Hayward Gallery unveils monumental outdoor commission by Bharti Kher

Bharti Kher’s ‘Target Queen’ transforms Hayward Gallery's facades with bold feminine symbolism.

Installation view: Bharti Kher: Target Queen, Hayward Gallery, 2024. Photo: Jo Underhill. Courtesy of the artist and Hauser & Wirth.

The Hayward Gallery has unveiled Target Queen, a striking new outdoor commission by British-Indian artist Bharti Kher. This monumental work, marking the first time Kher’s large-scale outdoor art has been showcased by a London institution, is positioned across the gallery’s facade. The vibrant installation interacts playfully with the Southbank Centre’s iconic architecture, blending cultural significance with modern design to create a visually captivating experience.

Target Queen features oversized bindis, traditional symbols used by South Asian women to represent the third eye. These target-like motifs, each over three metres in diameter, dominate two sides of the Hayward Gallery. Through this mural, Kher transforms the bindi into a powerful emblem of femininity, spirituality, and the goddess, imbuing the Brutalist building with compassionate, divine energy. Since first incorporating bindis into her work in 1995, Kher has used them as a signature motif, exploring their spiritual and aesthetic meaning while investigating how colour and form can convey cultural narratives.

Installation view: Bharti Kher: Target Queen, Hayward Gallery, 2024. Photo: Jo Underhill. Courtesy of the artist and Hauser & Wirth.

Kher’s practice often navigates the boundaries between humanity, nature, and politics, with her sculptures crafted from found objects that challenge conventional meanings. Target Queen reimagines a cosmic vision of the circle, symbolising the cyclical nature of life. Visible from Belvedere Road and Waterloo Bridge, the installation aligns with the Southbank Centre’s mission to offer free public art experiences. This bold and transformative work is part of a wider exploration of femininity and divinity, launched alongside Kher’s solo exhibition Alchemies at Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

Click here for more public art to see in London this autumn.

Date: 12 September 2024 - 12 September 2027. Location: Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, London SE1 8XX. southbankcentre.co.uk.