When and how did the idea to bring William Kentridge to Yorkshire Sculpture Park first come about?
This project has been in development for over ten years. YSP and William Kentridge have spent time together over the years talking about how an ambitious exhibition of sculpture could be presented. The Pull of Gravity (28 June 2025 – 19 April 2026) is the first museum presentation outside South Africa to focus on William Kentridge’s sculpture.
William Kentridge Paper Procession IV2024c William Kentridge. Courtesy the artist Goodman Gallery Galleria Lia Rumma and Hauser Wirth Photo c Jonty Wilde courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Why did you choose Crozier as your logistics partner?
YSP has worked with the team at Crozier for many years, and they have a very good understanding of the needs of our organisation. This good working relationship allows us to develop proposals for logistical solutions together and gives us the opportunity to consider options that could be more efficient in terms of time and budget. When commissioning a logistics partner for the William Kentridge exhibition, it was necessary to look at many factors. The works are large in scale and would be travelling long distances. We needed to be sure that any logistics partner could handle the scale, but could also be flexible, hugely experienced, and responsive to change.
How many artworks in total are displayed in the exhibition?
There are around 40 indoor and outdoor works in the exhibition, however, some works comprise many parts, so this figure does not quite represent the scale of the project. Paper Procession is made up of six brightly coloured aluminium sculptures, ranging from 4.5 to 5.5 metres high. This work was made for YSP and is the first time that it has been exhibited with all six figures.
The majority of the work in this exhibition has been shipped from South Africa by sea and air. For works travelling by sea, the lead time is longer, and when confirming exit times, it is not always possible to have transit times. This led to some works arriving early and requiring storage. The scale of The Pull of Gravity is huge, so finding space to house the works as we prepare the exhibition spaces has been a challenge. Moving many of these works requires specialist equipment and is time consuming. Preparing this volume of work has been a huge undertaking for the studio, so we therefore had to be very responsive when it came to booking in resources and scheduling arrivals.
Was William Kentridge involved in the logistics?
William Kentridge has a large team in South Africa who have all been very involved in the logistics of planning this exhibition. The exhibition designer, Sabine Theunissen is a long time collaborator of William Kentridge and was present on site for the installation. William Kentridge was also on site at various moments through the installation.
What happens to the art when the exhibition closes?
After careful de-installation and packing, the work will be returned to locations in South Africa and Europe by road, air and sea.
