The Pull of Gravity
Sat 28 Jun 2025 – Sun 19 Apr 2026
Yorkshire Sculpture Park
William Kentridge | The Pull of Gravity
William Kentridge
Head-Image
This summer we are thrilled to be presenting a major exhibition by South African artist William Kentridge. It marks the first museum presentation outside South Africa to focus on his sculpture.
Comprising over 40 works made between 2007 and 2024, this ambitious project will fill the Underground Gallery, with outdoor works presented in the surrounding gardens.
Over the last two decades, sculpture has increasingly become a key part of Kentridge’s practice, taking drawing into three dimensions and developing from puppetry, film and stage props. This exciting new exhibition includes a selection of the artist’s sculpture from this period across different scales and media, including bronze, steel, paper, cardboard, plaster, wood and found objects.
Discover the Monumental Paper Processions
The six towering forms of Paper Procession rise up to five metres tall. Made from hand-torn paper in bold reds, yellows, and oranges, they echo the movement of the original 30cm maquettes shown inside
William Kentridge
Paper Procession I (Large), 2023
Painted aluminium and steel
Work: 400 x 195 cm (157.5 x 76.8 in.)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP
Several works are on display for the first time, including a new commission of six monumental coloured sculptures, Paper Procession, on parade in YSP’s historic landscape.
William Kentridge
Paper Procession II (Large), 2023
Painted aluminium and steel
Work: 521.1 x 202.5 cm (205.2 x 79.7 in.)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP
William Kentridge
Paper Procession III (Large), 2023
Painted aluminium and steel
Work: 400 x 199 cm (157.5 x 78.3 in.)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP
William Kentridge
Paper Procession IV (Large), 2023
Steel, aluminium, oil paint
Work: 415.7 x 353.8 cm (163.7 x 139.3 in.)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP
William Kentridge
Paper Procession VI (Large), 2023
Painted aluminium and steel
Work: 429.9 x 239.8 cm (169.3 x 94.4 in.)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP
Several works will be displayed for the first time, including a new commission of six monumental coloured sculptures, Paper Procession, on parade in YSP’s historic landscape.
Here you will also experience the first institutional presentation of Self-Portrait as a Coffee Pot (2020-24), a series of films whose production began during the first Covid-19 lockdown, as well as the UK museum debut of the 7-channel film, More Sweetly Play the Dance (2015).
In the landscape, several large-scale bronzes will be shown against the backdrop of a curving early 19th-century brick wall of the Bothy Garden. Each over three metres in height, these sculptures include a striding figure with megaphone head, an ampersand, and a cat.
William Kentridge
Ampersand (Large), 2019
Bronze
Work: 330 x 318 x 210 cm (129.9 x 125.2 x 82.7 in.)
Weight: Approx 1,637kg
Edition of 2 + 1 AP
William Kentridge
Stroke (Large), 2023
Bronze
Work: 240 x 490 x 187 cm (94.5 x 192.9 x 73.6 in.)
Weight 727kgs
Edition of 2 + 1 AP
William Kentridge
Apron (Large), 2024
Bronze
Work: 366 x 267 x 166.4 cm (144.1 x 105.1 x 65.5 in.)
Weight: 944kg (2081.16lb)
Edition of 2 + 1 AP
William Kentridge
Italics Plus, 2024
42 Bronzes
Work: 108 x 298 x 25 cm (42.5 x 117.3 x 9.8 in.)
Edition of 9 + 3 AP
Enquire
William Kentridge
Goat, 2021
Bronze
Work: 120 x 80 x 150 cm (47.2 x 31.5 x 59.1 in.)
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
William Kentridge
Pour, 2022
Bronze
Work: 124 x 119 x 66.7 cm (48.8 x 46.9 x 26.3 in.)
Weight: 250kg
Edition of 5 + 1 AP
William Kentridge
Marching, 2021
Bronze
Work: 122 x 98 x 102 cm (48 x 38.6 x 40.2 in.)
Weight : 184 kgs
Edition of 5 + 1 AP
William Kentridge (b.1955, South Africa) is internationally acclaimed for his drawings, films, theatre and opera productions. Kentridge’s largest survey exhibition, first seen at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 2022, traveled
to Taipei Fine Arts Museum in 2024. Recently in Venice, Kentridge premiered a new nine-episode video series ‘Self-Portrait as a Coffee Pot’ - a site-specific installation curated by long-time collaborator and curator Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev at the Arsenale Institute for Politics of Representation. The films are now available to stream on MUBI. 2024 also saw the artist premiere the theatrical production ‘The Great Yes, The Great No’ at LUMA Arles in July alongside a substantial solo exhibition. Kentridge’s work has been seen in solo exhibitions in museums across the globe since the 1990s, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Musée du Louvre, Paris; Reina Sofia, Madrid; the Kunstmuseum Basel; and MUDAM Luxembourg. The artist has also participated in biennials including Documenta in Kassel (2012, 2002,1997) and the Venice Biennale (2015, 2013, 2005, 1999, 1993). Collections include: MoMA, New York; Guggenheim, New York; MFA Houston; Tate, London; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah; The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek, Denmark; and Zeitz MoCAA, Cape Town.