Royal Academy of Arts to Present Ugo Rondinone Installation in London
Ugo Rondinone installs the rainbow sculpture THE SONG IS YOU in the courtyard of the Royal Academy of Arts, London. The work runs June 16 – August 23, 2026. It is the latest in a series of 17 rainbow poems the artist has created since 1996, when CRY ME A RIVER was first shown as a public response to the AIDS crisis. The installation occupies the threshold space between the street and the museum, with the text addressing viewers directly as participants in the work.
The Signal
The project continues Rondinone's long-standing use of the rainbow form to address visibility, grief and survival. It arrives at the Royal Academy through an invitation from artist Ryan Gander and underscores the courtyard's role as a public, sky-lit space accessible to all visitors. The placement signals ongoing institutional interest in site-specific commissions that engage both historical architecture and contemporary social themes.
- Artists: Ugo Rondinone
- People: Ryan Gander
- Galleries: Gladstone Gallery
- Museums: Royal Academy of Arts
- Locations: London
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