Ernesto Neto - The Edges of the World

Dramatic, immersive installations by internationally renowned artist Ernesto Neto transform the Hayward Gallery's upper galleries and its three outdoor sculpture courts. Best known for his sensuous sculptures, Neto creates site-specific installations with an abstract, biomorphic quality – evocative of skin and interior body systems – that investigate the way in which special alterations transform the relationships between people. In this, the artist's most ambitious exhibition to date, visitors experience a sequence of interlinked spaces that skilfully merge sculpture and architecture. Wander through fabric installations, relax in cushioned soft spaces, ascend stairs into artworks overhead and, following on from Neto's signature 'nave' works, venture barefoot through an all-encompassing nylon vessel. Exploring new directions in his practice, Neto also presents his first outdoor installations at the gallery's sculpture courts. Whether submerged in a sculptural pool or balancing on a undulating path, visitors find themselves become active participants in the artworks.

Artist talk: Ernesto Neto Friday 18 June, 7pm Ernesto Neto discusses his practice and his recent work with the curator of his exhibition at the Hayward Gallery, Cliff Lauson.

Brazil Report: Art and Politics Monday 28 June, 7pm A talk on the work of Ernesto Neto and contemporary art in Brazil in relation to the conceptual framework of the upcoming São Paulo Biennial which this year elaborates on the theme of 'Art and Politics'. Presented by Moacir dos Anjos, researcher at Fundação Joaquim Nabuco in Recife and Chief-curator of the 29th edition of the São Paulo Biennial (September 2010).

Ernesto Neto: The Edges of the World and The New Décor are highlights of Festival Brazil, a major summer festival of music, visual arts, dance literature, debates and free performances, across the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Hayward Gallery, E4 Udderbelly and on the riverfront, celebrating the dynamic culture of today's Brazil, from 19 June to 5 September 2010, presented by Southbank Centre and sponsored by HSBC.

Ernesto Neto
The Edges of the World