Yorkshire Sculpture International is the UK’s largest dedicated sculpture festival, a series of exhibitions, international commissions, events and learning programmes not seen on a scale anywhere else – with sculpture in its broadest forms on display across four major galleries – the Henry Moore Institute, Leeds Art Gallery, The Hepworth Wakefield and Yorkshire Sculpture Park – and outdoors in Leeds and Wakefield.

This first festival builds upon Yorkshire’s rich history as the birthplace of pioneering sculptors, including Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, and as the home of this unique consortium of galleries and celebrated sculpture collections.

Reflecting the curatorial theme put forward by British artist Phyllida Barlow that ‘sculpture is the most anthropological of the artforms’ the free 100-day festival responds to the idea that there is a basic human impulse to make and connect with objects, and the programme explores what it means to create sculpture today.

Yorkshire Sculpture International features major new commissions in city centre locations; Ayşe Erkmen has made a work responding to the Central Court at Leeds Art Gallery, Huma Bhabha is presenting her first UK public commission in Wakefield. Tarek Atoui is working with local communities on performances in Wakefield.

Yorkshire Sculpture International builds on the growing profile of Yorkshire as a cultural destination and on the cultural ambition behind the Leeds 2023 bid. Summer 2019 sees the launch of Yorkshire Sculpture International, and it is hoped that the festival will grow into a regularly occurring event. It is next planned to be part of Leeds 2023.

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