There’s a giant pumpkin in Kensington Gardens

A gigantic Japanese pumpkin has appeared in Kensington Gardens as a huge work of metallic art by Yayoi Kusama.

Known for her large-scale sculptures, Yayoi Kusama often features kabocha, or Japanese pumpkin, in her work. Since 1946 Kusama’s pumpkins have taken many forms, colours and shapes, but they are always covered in the artist’s signature polka dot pattern.

Kusama’s relationship to the kabocha is rooted in her childhood – the artist’s family cultivated the plant’s seeds and their home was surrounded by fields of this squash. Pumpkins frequently appear as stand-ins for self-portraits. Kusama admires them for their everyday quality, hardiness and unique, frequently humorous forms.

Pumpkin (2024) is Kusama’s tallest bronze pumpkin sculpture to date, standing at 6 metres tall and 5.5 metres in diameter.

Sitting next to the lake in front of Kensington Palace, it can be obviously an art installation when up close, but can almost look natural from a distance, or even a hanging pear if you align a photo with the nearby trees.

The pumpkin will be in Kensington Gardens until 3rd November 2024.