Annual free outdoor exhibition Sculpture in the City returns this summer for the 12^th edition, with new sites added across London’s financial district.

On display from 27 June are 17 artists from 10 countries scattered across the City of London’s Square Mile. The line-up of established and emerging artists range in age from the 70s to those in their 20s.

Sculpture in the City offers artists a platform and outdoor space to show their work in the public realm. Londoners and tourists can contemplate on contemporary art in the urban landscape of London’s skyscrapers as well as in historic areas.

These works will be displayed amongst the City’s landmark buildings and public spaces, that run from 100 Bishopsgate to St Mary Axe and Aldgate Square. Many have historical connections such as St Helen’s, the former parish church of William Shakespeare.

They are joining seven sculptures already on display from the previous Edition, including artworks by Jocelyn McGregor, Emma Louise Moore, Pedro Pires, Jesse Pollock, Ugo Rondinone, Victor Lim Seaward and Emma Smith.

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The artwork by Jocelyn McGregor, the inaugural winner of the Aldgate Square Commission, is being extended for the duration of the 12th Edition. Two further artworks by Oliver Bragg and Elisa Artesero from earlier Editions are now permanently displayed in the area and form part of this year’s curated display.

“With the 12th Edition of Sculpture in the City we proudly present the most international and diverse list of artists and artworks to date. The curatorial vision proposes exciting possibilities for emerging talent and revisits renowned artworks in surprising new settings to raise poignant questions about the meaning and possibilities of public art today,” Stella Ioannou, artistic director of Sculpture in the City and founding director of Lacuna, says.

“With the addition of a new art space at 33 Creechurch Lane and the return of two former art locations, including St Helen’s churchyard and the digital screen at 120 Fenchurch Street, the 12th Edition invites local workers, residents and visitors to engage with the best of contemporary art amongst the greatest old and new buildings of the City of London. I can’t wait for the public’s first reactions and the friendly familiarity of return art encounters”.

Check out our rundown of upcoming events

The 2023 Edition is also accompanied by Sculpture in the City Learning, a digital learning programme, launched in 2020, facilitated by Urban Learners and supported by the Our City Together. The online platform features activities, instructional videos and easy-to-access materials to offer an original perspective on the relationship between art, architecture and the City.

From Autumn 2023, education workshops will start again with artists, architects, engineers and partner company volunteers coming together to participate in workshops with young people, led by Urban Learners.