Located a short train ride from London in the rolling Oxfordshire countryside, newly opened sculpture park Albion Fields promises open vistas, secluded woodland and, above all, a world-class line-up of outdoor sculptural treats.
The first show, conceived in partnership with Goodman Gallery, Marian Goodman Gallery, König Galerie and Lisson Gallery, will present works by 26 leading contemporary artists including David Adjaye, Kader Attia, Daniel Buren, Claudia Comte, Ryan Gander, Jeppe Hein, Cristina Iglesias, Alicja Kwade, John Pawson, Eva Rothschild, Joana Vasconcelos, Xavier Veilhan, Bernar Venet, Ai Weiwei, Rachel Whiteread, and Erwin Wurm.
Bernar Venet, Indeterminate Line, 2016-2020.
Highlights include Wurm’s bulbous metallic Fat Convertible, 2019, which mirrors the surrounding environment, and David Adjaye’s Horizon Pavilion, 2017, which looks at home in the agricultural landscape. In more variations on a theme of reflection is Ryan Gander’s More really shiny things that don’t mean anything, 2012, and Alicja Kwade’s Big Be-Hide, 2019, an edition of which is also currently on view at the 2021 Helsinki Biennial. Ai Weiwei, who was recently interviewed for Wallpaper’s At Home With series, presents a deceptive sofa, which resembles leather, but is in fact solid marble.
Interspersed among flora and fauna, the pieces will cohabit the landscape with deer, badgers, green woodpeckers, hares and owls that have all taken up residence since the land retired from agricultural use. The first installation of artworks at Albion Fields will be on view until 25 September 2021, after which works will be rotated biannually.
Ai Weiwei, Sofa in Black, 2011, marble.
The park was the brainchild of art dealer and collector Michael Hue-Williams, who owns the 50-acre farming estate in Little Milton. ‘Walking through these beautiful grounds during lockdown, I realised I have a unique opportunity to share the experience,’ says Hue-Williams. ‘Having access to this land, combined with my numerous years of experience working with contemporary sculpture, made the decision to open an outdoor sculpture park really compelling.’
Entry to the park is free of charge, and each work on view will be for sale. ‘There is very considerable interest from the public in seeing sculpture, particularly in the countryside in southern England, where there are such limited opportunities. In the current pandemic situation it would be of even greater benefit,’ says Lord Rothschild, who supported the project alongside Nicholas Serota, Lord Vaizey, Richard Long and Anish Kapoor, as well as the local MP John Howell, with permission from the South Oxfordshire Council.
Richard Long, Ivory Granite Line, 2016.
Alicja Kwade, Big Be Hide, 2019.
Cristina Iglesias, Pozo IV.
David Adjaye, Horizon Pavilion 2017.
James Capper, Treadpad B Pair 2 Walking Ship 40 Ton Standard Displacement 4 Leg, 2017.
Ryan Gander, More really shiny things that dont mean anything, 2012.
Adel Abdessemed, Cheval De Turin, 2012.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
Albion Barn
Church Hill, Little Milton
Oxford OX44 7QB
-
RollAway Hospitality describe their all-electric RV as a luxurious suite on wheelsA Californian start-up combines zero emission tech with expert packaging to create a designer camping experience
-
‘I’m always looking for something weird’: Palace’s Lev Tanju on his new role as creative director for Fila+Wallpaper* fashion features editor Jack Moss sits down with Lev Tanju as the Palace founder brings his unabashed love of clothes to a new role as creative director of Fila+
-
Indian architectural studio Social Design Collaborative on its open and inclusive approachSocial Design Collaborative from New Delhi on creating its big, collaborative ideas for all
-
Inside Jack Whitten’s contribution to American contemporary artAs Jack Whitten exhibition ‘Speedchaser’ opens at Hauser & Wirth, London, and before a major retrospective at MoMA opens next year, we explore the American artist's impact
-
Frieze Sculpture takes over Regent’s ParkTwenty-two international artists turn the English gardens into a dream-like landscape and remind us of our inextricable connection to the natural world
-
Harlem-born artist Tschabalala Self’s colourful ode to the landscape of her childhoodTschabalala Self’s new show at Finland's Espoo Museum of Modern Art evokes memories of her upbringing, in vibrant multi-dimensional vignettes
-
Wanås Konst sculpture park merges art and nature in SwedenWanås Konst’s latest exhibition, 'The Ocean in the Forest', unites land and sea with watery-inspired art in the park’s woodland setting
-
Pino Pascali’s brief and brilliant life celebrated at Fondazione PradaMilan’s Fondazione Prada honours Italian artist Pino Pascali, dedicating four of its expansive main show spaces to an exhibition of his work
-
John Cage’s ‘now moments’ inspire Lismore Castle Arts’ group showLismore Castle Arts’ ‘Each now, is the time, the space’ takes its title from John Cage, and sees four artists embrace the moment through sculpture and found objects
-
Gerhard Richter unveils new sculpture at Serpentine SouthGerhard Richter revisits themes of pattern and repetition in ‘Strip-Tower’ at London’s Serpentine South
-
Peter Blake’s sculptures spark joy at Waddington Custot in London‘Peter Blake: Sculpture and Other Matters’, at London's Waddington Custot, spans six decades of the artist's career
