Last Updated on September 6, 2026
London Sculpture Week 2026, bringing together the Fourth Plinth, East Bank, Frieze Sculpture, Sculpture in the City and The Line, takes place from 19 to 27 September with free and ticketed events across the Capital.
Audiences will have the opportunity to experience world-class outdoor artworks and hear directly from the artists and curators behind them. A highlight of London Sculpture Week is the symposium at The Warburg Institute on Friday 25 September, which assembles leading voices in public art to revisit the social role of contemporary public art under the theme ‘Reframing Monumentality’.
The Fourth Plinth, 10 September 2026 – Summer 2028
The Fourth Plinth is one of the most important art commissions worldwide and brings new work by internationally renowned artists into the heart of London’s Trafalgar Square. Lady in Blue (2026) is the 16th Fourth Plinth commission, created by New York-based artist Tschabalala Self. Inspired by a desire to bring a contemporary ‘everywoman’ to Trafalgar Square, the bronze figure wears a vibrant blue dress, while her accessories replicate lapis lazuli – a rare and prized blue pigment in use since antiquity.
Frieze Sculpture, 16 September – 1 November 2026
Frieze Sculpture’s 14th edition features 11 leading international artists whose works will be sited throughout the historic English Gardens of The Regent’s Park, extending the reach of the Frieze art fairs into the public realm. Curated by Fatoş Üstek, the 2026 edition brings together sculptural works exploring the theme of hybridity, with participating artists including Carolina Aguirre, Ivana Bašić, Matyáš Chochola, Özlem Günyol and Mustafa Kunt, Elena Nemkova, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, Angel Otero, Catriona Robertson, Tarini Sethi, Conrad Shawcross and Douglas White.
East Bank
In celebration of the district’s public sculpture, East Bank has organised a walking tour as part of London Sculpture Week. Visitors will discover works commissioned for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, reflecting on the legacy of public art at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park over the past 14 years, alongside recent East Bank commissions including Larry Achiampong and David Blandy’s Trēow of Time and Thomas J. Price’s A Place Beyond.
Sculpture in the City
For this year’s London Sculpture Week, A Taste of Sculpture in the City invites visitors to explore parallels between food and visual art. Led by Stella Ioannou, SITC Artistic Director and LACUNA Founding Director, alongside special guest Sam Bompas, Co-Founder of creative studio Bompas & Parr, guests can taste selected canapés inspired by Sculpture in the City’s 14th edition, featuring works by Ai Weiwei, Julian Opie, Maya Rose Edwards, Oliver Bragg and more.
The Line
The Line is East London’s public art trail, connecting Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and The O2 along the waterways and following the line of the Greenwich Meridian. Its outdoor exhibition programme presents 24 installations along a 7.5m route and offers a journey through a dynamic urban landscape where everyone can explore art, nature and heritage for free. For London Sculpture Week 2026, The Line presents a free wellbeing walk, film screening with Zineb Sedira and activities inspired by installations by Rasheed Araeen, Helen Cammock, Madge Gill, Anthony Gormley, Carsten Höller, Yinka Ilori and Eva Rothschild, among others.
Bloomberg Connects returns as London Sculpture Week’s Official Digital Guide. Explore our programme, events and more on Bloomberg Connects.
To stay connected, follow London Sculpture Week at londonsculptureweek.org.
About East Bank
East Bank is the UK’s newest culture and education quarter at the heart of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It’s the place where everything happens – entertainment, inspiration and discovery – and it is open to everyone who visits, lives and works in east London. East Bank is a unique collaboration between cultural institutions, world-leading universities and the people of the four neighbouring Growth Boroughs (Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest).
East Bank is made up of five partner institutions: BBC Music Studios; London College of Fashion, UAL; Sadler’s Wells East; UCL East campus and V&A East Museum and Storehouse. It is the largest ever cultural investment by the Mayor of London, and marks a commitment to long-term, world-class culture and education in east London.
East Bank provides skills and jobs for local people, brings more than 10,000 students to the site, and attracts thousands of visitors from London and beyond. East Bank will help cement the capital’s reputation as a world leader in culture, education and innovation, creating 2,500 jobs and £1.5 billion of economic benefit.
