Yorkshire Sculpture Park- review

 

Do not make the same mistake I did when I drove to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park a couple of days ago. Or maybe do! I pulled into the Western Entrance thinking it was the main entrance and was immediately thinking wow this is kind of small considering the amount of people that have recommended I go, and the vast number of brown signs I had been following off junction 38 of the M1. It is my old school attitude of making my own way somewhere using only map memory and road signs my son even said, ‘Mum how do you know where you are?’ I said ‘son we don’t need sat navs’ then he asked what a sat nav was and I gave up!

Anyway, it turns out that the western entrance is absolutely perfect as there is a wonderful café and amenities as well as a lovely little shop stocking of amongst other things cleaning brushes which I nearly bought they were so beautiful although the relevance I’m not sure! This entrance leads you straight into where Damien Hurst is exhibiting his giant bronze sculptures until April 2022, and I think is a great in your face way to be introduced to sculpture. Loud gaudy and interesting, not everyone’s cup of tea but perfect in this setting.

The Western Entrance and Charity, by Damien Hurst, based on Scope collection boxes of the 1960s and 1970s. The work questions historic and outdated ways of depicting disability and seeking charity.

The Park is vast, (500 acres) and this is something I did not really think about but its obviously going to be as sculptures need their own space in order to make their statements. But it does mean on a hot July day I was exhausted walking between them.  I kept wondering where the exhibition was that I wanted to see and walked halfway up hills around a lake, along paths through woods avoiding cows and sheep. (See images at the end of this blog) I asked staff to point me in the right direction but still got gloriously lost in the massive grounds. I returned at the western entrance and the Joan Miró exhibition rather hot and disorientated! But having greatly enjoyed the sculptures as well as the heritage buildings and landscape I had seen. (More about the heritage here.) 

After recovering with ice cold lemonade and cake I decided to look at my phone and google maps revealed the main entrance! So much to my sons despairing we set off up the road to the main entrance. Now this is a different experience it is a big car park and lot more of people and lots of information on the park and its work. Also, there is a beautiful café overlooking the park and of course it has a shop with even more cleaning brushes!!, as well as kid’s toys, souvenirs and lovely books and prints and pottery. The entrance houses the main exhibition space that Id been looking for but had dismissed as a building on a hill I could not quite find the energy to climb too earlier!

Oversized silver stilettos of Marilyn (2009/2011)

The exhibition I came to see was Joana Vasconcelos: ‘Joana Vasconcelos creates vibrant, often monumental sculpture, using fabric, needlework and crochet alongside everyday objects from saucepans to wheel hubs. She frequently uses items associated with domestic work and craft to comment from a feminist perspective on national and collective identity, cultural tradition and women’s roles in society’.

 

Call Centre (2014- 16) brings stereotypical masculinity to the fore and takes the form of an enlarged Beretta pistol comprised of 168 rotary-dial telephones.

 

 To see her work up close was fabulous the Marilyn shoes made from pots and pans were brilliant, but my personal favourite was the old telephones all ringing at the same time, it reminded me of the reawakening of the business world after covid, but it was made in 2014-15 and is made in the shape of a gun and embodies ‘ideas of strength, power and dominance’. This is what art does though it means something different to the viewer and I like to look and think and not get to concerned with the essay on the wall and save that for when I get home and have time to reflect.

So although I totally did the park in a different order I think I had a gentle introduction with a huge walk in the middle with an absolutely wonderful finale, maybe when you go plan your day better than me and you will see everything you want to see because I missed so many things including 399 Days by Rachel Kneebone in the 18th-century Chapel. The Yorkshire Sculpture Park is an amazing place to visit and for £6 entry great value and being so close to the M1 it could be a wonderful alternative stop on your travels too. And yes my son is probably correct make use of modern technology to navigate your way around!

Opening Times

Open daily, except 24-25 December

9.00–17.00 The Restaurant at The Weston

10.00–18.00 YSP Grounds and YSP Centre

10.00–17.00 Underground Gallery, The Weston Gallery, The Chapel, YSP Shop, The Weston Shop, The Cafe at YSP Learning, The Kitchen at YSP Centre

10.00–17.30 Centre Coffee

10.00–18.00 Toilets at YSP Centre and Bothy Garden

11.00-16.00 Longside Gallery

16:00 Last entry

18.00 Gates locked

​The Weston opens Tuesday–Sunday and Bank Holidays only.

Longside Gallery opens Thursday-Sunday and Bank Holidays only.

The Chapel opens Thursday to Sunday, plus bank holidays all year round; and seven days a week during school Summer holidays.