Tony Cragg’s Lisson Gallery exhibition in London presents abstracted, upright forms that balance solidity and air, crafted in bronze, stainless steel, and weathered Corten. These sculptures convey movement and invite engagement, while monumental outdoor works and a rotating bronze centerpiece showcase Cragg’s enduring exploration of material expression.
The latest Incident sculptures and related works resemble figures or pillars. These upright forms are shaped through hand carving, construction, and erosion, producing porous structures that blur solid and space. The pieces feel both organic and deliberate, animated as if moving in space.
The Stand series exemplifies this approach, initially suggesting human forms to foster physical and empathetic engagement, then evolving into abstract, otherworldly shapes. Outdoors, monumental versions of the series continue this exploration, while the central courtyard features Contradiction, a large green bronze sculpture that rotates between swirling motion and verticality, seemingly defying gravity.
Cragg’s 50-year practice merges natural and man-made influences with imaginative invention. Highlights include Path (2025), evolving from his childhood-inspired Hedge series into twisting, interwoven forms, and new REM pieces of stacked stainless-steel shapes inspired by carved tree-branch headrests, evoking dreamlike patterns.
The exhibition follows major 2025 solo shows in Dubrovnik, Dessau, Salzburg, and Rome, as well as his 2024 UK display at Castle Howard, and runs alongside a presentation at Tony Cragg in Darmstadt, Wuppertal (2025–26).
Born in Liverpool, Cragg has followed his own path since youth, despite his father’s opposition to sculpture as a career. Growing up amid post-war stereotypes of the French and Germans, he faced his parents’ disapproval for going to Germany, while his time in France revealed the value of French culture and family life. He also acknowledges the weight of historical legacy on his German children.
Cragg’s early work engaged with British social and political issues, responding to unrest after the miners’ strike and urban clashes. Now living abroad, he approaches contemporary British protests with caution, though he remains disappointed by political shifts.
In his artistic philosophy, Cragg rejects realistic representation, viewing exact likenesses—of people or animals—as vain and pointless. He prioritizes the expressive potential of materials, exploring movement, mass, and molecular structure.
While he respects historical masters such as Bernini, he considers figurative sculpture largely outdated. He is also struck by the increasing accessibility of contemporary art, with galleries appearing beyond traditional centers like London and Paris.
