Marc Quinn's Light into Life: an 'al fresco treasure-hunt' of sculpture at Kew
Massive metallic sculptures dotted across the gardens explore 'links between nature and humanity'

The natural beauty of Kew Gardens is being lit up by an installation of "manically botanical" giant sculptures by Marc Quinn, said Time Out.
The former Young British Artist's new show explores the "links between nature and humanity", said the site, and how plants and people co-exist in an "untangleable symbiotic relationship".
Quinn has long been regarded as one of the "bad boys of British culture", said The Independent, and his works have included some of the most "controversial representations of the human form of the past half-century", including "Self", a cast of his head made from his frozen blood. So entering this horticultural world could be seen as a "mellowing move, even a nod towards middle England".
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But Quinn told the paper that he had been "creating images related to horticulture and nature since the early 1990s". The earliest of the sculptures on display, in a freezer installation in Kew's Shirley Sherwood Gallery, is "The Origin of the Species". The 1993 artwork was created by filling his "blood head" mould with frozen coconut water – "replacing my blood with the 'blood' of a plant", he said.
The show also features another evolution of Quinn's "famous experiments with blood", said The Telegraph. "Human Nature" (2024) is a bouquet of calla lilies cast in frozen animal blood, which is commercially available as a fertiliser – a commentary on the "sale of death".
But where this show really shines is through his large metallic sculptures dotted across Kew's gardens like an "al fresco treasure hunt" of "sculptural delights". Quinn's "highly reflective" creations "follow in the best traditions of English landscaping's use of reflective water bodies". Some are placed "in plain sight with a distorted mirroring effect that casts back the greenery and facades of Kew", while others "appear to float in a dully shimmering communion between plant and sky".
Presenting an "entertaining development" in the history of sculptures in gardens, this installation takes a "radically different" approach to the tradition. Rather than drawing the eye away from nature and "into midday reveries of romping satyrs", Quinn "redoubles your immersion into the natural surroundings", creating an "entrancing portal to the world contained within the reflection".
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
"Marc Quinn: Light Into Life" is at Kew Gardens until 29 September; kew.org
Adrienne Wyper has been a freelance sub-editor and writer for The Week's website and magazine since 2015. As a travel and lifestyle journalist, she has also written and edited for other titles including BBC Countryfile, British Travel Journal, Coast, Country Living, Country Walking, Good Housekeeping, The Independent, The Lady and Woman’s Own.
-
Questions abound over the FAA’s management of Boeing
Talking Points Some have called the agency’s actions underwhelming
-
Lou Berney’s 6 favorite books with powerful storytelling
Feature The award-winning author recommends works by Dorothy B. Hughes, James McBride, and more
-
Robert Redford: the Hollywood icon who founded the Sundance Film Festival
Feature Redford’s most lasting influence may have been as the man who ‘invigorated American independent cinema’ through Sundance
-
Pucker up with these 8 soothing lip balms and treatments
The Week Recommends Don’t pout — these lip balms offer hydration and shine
-
7 bars to visit that celebrate the magic of the classic and the modern
The Week Recommends Where to drink now in the US
-
Enjoy the scenery on these 7 colorful fall road trips
The Week Recommends 'Tis the season for autumn foliage
-
The soups, noodles and cake to make this the most tasty fall yet
The Week Recommends Soothing plates from across the globe
-
Sing songs with Sandler, gawk at Gaffigan: These are the comedians to catch on tour this fall
the week recommends Laugh to keep yourself from crying
-
Projects and pantry staples: Fall’s new cookbooks are primed to help you achieve all sorts of deliciousness
The Week Recommends Starring new releases from celebri-cooks Samin Nosrat and Alison Roman
-
Jump scare! Evil villain! These are fall’s most exciting horror movie releases.
The Week Recommends An Airbnb rental gone wrong and another ‘Frankenstein’ adaptation highlight this autumn’s horror crop
-
6 low-effort, highest-yield cocktails to make this fall
The Week Recommends Ready for your margarita to reach for the coconut?