ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Renée Levi's 'September' Transforms Hayward Gallery Facade in First UK Public Commission

exhibition · 2026-04-29

Renée Levi, who was born in Istanbul in 1960, has launched 'September,' her inaugural significant public artwork in the UK, displayed on the Hayward Gallery's brutalist exterior. This installation, co-commissioned by Audemars Piguet Contemporary and the Hayward Gallery, will be available for viewing until 15 November. Constructed in modular segments, it engages with the building's structural features, employing industrial mesh technology to endure outdoor elements. Levi's artistic approach, shaped by her background in architecture, considers painting as site-specific. She utilized her body and a one-meter-long mop to form expansive color fields. The title 'September' pays tribute to underrepresented women artists, with curator Audrey Teichmann highlighting the project’s dedication to fostering unexpected experiences in contemporary art.

Key facts

  • Renée Levi's 'September' is her first major public commission in the United Kingdom.
  • The work is installed on the brutalist facade of the Hayward Gallery on London's South Bank.
  • It is co-commissioned by the Hayward Gallery and Audemars Piguet Contemporary, established in 2012.
  • The installation remains on view until 15 November.
  • Levi was born in Istanbul in 1960 and trained as an architect at HTL in Muttenz/Basel.
  • The work uses industrial mesh technology to withstand strong wind.
  • It is the first painting commissioned by Audemars Piguet Contemporary.
  • The title 'September' is a female name, continuing Levi's practice of giving female titles to her paintings.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

  • Hayward Gallery
  • Southbank Centre
  • Audemars Piguet Contemporary
  • Audemars Piguet
  • HTL Muttenz/Basel
  • Herzog & de Meuron
  • Zurich University of the Arts
  • Prix Meret Oppenheim
  • Prix de la Société des Arts de Genève
  • Royal Festival Hall
  • Federal Palace
  • Wallpaper
  • Palais de Tokyo
  • Kunstmuseum Basel
  • Lyon Biennale
  • designboom
  • Le Musée d'art contemporain de Lyon
  • Öktem Aykut
  • Galerie Mezzanin
  • PHILIPPZOLLINGER
  • Villa du Parc
  • Musée d'Art, Histoire et Archéologie d'Évreux
  • Museum Langmatt
  • Istituto Svizzero Milan
  • Galerie Freymond-Guth
  • Centre d'art Pasquart
  • MAMCO
  • Istituto Svizzero Rome
  • Kunstverein Munich
  • Institute of Art at the Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst FHNW
  • Swiss Parliament Building
  • Zurich School of Art and Design

Locations

  • London
  • United Kingdom
  • Istanbul
  • Turkey
  • South Bank
  • Thames
  • Muttenz
  • Basel
  • Switzerland
  • Vallée de Joux
  • Aargau
  • Zurich
  • Bern
  • Lyon
  • France
  • Paris
  • Geneva
  • Annemasse
  • Évreux
  • Baden
  • Milan
  • Italy
  • Rome
  • Biel
  • Munich
  • Germany

Sources

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