Some of our favourite artists not only dominate the gallery setting but have made their mark on the outside world. From neons to inflatables, houses to monoliths, these creatives go beyond the realms of works on paper.
Explore and discover the multidisciplinary artists who have become household names for their innovative creations.
KAWS
KAWS:HOLIDAY
Floating into Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour, in March 2019, the 37-meter-long inflatable tugged its way across the waters.
Over a 10-day holiday, Companion was in Soeul, Taipai and finished his journey in Hong Kong.
Installation view, for the 150th anniversary of St Pancras International
Grayson Perry
A House For Essex
A project by Grayson Perry and FAT Architecture
Fancy staying in an artwork? Well, you can. The interior is just as eccentric as the exterior with commissioned works by Perry including handmade ceramic pots and tapestries that tell the fictional story of Julie Cope’s life.
‘When Living Architecture offered me the opportunity to collaborate with FAT it was a golden chance to realise a long held ambition to build a secular chapel. The resulting building is a total art work, a fiction in which you can live, a digital age shrine and a homage to my home county.’
Grayson Perry
Interior of A House for Essex
Swoon
Inspired by the strength of people she knows
“For me, it was taking this classical background in portraiture and taking it outside, maintaining my identity as a classic portrait artist. And bringing that into this other tradition of working outside.”
Name a more famous yet anonymous artist who creates art in public. Banksy is a household name that has shattered auction results but also highlights the plight of the world's state. Using his platform to beam light on areas of conflict and neglect, most recently Ukraine.
A 17-foot tall monolith appeared in New York's Central Park in 2016. Inscribed on the stone slab, that could in theory outlive the surrounding civilisation, a shopping list.
"Amanda at my gallery commented that it was a bit of a bourgeois shopping list so we swapped out a few of the fancy stuff for more mainstream fare. Rice wine vinegar for ketchup, for example." - David Shrigley
I Cannot Change My Spots But I Have No Desire To Change My Spots
£1,875
David Shrigley 'Really Good' on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square
JR
Another reality
Over the years, JR has made his name in creating real-time illusions as well as social projects that bring communities together and highlight the power of people. For example, in 2016 JR used paper to create a real-time illusion that made the Louvre’s famous pyramid disappear.
Trompe L'Oeil, Death Valley, Billboard, March 4, 2017, 5:41 pm, California, USA, 2017
£1,200
Editions
JR
Ballet, Palais Royal, Paris, France, 2020
£1,200
A child peers over the U.S.-Mexico border at Tecate, California
Editorial
We’ve scoured recent cultural memory for a selection of our favourite public art installations (and institutions) that have had a lasting impact on the cultural zeitgeist in the UK.
