Antwerp's Royal Museum of Fine Arts (KMSKA) is hosting the largest solo exhibition of British sculptor Antony Gormley in continental Europe, curated by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev. The show features three new 'Domain' sculptures made specifically for Antwerp, which stand overlooking the River Scheldt and the museum, alongside early works from Gormley's student days at the Slade School of Art. The exhibition traces Gormley's evolution from early material explorations like 'Flat Tree' (1978) and 'Exercise Between Blood and Earth' (1979/2026) to his iconic body-cast sculptures in lead and iron, including works that list air as a material.
The exhibition matters because it offers a comprehensive view of Gormley's six-decade career, highlighting his enduring engagement with materiality, ecology, and the human body's relationship to the natural world. By juxtaposing early experimental pieces with new site-specific works, the show underscores how Gormley's practice has consistently asked viewers to contemplate volume, mass, and their own place in the fragile environment. The inclusion of works like 'Angel of the North' and 'Quantum Cloud' in a companion guide further reinforces Gormley's status as Britain's most prominent public sculptor, whose works have become landmarks worldwide.