A bit of horse play took place at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
For the first time in years, an equestrian guest has taken up residency at the sculpture park in Bretton.
Galloping Horse, 2012, is the new attraction by influential British artist Julian Opie.
The LED sculpture shows an animated horse running as if it could gallop through the historic park landscape and among neighbouring sculptures by Anthony Caro, Dennis Oppenheim and Peter Liversidge.
The sculpture recaptured memories of the horses that used to graze in the fields when they were once stabled on the Bretton Estate.
Opie uses processes to strip back photographed images of his subject matter – be it people, landscapes or still lives – to the bare minimum, leaving just the few lines that make something recognisable.
Clare Lilley, Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s director of programme, said: “Julian Opie is one of the most significant artists of his generation and Galloping Horse is a beautiful work that extends the material of contemporary sculpture, making full use of new technology.
“It is a pleasure to welcome this exceptional piece to the park and to see it in a landscape that has been used by horse riders for hundreds of years.”
London-born Opie studied at Goldsmiths College and has exhibited in top galleries across the world.
