Bulgarian-born artist reveals giant floating sculpture for London’s Hyde Park

Bulgarian-born artist Christo is set to unleash a giant floating sculpture in London’s Hyde Park.

The 82-year-old artist will create a 20-metre mastaba from 7,506 oil barrels before setting it afloat on the capital’s Serpentine lake.

Red, white and blue barrels representing the British flag will be interspersed with a “royal mauve”, Christo told the New York Times — only fitting, considering the installation’s close proximity to Kensington Palace.

The project will coincide with a special exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery exploring the work of Christo and his late wife and artistic partner, Jeanne-Claude.

The show, which combines more than half a century’s worth of sculptures, drawings and photographs, will run from 20 June to 9 September 2018. The floating sculpture, with its estimated $4.2 million price tag, will be funded by the artist himself through the sale of his work.

Dating back to ancient Mesopotamia, the trapezoidal structure of the mastaba is an ongoing theme in Christo’s work. The artist is currently working on a similar, permanent structure in Abu Dhabi, which will reach a height of 150 metres on completion.