Nature Reclaims the City

Monumental animal sculptures take over Stockholm’s historic landscape. The Italian artist Davide Rivalta's naturalistic sculptures of wild animals will be installed in a a major outdoor exhibition in August.

The Italian Cultural Institute in Stockholm presents a major outdoor exhibition by the Italian sculptor Davide Rivalta. The project comprises thirteen monumental animal sculptures installed in some of Stockholm’s most symbolic and historically significant locations –
between the Royal Palace and the Parliament at Mynttorget, as well as in Hagaparken and on Norra Djurgården.

Exhibition August 2026 – August 2027

The exhibition will be officially inaugurated on April 21 during Stockholm Art Week, with the
unveiling of a lion at Mynttorget, close to the Royal Palace. In late August, the second and more extensive phase of the project will open in the Royal Parks, with an additional thirteen sculptures installed throughout Stockholm. The exhibition will remain open to the public until August 2027.

The exhibition is free of charge and open to the public. Special activations and public programmes are planned in connection with Culture Night Stockholm and Stockholm Art Week. Additional programmes will be presented throughout the exhibition period, with the ambition of welcoming schools and new audiences. Programme information will be announced on an ongoing basis at the Italian institute webbsite External link, opens in new window..

About the artist

Davide Rivalta is internationally renowned for his monumental, naturalistic sculptures of wild animals – lions, wolves, rhinoceroses, buffaloes and horses – installed directly in public spaces without pedestals. Through this gesture, a subtle shift occurs: the animals appear as if they have temporarily reclaimed the urban environment. Rivalta works using the traditional lost-wax (cire perdue) casting technique and noble materials, engaging in dialogue with the classical sculptural tradition. At the same time, his practice is distinctly contemporary in its exploration of the relationship between humans, nature and power within public space. The sculptures are based on photographic studies of real animals and are rendered without idealization – each individual emerges with its own presence and distinct character. His works have previously been exhibited in, among other cities, Rome, Dublin, Oslo, Florence,
Antibes, Riyadh, Venice, as well as in leading institutions in Italy and internationally.

Top image: Davide Rivalta's sculptures, Fuocherello