“When we opened, we wanted our remit to be sculpture in its broadest terms,” says Polly Bielecka, the director of one of London’s only galleries dedicated solely to sculpture. Pangolin London opened its doors in 2008 and has since curated over 100 shows, featuring everything from ceramics to carved stone. “As much as we love it, we don’t want to be a shop front for just bronze,” Bielecka shares. “The thread that you’ll see running through all our exhibitions is a sense of material and craftsmanship.”
This is particularly true for an exciting double bill currently showcased at Pangolin London, which shouldn’t be missed at any cost. In the main gallery there’s Animal Instinct, a group exhibition of animal sculptures. “A lot of people are good at copying animals,” Bielecka notes, “but few know how to capture the essence of that creature in a three-dimensional object.” The artworks Bielecka and her team have chosen represent the spirit of different creatures, both tame and wild, with eerie accuracy.
Heather Jansch’s equine pieces, made from driftwood, suggest rippling manes with the textured, twisted branches. The bowed heads capture the gentle majesty horses exude. Terence Coventry’s angular bronze bull seems to sniff the air, tail taunt, for all the world ready to spring into action. Michael Cooper’s stone lemur belies this material by appearing soft and cuddly.
“We wanted to have a joyful show,” Bielecka explains, “it’s not trying to be overly conceptual, it’s charming.” She’s identified the crux of the exhibition’s appeal: it’s not afraid of being accessible. Instead of overwhelming the viewer with complex explanations or avant-garde flourishes, Pangolin London allows each sculpture to speak for itself… and draw a smile from every viewer.
But this is not the only offering at Pangolin London. Beyond their main gallery in King’s Place, on the floor below, is a second exhibition titled Earth Unwrapped. If Animal Instinct epitomizes the raw physicality and playfulness of the animal kingdom, Earth Unwrapped is a more sober display that uses sculpture as a medium to contemplate the planet we live on.
“The building we’re in has two beautiful concert halls and this year their theme is Earth Unwrapped – so we decided to do an exhibition with the same title, probing the topic,” says Bielecka. This is part of a greater plan, set in place by Peter Millican OBE, a developer with a dream.
“His vision for King’s Place was to bring arts and music together in a multifunctional building,” Bielecka continues. The result is a space where art has been successfully imbedded into everyday life, a seamless integration where the public easily encounters creativity while artists profit from passing footfall.
Curating a sculptural response to the music program results in a unique artistic dialogue. “From the get-go we’ve always collaborated with the music. It’s such a pleasure to have multiple art forms in one place; that’s quite rare and we’re proud of it,” Bielecka says.
Earth Unwrapped tackles its subject matter from a material aspect and by thematically considering our habitation on Earth. Established artists who are interested in the climate like Paul Huxley and Jon Buck are included alongside younger innovators like Andy Holden, who challenge the viewer to think about conservation through sculpture. Holden’s project, ‘How The Artist Was Led To The Study Of Nature II’, is particularly memorable, featuring a clutch of speckled bird’s eggs that are actually composed of hand-painted porcelain.
Meanwhile, Ugandan sculptor Peter Oloya’s piece, ‘Our Fault’, mimics in bronze the effect of drying, cracking mud, showing a tiny figure trapped inside the textured tableau. In this prescient sculpture we see Oloya confronting the impact of environmental issues on his native continent.
Together, the two group shows deliver an unusually complete portrayal of the natural world – its flora and fauna – through three-dimensional art. Whereas contemporary art can sometimes be too newfangled for its own good, Pangolin London refrains from falling for shock factor or hype. Their group shows and rotating schedule of solo exhibitions answer to the real interests of collectors and onlookers; these are works that you can imagine in a home.
As early adopters to the new and improved King’s Cross, they were among the first to add a cultural dimension to the area. “The whole landscape has changed beyond recognition, though it took a little longer than expected. That meant we had to work really hard with our exhibitions to draw an audience, because King’s Cross isn’t known specifically for art galleries,” Bielecka shares.
Now that King’s Cross’ redevelopment is almost complete, Coal Drops Yard and its surroundings attract floods of visitors all week, seeking entertainment and exploring the varied shopping and dining on offer. Connoisseurs and collectors well acquainted with this home of sculpture will no doubt treat it as a destination store, but even the casual sightseer is guaranteed to be enchanted by the shopfront.
Bielecka says she “loves unexpected encounters” with previously unseen sculptures. This is exactly what visitors to King’s Cross can experience too.
Animal Instinct has been extended to 26th of April 2025.
Earth Unwrapped runs till 15th June 2025.
Both shows are on view at Pangolin London, Kings Place, 90 York Way, N1 9AG, London.
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