Soto's Pénétrable in Kensington Gardens: A Free Walk-Through Artwork
Most art in London comes with a sign asking you not to touch. From today, Kensington Gardens has a work that only makes sense if you do. Jesús Rafael Soto: Pénétrable BBL Jaune, presented by Serpentine, opens on 16 June and stays until 25 October. It is free, it is outdoors, and it is one of the most joyful things to happen to the park this summer.
What it is
The piece is a ten metre long field of 4,000 yellow PVC tubes hanging from a steel frame. Seen from a distance, the closely spaced strands appear to shimmer and shift thanks to a moiré effect. Up close, the invitation is to walk straight in: your movement, and the brush of the tubes as you pass through, is what completes the work. It is the rare artwork that works for every age, which makes it an ideal stop for families on a summer walk.
The installation is curated by Lizzie Carey-Thomas, Serpentine's Director of Programmes and Chief Curator, with Alexa Chow, and the work is shown courtesy of Atelier Soto in Paris and Galerie Perrotin. Bring a phone: the shifting yellow lines make for some of the best photographs you will take in the park all year.
This edition is based on Soto's 1999 original and was relaunched by the artist's estate in 2023 to mark the centenary of his birth. Soto made his first Pénétrable in 1967 and went on to create more than seventy versions in different sizes and colours.
Who was Soto
Born in Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela, in 1923, Jesús Rafael Soto is regarded as a pioneer of kinetic art, the movement concerned with motion, perception and the viewer's own role in a work. He directed the School of Fine Arts in Maracaibo in 1947 before moving to Paris in 1950, and in 1955 he took part in the landmark Le Mouvement exhibition at Galerie Denise René alongside Alexander Calder, Marcel Duchamp and Victor Vasarely. London has history with him too: one of his early major solo shows was at Signals London in 1965. Today his work is held by Tate, the Centre Pompidou and MoMA, among others.
Pair it with the Pavilion
The timing is generous. Ten days ago, Serpentine opened its 25th Serpentine Pavilion, LANZA atelier's curving brick structure, which runs until the same date in October. Seeing the two together makes an easy, entirely free summer afternoon: one quiet and architectural, one bright and playful. Both are open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm.
Getting there
From Knightsbridge, walk into Hyde Park at Albert Gate or Edinburgh Gate and head west towards Kensington Gardens and Serpentine South. Allow around twenty minutes on foot. The work is at its best in bright sunshine, when the yellow glows and the moiré effect is strongest, and on weekday mornings, when you can walk through it without a queue. For more free ideas nearby, see our things to do page.
