeley Square Gardens, south east quadrant (please note the sculpture lights are currently unavailable)
• Golden Square Gardens 
• Hanover Square Gardens 
• Lower Grosvenor Gardens 
• Marble Arch Gardens, by the fountains 
• Park Lane, island six, opposite The Dorchester Hotel 
• Pimlico Gardens 
• Riverside Walk Gardens 
• Soho Square Gardens 

Exhibiting

• Pop, Isabel H Langtry in Berkeley Square Gardens
• Langston, Jason Boyd Kinsella in Riverside Walk Gardens (from late November 2023)
• Marshmallow Dew, Fingery Eyes and Terra Cappa, Camilla Bliss, Soho Square Gardens (from spring 2024).

Temple Roof Gardens

Temple Roof Gardens has been transformed into an open air gallery, The Artist’s Garden, curated by the CoLAB. Holly Hendry: Slackwater and Holly Stevenson: Another Mother are  currently exhibiting.

Visit the CoLAB website to view the artwork and find out more.

Advisory panel

Submissions will be considered by an independent Advisory Panel.

Panel members are:

• Claire Mander, Director, CoLab

• Priyesh Mistry, Associate Curator of Modern & Contemporary Projects, National Gallery

• Richard Parry, Creative Director, St James's Piccadilly

• Jessica Toale, Deputy Cabinet Member for Culture, Heritage and the Arts.

Criteria

Aesthetic

• relevance to the immediate surroundings, the City of Westminster and the people who live and work here
• the level of emotional and intellectual impact
• originality, accessibility and artistic quality of work
• ability to create a sense of pride in communities and the city as a whole
• sculptures, artists and galleries exhibiting as part of City of Sculpture should reflect the diversity of our communities.

Physical

• suitability for outdoor display
• appropriateness to its surroundings in terms of scale, visibility and accessibility
• relationship between sculpture and landscape and its ability to enhance the built environment
• evidence of the structural safety of the sculpture must be provided including a risk assessment and method statement for installation, maintenance and derig and sign off from a structural engineer
• the artwork must not pose a safety hazard or restrict the typical usage of the site
• proposals that include community engagement will be considered favourably.

Other requirements

• artwork must not be politically or culturally sensitive or likely to cause offence
• artwork must align with the council’s values of environmental considerations, accessibility and cultural inclusiveness
• artwork must be large enough that it is clearly visible and not be likely to cause a trip hazard
• pieces that have already been on public display in Westminster are unlikely to be considered above new submissions.

Licence agreement

All City of Sculpture exhibitors must sign a licence agreement to cover removal of the sculpture once planning permission has expired. We also require Public Liability Insurance ahead of installation. Please email us if you would like to see the agreement before submitting your proposal.

Contact

If you have any questions about City of Sculpture please email [email protected]