designboom · Creativity & design

Renée Levi's "September" Transforms Hayward Gallery Facade

Swiss artist Renée Levi has created a large-scale public installation titled "September" on the concrete facade of London's Hayward Gallery. This marks her first major public work in the UK and the first painting commission for Audemars Piguet Contemporary.

The installation features fluorescent green, pink, blue, and orange paint applied to industrial mesh, which Levi uses as a painting surface for the first time. The work extends above and below the building's distinctive protruding window, treating the architecture as an integral part of the composition.

Levi's approach views painting as an action shaped by body, material, and site, rather than a fixed image. The Hayward Gallery's Brutalist structure becomes a material within the artwork, gaining a temporary new skin.

"September" challenges a single, frontal viewing experience, appearing differently based on distance, angle, and light. Levi connects this visual instability to the month of September, a time of shifting light and urban rhythms.

The installation is visible to passersby on the South Bank for eight weeks. It is a co-commission by the Hayward Gallery and Audemars Piguet Contemporary, aligning with the latter's aim to support artists exploring new creative territories.

The work continues Audemars Piguet Contemporary's program of collaborations with artists and institutions. Levi's "September" is on display until November 15, 2026, after which the facade will return to its original grey concrete.

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