Serpentine unveils new public installation by Jesús Rafael Soto
Serpentine has launched its summer programme with the unveiling of Jesús Rafael Soto’s Pénétrable BBL Jaune (1999; 2023 Edition), the first outdoor presentation of the Venezuelan artist’s work in the UK. Installed near Serpentine South in Kensington Gardens, the large-scale public sculpture is on display from 16 June to 25 October 2026.
SOTO in the "Petit pénétrable (Small penetrable)" Solo exhibition "Soto", Galerija Suvremene Umjetnosti, Zagreb, Croatia, 1970. © MSU, Zagreb.
The installation consists of 4,000 suspended yellow PVC strands hanging from a steel framework measuring 10 metres in length. As people walk through the sculpture, the strands shift and create a shimmering optical effect, reflecting Soto’s lifelong exploration of movement, space and participation. A pioneer of kinetic art, Soto believed space was an active force, encouraging audiences to physically engage with his artworks rather than simply observe them.
Jesús Rafael Soto, Pénétrable BBL Jaune (1999;2023 Edition). © Jesús Rafael Soto / ADAGP, Paris 2026. Courtesy Atelier Soto, Paris and Galerie Perrotin. Photo: George Darrell. Courtesy Serpentine
The sculpture forms the centrepiece of Serpentine’s summer season, which also includes a programme of live events, the 25th Serpentine Pavilion designed by Mexican architecture studio LANZA atelier, and a new archive display celebrating Serpentine’s Arts Technologies programme.
Jesús Rafael Soto, Pénétrable BBL Jaune (1999;2023 Edition). © Jesús Rafael Soto / ADAGP, Paris 2026. Courtesy Atelier Soto, Paris and Galerie Perrotin. Photo: George Darrell. Courtesy Serpentine
Serpentine CEO Bettina Korek and Artistic Director Hans Ulrich Obrist described the work as “a playful, vibrant sculpture” that “will activate the entire campus” throughout the summer. Soto’s Pénétrable BBL Jaune joins other outdoor commissions in the park, including Giuseppe Penone’s Albero folgorato (Thunderstruck Tree, 2012) on the plinth at Serpentine South and David Hockney’s large-scale mural A Year in Normandie (Detail) in the garden at Serpentine North, reinforcing Serpentine’s commitment to creating free public art experiences for visitors from London and around the world.
Date: 16 June - 25 October 2026. Location: Kensington Gardens. serpentinegalleries.org.
Also on show at Serpentine: David Hockney: A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts About Painting at Serpentine North (until 23 August 2026); Cecily Brown: Picture Making at Serpentine South (until 6 September 2026); and processing…, an Arts Technologies archive display in the Education Space at Serpentine South (13 July–6 September 2026).
