William Kentridge: The Pull of Gravity at Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Yorkshire Sculpture Park presents William Kentridge: The Pull of Gravity, an exhibition of over 40 works from one of the world’s most celebrated artists working today.

Kentridge’s legendary status cannot be disputed, with a career as long as it has been illustrious. Yet, despite countless exhibitions around the world, even the most devoted fans will find something new in The Pull of Gravity which, as you’d expect from YSP, is almost entirely devoted to sculpture. 

The artist is best known for charcoal drawings and animations made using his signature method of sketching, erasing and drawing over the top, meaning that you can see traces of past iterations of the images throughout the films. Sculpture, with its solidity and weight is, at first glance, the antithesis of his usual time-based work and light-touch drawings that can disappear with the swipe of a finger. Yet, Kentridge’s unique visual language will not be contained within familiar boxes – instead it spills out into grand bronze sculptures, trompe l’oeil illusions and movable props around the Underground Gallery and onto the surrounding lawns outside.

There is recurring symbolism in Kentridge’s work and you’ll find it here in the Glyph works. Ranging from small to colossal, Glyphs make up the artist’s personal lexicon, from everyday items like coffee pots, plants and scissors to animals and more unusual creatures. They start as ink drawings or cut-outs, before becoming cardboard models and eventually being cast in bronze. The smaller, black Glyphs are stunningly displayed against a white wall in long rows that resemble three-dimensional text that feels like it could easily be rearranged to change the resulting meaning. Outside, look out for the loose sketches scratched into the surface of the sculptures. 

The exhibition rooms are joined together by the airy corridor where the intense natural light is diffused by linen curtains, framing the bronze sculptures on display in the space.

The middle room of the Underground Gallery is home to an immersive film display, showing two works: More Sweetly Play the Dance (2015) and Oh To Believe In Another World (2022) on six large screens, enveloping the viewer in both the visuals and unsettling soundtracks. The walls, covered with painted cork, greet audiences with a very particular scent, adding to the ambiance inside. Trust us when we say, it’s really worth staying to see both of the films until the end.

If all of these works leave you curious about the artist’s process and thinking, take a seat in the ‘studio’ where you can take a look at some more works and watch Self Portrait as a Coffee Pot (2022), a nine-part series of 30-minute episodes created during the pandemic lockdowns where the artist confronts the duality of the self within the studio. 

There is a programme of activities and dedicated spaces for younger visitors too – from activity packs to a whole room filled with art materials, models and books, so there’s no time to be bored. And let’s be honest – you can’t really be bored in a place that combines art with nature, whatever your age.