Ai Weiwei’s Forever (2014), was installed in front of the 30 St Mary’s Axe, commonly known as the Gherkin, as part of the fifth edition of Sculpture in the City and in partnership with The Royal Academy of Arts exhibition.

This newly designed, monumental artwork is part of Ai’s series entitled Forever, which refers to the famous ‘Forever’ brand of bicycles that have been mass-manufactured in Shanghai, China since 1940. Once abundant on the streets of the Chinese cities, the surplus of bicycles are steadily dying out and being replaced by cars. The stainless-steel bikes are configured in ever-expanding modular shapes and layers of geometrically stacked and fused individual frames to create one large structure, a structure that echoes the layers and intricacies of the people and communities of China. Standing in front of London’s iconic Gherkin building, the work suggests a congregation of people or a massing of humanity – mirroring the daily hustle of the City of London, and its workday population nearing half a million people.

All remaining works from Sculpture in the City 2015 have now been removed in readiness for the installation of the new works which commence on the weekend of the 11th June 2016, with an official launch being on the 28th June 2016.

Find out more at www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/sculptureinthecity and join the conversation #sculptureinthecity on the social media.

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