Delcy Morelos fills Barbican Sculpture Court with earth and spice installation

Colombian artist Delcy Morelos has created 'origo', a monumental installation of soil, clay, hay, seeds, and spices in the Barbican Centre's Sculpture Court in London. Opening May 15, 2026, the work transforms the brutalist space into a sensory environment of darkness, scent, and touch. Visitors walk through tunnels of earthen materials, encountering cinnamon and cloves that preserve the soil. The 24-by-18-meter ovular pavilion rises over three meters and reactivates the Sculpture Court for the first time in nearly a decade. Morelos, born in Tierralta, Colombia, draws on ancestral Andean and Amazonian concepts of land as a living entity. Her practice addresses violence, displacement, and colonial history through material. Previous exhibitions include Hamburger Bahnhof, Dia Chelsea, and Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo. The Barbican, designed by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon, provides a concrete counterpoint to the fragile, porous earthwork. The installation runs through July 31, 2026, commissioned by Barbican Visual Arts with support from the Bukhman Foundation, Cheng-Lan Foundation, and Culture Mile BID.