Ugo Rondinone lights up Bond Street and the Royal Academy
Published on 08/29/2026 at 13:23 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Ugo Rondinone turns London into a three-part public work this summer. As the Royal Academy and Bond Street both document, The Song Is You, LIGHT and More Light link the courtyard, the street and the gallery.
Bond Street and the courtyard
The most visible part is LIGHT, a flag installation created for Art in Mayfair. Bond Street says the project opened on June 8, 2026 and runs until mid-August, with 54 flags derived from Rondinone's sunrisesunset watercolors. Bond Street's project page
At the Royal Academy, The Song Is You occupies the courtyard as a 10-meter LED sign made of rainbow-striped letters. The Royal Academy's summer exhibition page places the wider show from June 16 to August 23, 2026, while Bond Street reports the courtyard intervention as part of the same season. Royal Academy summer exhibition page
Why this London project matters
Rondinone has long worked with repetition, weather, light and simple language. The London project condenses those themes into public space, where painting, sculpture and text operate at street scale.
That makes the season useful beyond its spectacle. It shows how his sunrise and sunset motif now moves between gallery, institution and urban facade without losing its core vocabulary.
More news and background on Ugo Rondinone
Exhibitions, installations and institutional projects trace the artist's recurring focus on light, language and duration.
How the work is built
Rondinone works across painting, sculpture, installation and public commissions. Recurring groups include sunrisesunset, Rainbow Poems, mountains and nuns + monks, all built around strict visual systems.
His 2026 London presentation fits that structure neatly. A street flag project, a courtyard sign and a gallery show all extend the same language in different scales.
Where the artist stands now
Ugo Rondinone currently has a live London project centered on LIGHT, The Song Is You and More Light, with dates tied to the Royal Academy season and Art in Mayfair.
Ugo Rondinone at a glance
- Artist: Ugo Rondinone
- Medium / Genre: Installation, sculpture, painting, public art
- Born: 1964, Brunnen, Switzerland
- Place(s) of practice: New York and Zurich
- Active since: 1990
- Key work groups: sunrisesunset, Rainbow Poems, mountains, nuns + monks
- Current/last exhibition: The Song Is You, Royal Academy of Arts, London, June 16 to August 23, 2026
- Major collections: Tate, Centre Pompidou, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
- Next date: currently no announced date in the 30-day window
Frequently asked questions about Ugo Rondinone
Where is Ugo Rondinone on view right now?
In London, through The Song Is You at the Royal Academy and LIGHT on Bond Street. The linked projects are part of the 2026 summer season.
What is the key date for More Light?
Bond Street and Heni both place the project in June-August 2026, with the gallery component running from June 9 to August 22, 2026.
Which recurring series define Rondinone's practice?
His best-known groups include sunrisesunset, Rainbow Poems, mountains and nuns + monks. They recur across gallery, museum and public-space formats.
This article was produced with a.i. support and editorially reviewed. All statements without guarantee; auction results, exhibition dates and awards may change at short notice.
