RIGHT TO CLIMB

12 November - 18 December 2020 - 31 Oval Road, London NW1 7EA

Right to Climb is a public installation by Iraqi/Kurdish artist Walid Siti (b.1954) for London Festival of Architecture, responding to its theme of ‘power’. Siti’s twisting tower hangs from the facade of 31 Oval Road, a former 1930s railway workers’ canteen in Camden Town. It has a fragility and unpredictability that leaves its meaning open to interpretation. Its white structure contrasts with the dark brick of the building and makes an intriguing and surprising sight for passers-by.

Right to Climb is inspired by Siti’s memories of the Malwiya, the Minaret of the Great Mosque of Samarra north of Baghdad built in 851. His work often takes the form of towers or mountains and responds to humanity’s relentless drive to make its mark on the environment and on history itself. Right to Climb refers indirectly to iconic examples of ancient and contemporary architecture, drawing on the artist’s memories of natural and manmade structures in Iraq, as well as Modernist icons such as Tatlin’s Monument to the Third International, which was unveiled in the Soviet Union 100 years ago.

This is Siti’s first public installation in the UK. Having lived and worked in London since the 1980s, the artist has exhibited all over the world and his work is held by many collections worldwide, including the British Museum, V&A Museum and Metropolitan Museum.

Graphic design by Patrick Myles, photos and video by Candida Richardson