More information on East Bank can be found here.
About Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is a vibrant east London destination where culture, creativity and community converge. Built on the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, it is now an innovation district where people can live, work and play – bringing new homes, jobs and opportunities while driving long-term growth and investment across east London, the capital and the UK.
Spread across 560 acres, it brings together dynamic neighbourhoods, diverse communities, world-class cultural, entertainment and sporting venues, leading education and research institutions and a food and drink scene, all set within expansive parklands, historic waterways and rich biodiversity.
At its heart lies a collaborative ecosystem anchored by innovation leaders, universities and East Bank – the UK’s most ambitious cultural and education quarter, home to BBC Music Studios, UAL’s London College of Fashion, UCL’s East campus, Sadler’s Wells East and V&A East Museum and Storehouse. Working alongside local entrepreneurs and communities, these globally recognised institutions develop, test and scale bold ideas in real-world conditions that deliver tangible benefits for east London and beyond. QueenElizabethOlympicPark.co.
About Frieze Sculpture
Frieze is a leading global contemporary art organisation, recognised for its art fairs, publications and digital presence. Founded in 1991 with the launch of frieze magazine, the brand has grown to encompass seven of the most significant art fairs worldwide in cities including Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York and Seoul. These events attract leading artists, galleries and collectors, fostering innovative dialogues and practices within the art community.
Frieze magazine continues to set the benchmark for insightful art criticism and commentary, while frieze.com serves as a vital online resource. Committed to expanding the reach and understanding of contemporary art, Frieze also hosts year-round curated programs and associated initiatives, such as No.9 Cork Street, Frieze House Seoul and Frieze Connect, that enrich the cultural landscape. With a dedicated team passionate about the arts, Frieze remains at the forefront of artistic exploration and cultural discourse, connecting diverse audiences with groundbreaking artists and their work.
Frieze is part of the MARI network. For more information, visit frieze.com.
About Sculpture in the City
Sculpture in the City is an annual sculpture park that uses the urban realm as a rotating gallery space. The City of London alongside LACUNA, in partnership with property owners and businesses, have unveiled a new selection of artworks by internationally acclaimed and emerging artists each year. World-class contemporary sculpture complements the unique architectural quality of the area and engages the passers-by, who range from local workers to architectural tourists and other visitors, animating one of the most dynamic parts of the City of London.
The project started in 2010 as a public realm activation project for the area of St Helen’s and Undershaft, which resulted in an exhibition of just four artworks in June 2011. Sculpture in the City is exhibiting its 14th Edition in 2026, having shown a total of 165 artworks by 140 artists to date.
Learn more at sculptureinthecity.org.uk
About The Fourth Plinth
The Fourth Plinth was initiated by the RSA in 1998 and is now one of the most important art commissions in the world. The programme invites world-class artists to make original work for Trafalgar Square, with a new sculpture installed on the Fourth Plinth every two years. The independent Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group makes the final decision on the shortlist and the winning works that are displayed.
It is funded by the Mayor of London with support from Arts Council England and Bloomberg Philanthropies, however the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group is completely independent. An established part of London’s public landscape, it brings out the art critic in everyone.
About The Line
The Line is East London’s public art trail connecting Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford and The O2 in North Greenwich. Following East London’s waterways and the line of the Greenwich Meridian, its free, outdoor exhibition programme offers a journey through a dynamic urban landscape where everyone can explore art, nature and heritage for free. It is a space for discovery and adventure, as well as quiet contemplation. The seasons and tides are always changing and every visit is unique.
Through its work, The Line enables artists to connect with people and place in new ways. Recent commissions include works by pioneering minimalist sculptor Rasheed Araeen, the first public artwork in the UK by artist Zineb Sedira and a co-commissioned work with the local community by Turner Prize-winning artist Helen Cammock. Through The Line’s collaborative engagement programme, encompassing learning & skills, wellbeing and youth employment, the organisation enhances opportunity and wellbeing, fosters inclusion, and generates meaningful social impact. Learn more at the-line.org
