Surreal structures. Organic materials. Towering monoliths. Contemporary sculpture encompasses a diverse array of artistic approaches. Those working within the medium today are continually pushing the boundaries of what it means to play with form. Today, we’re spotlighting five new sculpture exhibitions that are opening in public spaces and galleries this summer. Serpentine brings renowned names to new audiences, whilst teamLab demonstrates how sculptures can be made with nothing but light. Gareth Phillips deconstructs the photobook in new and fascinating ways, and Rana Begum takes inspiration from everyday sites like pylons and radio masts. Elsewhere, at the Whitworth, textile artists from around the world are brought together in an innovative new show that looks at the sculptural side of the craft.

A new public sculpture from Jesús Rafael SOTO launches a dynamic summer programme at Serpentine. Pénétrable BBL Jaune (1999; 2023 edition) represents the first time the artist’s work has been displayed in the UK. The piece exemplifies SOTO’s lifelong interest in movement, space and tactility. Born in Venezuela in 1923, he became one of the leading exponents of kinetic art and created more than 70 Pénétrable sculptures of various sizes and colours throughout his seven-decade long career. The series sees metal rods and nylon strands suspended in space, through which viewers are invited to enter. 

Interstates of Becoming, Edition V, explores the symbiotic relationship between humans and mountains. The work is a deconstructed photobook, made of 553 steel plates and 2500 magnets to create nine chapters. The piece focuses on the Himalayan mountains of North West India and follows the Hindustan-Tibet Road, built by the British in 1856. Phillips draws attention to the construction and deconstruction that occurred during this process, and continues to affect the region. The piece highlights the futility of environmental control, the exploitation of inhabitants and the impact of development in a high-risk seismic zone.

Renowned collective teamLab present a special exhibition, On the Asymmetry of the Universe, which features two new series: Asymmetric Existence and Chromatic Existence. The first is a single sculpture, formed by the integration of two light sources, one that appears only in the physical space and is not reflected in the mirror, and another that appears only inside the mirror and does not exist in real space. Here, reality and the mirror image are not direct reflections of one another. The two pieces appear in different spaces, yet they emerge as a single sculptural existence within the viewer’s perception.

The Whitworth presents a major international exhibition, bringing together newly commissioned works by eight contemporary textile artists from Korea and India with historic textiles from the museum’s collection. The show approaches textile tradition as living practices shaped by movement, collaboration and change. Korean artist Yeonsoon Chang brings a meditative approach to textile labour, creating sculptural works that treat breath, air and repetition as material forces. Jounghye Yoo’s luminous installation draws together Korean silk embroidery and Indian Ajrakh block printing, creating a shifting, multi-sensory space.

Unveiled as part of London Festival of Architecture 2026, this new sculpture from artist Rana Begum and engineering practice Webb Yates explores boundaries, borders and belonging. No. 1616 Fence (2026) is built from industrial, powder-coated mesh: a material that both closes off physical access whilst remaining entirely open. The work takes inspiration from structures like pylons and radio masts. The artist says: “I love pushing against the expectations of materials and working within structural constraints; collaborating with engineers really helps open up possibilities where you thought there were none.”  

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Words: Emma Jacob

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Image Credits:

1&6. No.1387 Fence (2024), Switzerland, by Rana Begum and Webb Yates. Image courtesy of Verbier 3-D Foundation; photography by Melody Sky.
2. Jesús Rafael Soto, Pénétrable BBL Jaune (1999;2023 Edition). © Jesús Rafael Soto / ADAGP, Paris 2026. Courtesy Atelier Soto, Paris. Photo: George Darrell. Courtesy Serpentine.
3. Image courtesy of Gareth Phillips.
4. Image courtesy of Gareth Phillips.
5. teamLab, Asymmetric Existence series © teamLab
7. Sumakshi Singh, Spanning the Void, 2025, installation view in Hyundai Translocal Series: Entangled and Woven, National Crafts Museum & Hastkala Academy. Photo by Garima BhaskarMaterials: silk, nylon threadDimensions: 615cm x 315cm (2 ea).