Richard Long: Walking in Circles

Hayward Gallery, 14 June – 11 August 1991

Installation view: Richard Long: Walking in Circles, Hayward Gallery, 1991. Photo: Marcus Leith (1991) by Richard LongHayward Gallery

Richard Long: Walking in Circles was the first comprehensive exhibition of Richard Long’s work since his exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery, London, in 1977.

Installation view: Richard Long: Walking in Circles, Hayward Gallery, 1991. Photo: Marcus Leith (1991) by Richard LongHayward Gallery

The exhibition covered 25 years of Long’s career and featured four large-scale mud works – each made directly onto the gallery walls – ten major floor-pieces, and a range of text and photographic works.

Installation view: Richard Long: Walking in Circles, Hayward Gallery, 1991. Photo: Marcus Leith (1991) by Richard LongHayward Gallery

At the time, the exhibition was considered by staff of the gallery to be ‘perhaps the most stunning ever to fill the building’.

Installation view: Richard Long: Walking in Circles, Hayward Gallery, 1991. Photo: Marcus Leith (1991) by Richard LongHayward Gallery

By 1989, when the Arts Council invited Richard Long to develop a solo show for the Hayward Gallery, the artist had already exhibited in group exhibitions at the gallery numerous times, in shows including The New Art (1972), Pier + Ocean (1980) and Falls the Shadow (1987). As Andrew Dempsey argued in his letter of invitation, it was ‘time for a fuller exhibition!’

Installation view: Richard Long: Walking in Circles, Hayward Gallery, 1991. Photo: Marcus Leith (1991) by Richard LongHayward Gallery

In 1989, as he prepared for his solo exhibition at the Hayward Gallery, Long was awarded the Turner Prize.

Installation view: Richard Long: Walking in Circles, Hayward Gallery, 1991. Photo: Marcus Leith (1991) by Richard LongHayward Gallery

The exhibition was designed by Long, and installed by the artist over a period of ten days. All of the gallery’s partition walls were removed, leaving wide open spaces in which to exhibit the works.

Installation view: Richard Long: Walking in Circles, Hayward Gallery, 1991. Photo: Marcus Leith (1991) by Richard LongHayward Gallery

A new floor-piece, South Bank Circle (1991), was made specifically for the exhibition and exhibited on one of the outdoor sculpture terraces. According to notes from a meeting between Long and the exhibition organisers, the slate for this piece was chosen for its ability to ‘glisten in the rain’.

Installation view: Richard Long: Walking in Circles, Hayward Gallery, 1991. Photo: Marcus Leith (1991) by Richard LongHayward Gallery

Prelimary Installation Plan for Richard Long: Walking in Circles, Hayward Gallery Prelimary Installation Plan for Richard Long: Walking in Circles, Hayward Gallery (1991) by Hayward GalleryHayward Gallery

Preliminary hand-drawn layout for Richard Long: Walking in Circles.

Poster for Richard Long: Walking in Circles, Hayward Gallery (1991) by Hayward GalleryHayward Gallery

Exhibition poster.

Press Release for Richard Long: Walking in Circles, Hayward Gallery Press Release for Richard Long: Walking in Circles, Hayward Gallery (1991) by Hayward GalleryHayward Gallery

Exhibition press release.

Exhibition Guide for Richard Long: Walking in Circles: Hayward Gallery Exhibition Guide for Richard Long: Walking in Circles: Hayward Gallery (1991) by Hayward GalleryHayward Gallery

Exhibition guide.

Children's Map for Richard Long: Walking in Circles, Hayward Gallery Children's Map for Richard Long: Walking in Circles, Hayward Gallery (1991) by Hayward GalleryHayward Gallery

A children's map was made for the exhibition.

Private View Card for Richard Long: Walking in Circles, Hayward Gallery Private View Card for Richard Long: Walking in Circles, Hayward Gallery (1991) by Hayward GalleryHayward Gallery

Private view invitation.

Season Ticket to Richard Long: Walking in Circles, Hayward Gallery (1991) by Hayward GalleryHayward Gallery

Press Cutting for Richard Long: Walking in Circles, Hayward Gallery (1991)Hayward Gallery

Richard Long: Walking in Circles took place in the same year that the Hayward Gallery – together with the adjacent Southbank Centre venues the Purcell Room and Queen Elizabeth Hall – came under threat of demolition. Partly as a result of this imminent threat, many of the reviewers commented on relationship between Long’s work and the building’s architecture. Jonathan Glancey, writing in the Independent, argued that ‘rarely has an artist worked so closely and so convincingly within and without the structure of an existing building.’

Press Cutting for Richard Long: Walking in Circles, Hayward Gallery (1991)Hayward Gallery

Press Cutting for Richard Long: Walking in Circles, Hayward Gallery (1991)Hayward Gallery

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
Explore more
Related theme
Hayward Gallery at 50: Uncovering the Archive
Celebrating 50 years of Hayward Gallery behind-the-scenes
View theme
Home
Discover
Play
Nearby
Favorites