‘When Forms Come Alive’: 60 years of contemporary sculpture

Artists are always trying to break the boundaries of form in their work. This exhibition goes beyond boundaries as sculptures ooze, solids become liquid and forms come alive.

Spanning more than 60 years of contemporary sculpture, the Hayward Gallery at the Southbank Centre in Belvedere Road, is hosting an exhibition which hones in on movement, flux and organic growth.

Inspired by sources ranging from a dancer’s gesture to the breaking of a wave, from a flow of molten metal to the interlacing of a spider’s web, the artworks in When Forms Come Alive conjure fluid and shifting realms of experience.

Undulating, drooping, erupting and cascading these sculptures are hard to turn away from. 

The works point to overarching themes of change, in a world where nothing stays the same, everything is moving.

The ideas aren’t new – sculptors have been turning stone into silk since the 17th century – but many of the pieces create beautiful illusions that will make your brain scramble.

The exhibition features work by 21 international artists and will run at the Hayward Gallery until May 5.

Pictured top: Installation view of Tera Donovan, When Forms Come Alive (Picture: Jo Underhill courtesy of the Hayward Gallery)