Jesús Rafael Soto, Pénétrable BBL Jaune (1999;2023 Edition). © Jesús Rafael Soto / ADAGP, Paris 2026. Courtesy Atelier Soto, Paris and Galerie Perrotin. (Photo: George Darrell. Courtesy Serpentine)
Bright yellow strands now sway across the lawn outside Serpentine South Gallery, inviting visitors to step inside rather than simply admire them from a distance. Created by Venezuelan artist Jesús Rafael Soto, Pénétrable BBL Jaune transforms Kensington Gardens into an immersive environment that responds to every movement. Composed of 4,000 suspended PVC tubes, the installation encourages children and adults alike to slow down and weave through its glowing interior, becoming part of the artwork itself.
Installed as part of Serpentine’s 2026 summer program, Pénétrable BBL Jaune marks the first outdoor presentation of Soto’s work in the United Kingdom. The sculpture stands outside Serpentine South, where its vivid yellow field shifts with changing light and the movement of visitors. Rather than presenting a fixed object, the work unfolds as a constantly changing experience.
For more than seven decades, Soto explored the relationship between space and perception. Born in Venezuela in 1923 and later based in Paris, he became one of the leading figures of kinetic and optical art. Throughout his career, he created more than 70 Pénétrable works, each composed of hundreds or thousands of suspended elements that dissolve the boundary between sculpture and the human body.
Pénétrable BBL Jaune embodies those ideas through remarkable simplicity. Thousands of identical yellow PVC strands hang from a rectangular steel frame in a precise grid. From afar, the sculpture appears as a dense block of color that shimmers against the surrounding greenery. Once visitors enter, the rigid geometry gives way to motion. The strands shift around each person, allowing the work to transform through touch.
The installation opens alongside Serpentine’s annual Pavilion, creating a summer season centered on participation. While the Pavilion explores architecture as a place for gathering, Soto’s sculpture offers a more intimate encounter. Every step changes the composition, making each visitor an active participant.
Originally conceived in 1999, Pénétrable BBL Jaune returned in 2023 to celebrate the centenary of Soto’s birth. Its presentation in Kensington Gardens continues the artist’s lifelong investigation of perception while introducing his work to outdoor audiences in the UK for the first time. Serpentine will also present additional Soto works inside the South Gallery, extending the artist’s presence across the site throughout the summer.
More than two decades after its creation, Pénétrable BBL Jaune remains as captivating as ever. It blurs the line between sculpture and experience. Instead of asking visitors to simply observe, it invites them to step inside.
Pénétrable BBL Jaune is currently viewable until October 25, 2026 at Kensington Gardens in London.
Jesús Rafael Soto’s Pénétrable BBL Jaune marks the artist’s first outdoor installation in the United Kingdom, transforming Kensington Gardens into an immersive work of kinetic art.
Jesús Rafael Soto, Pénétrable BBL Jaune (1999;2023 Edition). © Jesús Rafael Soto / ADAGP, Paris 2026. Courtesy Atelier Soto, Paris and Galerie Perrotin. (Photo: George Darrell. Courtesy Serpentine)
Jesús Rafael Soto, Pénétrable BBL Jaune (1999;2023 Edition). © Jesús Rafael Soto / ADAGP, Paris 2026. Courtesy Atelier Soto, Paris and Galerie Perrotin. Photo: George Darrell. Courtesy Serpentine
Made from 4,000 suspended yellow PVC strands, the sculpture shifts with light, wind, and every visitor who walks through its vibrant interior.
Jesús Rafael Soto, Pénétrable BBL Jaune (1999;2023 Edition). © Jesús Rafael Soto / ADAGP, Paris 2026. Courtesy Atelier Soto, Paris and Galerie Perrotin. (Photo: George Darrell. Courtesy Serpentine)
Jesús Rafael Soto, Pénétrable BBL Jaune (1999;2023 Edition). © Jesús Rafael Soto / ADAGP, Paris 2026. Courtesy Atelier Soto, Paris and Galerie Perrotin. (Photo: George Darrell. Courtesy Serpentine)
On view outside Serpentine South through October 25, 2026, the installation launches Serpentine’s summer program and invites visitors to experience sculpture through movement and participation.
SOTO in the “Petit pénétrable (Small penetrable)” Solo exhibition “Soto”, Galerija Suvremene Umjetnosti, Zagreb, Croatia, 1970. © MSU, Zagreb.
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