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The annual sculpture trail coinciding with the Frieze London art fair is back.
Every September, a dozen or so sculptures appear in the bottom-right corner of Regent's Park. The sculpture trail is the most public-facing aspect of the Frieze London art fair, which opens nearby in October.
The appearance of the sculptures among the falling autumn leaves is one of the most playful events in the cultural calendar. It's the sort of thing that adults and kids can enjoy equally and together — not always the case in a stuffy gallery.
This year's crop, in our opinion, is the most diverse and playful in a long time. The sculptures are by turn joyous, morbid, intriguing, whimsical and thought-provoking. They supposedly all play to the theme of 'in the shadows', some more obviously than others.
Against all expectations, our favourite installation is a sound sculpture by Reena Saini Kallat. In form, it's a couple of metal horns with earpieces at one end. But pop one next to your ears and something magical happens; you hear the songs and calls of now-extinct birds, while your other ear picks up the chatter of the real birds in surrounding trees. That gets you thinking. That is proper art.
One thing is absent, however. It's become something of a tradition (in our household at least) to laugh at the artist labels, always written in excruciatingly off-putting art-speak (one example). This year's labels all make sense, and help us better appreciate the art rather than turning us against it. Bravo to whoever sorted that out.
Frieze London sculpture trail is in the south-east corner of Regent's Park until 2 November 2025. Entrance is free and un-ticketed. Nearest Tube: Great Portland Street or Regent's Park. All images by Matt Brown.
