In Unspeak the Chorus, a community of sculptural figures connects human and animal worlds. These works have been created by British artist Kira Freije (b. 1985. London) especially for this exhibition. Freije's figures are united by a deep sense of kinship, while as individual beings they remain absorbed in their own thoughts or imaginings. The installation suggests fragments of a story - there are interactions between the figures that are celebratory, loving. grieving, guiding, resting, reaching, exhaling. However, Freije leaves the scene deliberately open to allow each of us to react with our own understanding and ideas.

To create her life-sized figures, Freije first casts her hands and feet in aluminium. She then builds her work from the feet up, welding together metal strips to create her forms - similar to drawing a pencil outline. Freije adds faces, or fragments of faces, cast from important people in her life. She also often incorporates fabric and found materials to complete her materially layered scenes.

When building her communities, one figure, usually formed early in the making process, acts as an anchor in the group. Other figures form around it, creating a feeling that the characters rely upon one another, and capturing the very human need to seek companionship. This exhibition is Freije's most ambitious to date, incorporating dramatic and cinematic lighting that aims to emphasise the natural daylight across the room. Hand-blown glass balloons, buckets filled with opaline water, and objects and materials from daily life add an everyday-ness to the space. Overall Freije aims to create an evocative and immersive exploration of human interaction.

An exhibition publication will be available from January 2026. Join Kira Freije and Laura Smith (Artistic Director at The Hepworth Wakefield) for a book launch and in-conversation on Saturday 28 February 2026.