Serpentine has unveiled a major public sculpture by pioneering kinetic artist Jesús Rafael Soto, launching a summer programme that extends across Kensington Gardens, the 25th Serpentine Pavilion and a season of live events.
Installed near Serpentine South until 25 October 2026, Pénétrable BBL Jaune (1999; 2023 Edition) marks the first outdoor presentation of Soto’s work in the UK. The large-scale sculpture transforms the park into an immersive environment, inviting visitors to move through 4,000 suspended yellow strands and become active participants within the work itself.
Born in Venezuela in 1923, Soto was one of the defining figures of kinetic and optical art. Across a seven-decade career, he explored movement, perception and the relationship between objects, space and the viewer. His celebrated Pénétrable series, first developed in 1967, pushed sculpture beyond the static object, creating environments that can be physically entered and experienced.
Stretching ten metres in length, Pénétrable BBL Jaune consists of thousands of identical PVC tubes suspended from a steel framework. Viewed from a distance, the dense field of vertical lines appears to flicker and vibrate through a moiré effect. Up close, the work becomes fully immersive, encouraging visitors to walk through the sculpture and alter it through their presence.
For Soto, the audience was always integral to the work. Speaking with Hans Ulrich Obrist in 2004, the artist reflected on his fascination with space:
“Contrary to what we have always believed, space is not something that is filled with objects. Objects are in fact filled with space. Space flows. Nothing limits it. I’m interested in showing people who are interested in space as a quality or a universal density that in fact it is space that is in control – it defines and sets its own conditions.”
The sculpture forms part of Serpentine’s longstanding commitment to bringing art into the landscape of Kensington Gardens. Since 1970, the institution has commissioned and presented ambitious outdoor works that extend beyond the gallery walls. Soto’s installation joins Giuseppe Penone’s Albero folgorato (Thunderstruck Tree) and David Hockney’s monumental A Year in Normandie as part of Serpentine’s evolving public art programme.
The unveiling also signals the start of a wider summer season centred around the 25th Serpentine Pavilion. Designed by Mexican architecture studio LANZA atelier, founded by Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo, this year’s Pavilion, titled a serpentine, opened earlier this month and marks a significant milestone in the commission’s history.
To celebrate the Pavilion’s 25th edition, Serpentine has partnered with the Zaha Hadid Foundation while continuing its long-standing support from Goldman Sachs and welcoming Rolex as Official Timepiece Partner of the Serpentine Pavilions.
Throughout the summer, the Pavilion will host Park Nights, performances, talks and interdisciplinary events, reinforcing its role as both an architectural commission and a platform for public engagement.
Serpentine CEO Bettina Korek and Artistic Director Hans Ulrich Obrist said:
“We are delighted to inaugurate our summer programme with the unveiling of a playful, vibrant sculpture by Soto. The work will activate the entire campus, and we look forward to welcoming visitors from London and beyond for what promises to be an exceptional season.”
With Soto’s vibrant kinetic environment, a landmark Pavilion anniversary and a packed programme of events, Serpentine’s summer offering once again positions Kensington Gardens as one of London’s most dynamic cultural destinations.
MORE: serpentinegalleries.org/whats-on
About the artist
Jesús Rafael Soto (1923–2005) worked as the director of the School of Fine Arts in Maracaibo in 1947 and relocated to Paris in 1950, where he became part of a generation of artists experimenting with motion in art. He participated in the landmark exhibition Le Mouvement at Galerie Denise René in 1955, alongside artists such as Alexander Calder, Marcel Duchamp and Victor Vasarely—a defining moment in the development of kinetic art.
During the same decade, Soto began making kinetic constructions using industrial and synthetic materials such as nylon, Perspex, steel and industrial paint. His work sought to evoke movement, spatial volume and tactility, a vision exemplified by his renowned Pénétrables series.
Major exhibitions of Soto’s work have been held at Signals London (1965); Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (1971); Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (1974); Musée National d’Art Moderne (1979); Musée du Jeu de Paume (1997); Museo Tamayo (2005); and Guggenheim Bilbao (2019).
His works are held in the collections of institutions worldwide, including Tate, Museum Ludwig, Centre Georges Pompidou, Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna and Museum of Modern Art.
