KIRA FREIJE
b. 1985, United KingdomKira Freije is a British sculptor who creates life-size metal figures and installations that explore vulnerability, intimacy, and collective uncertainty. She works with metal, fabric, light, glass, and found materials to stage scenes that feel glimpsed in passing, often suspended between action, reflection, and ritual. In 2026, she was shortlisted for the Turner Prize for Unspeak the Chorus, her first major solo exhibition in the UK at The Hepworth Wakefield.
Early life and career
Freije was born in London in 1985 and continues to live and work there. She completed a BA in Fine Art at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, University of Oxford, in 2011, and received a Postgraduate Diploma from the Royal Academy Schools in 2016. After graduating from Oxford, she worked with blacksmiths in Sussex, developing the metalworking skills that became central to her practice.
Her work has evolved through a sustained engagement with the figure, moving from singular objects to immersive installations in which bodies seem to gather, witness, or wait together. Early recognition came with the RA Schools Keeper’s Purchase Prize for Standing Woman Arms Folded (2015), followed by a growing sequence of exhibitions in galleries and institutions across the UK and Europe.
Works and methods
Freije works with welding, casting, and glassblowing to make sculptures that retain the visible marks of their own construction. Using welded steel cages to form torsos and limbs, and cast aluminium faces, hands, and feet, often taken directly from friends and family, she gives her figures both structural spareness and emotional specificity. Fabric, light, and found materials further complicate these assemblages, introducing softness, atmosphere, and a sense of provisional shelter.
Her figures are often arranged in small groupings that suggest narrative fragments rather than fixed stories. In Unspeak the Chorus, Freije brought together around 20 hand-welded, life-size human and animal figures in an immersive environment that viewers could walk among, heightening the sense of shared emotion and uneasy relation. The works appear caught mid-gesture or mid-thought, expressing grief, serenity, anxiety, or quiet attention through posture and cast features.
Exhibitions and recognition
Freije has exhibited across the UK and Europe, including presentations at The Approach, E-WERK Luckenwalde, Kestle Barton, CAMPLE LINE, The Hepworth Wakefield, and Modern Art Oxford.
Unspeak the Chorus, co-commissioned by The Hepworth Wakefield and Modern Art Oxford in collaboration with KINDL, Berlin, marked a major turning point in her career. In April 2026, Tate announced her inclusion on the Turner Prize 2026 shortlist, citing the emotional depth of the work and the expressive way she transformed space through her arrangement of figures.
Kira Freije FAQs
What is Kira Freije best known for?
Kira Freije is best known for life-size sculptural figures made from metal and other materials, often arranged in emotionally charged groupings. Her work gained wider attention through Unspeak the Chorus, the exhibition for which she was shortlisted for the Turner Prize 2026.
What materials does Kira Freije use?
Kira Freije works with metal, fabric, light, glass, and found materials, using processes that include welding, casting, and glassblowing. Her sculptures often combine welded steel frameworks with cast aluminium body parts and softer materials that heighten their sense of vulnerability.
Where did Kira Freije study?
Kira Freije studied Fine Art at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, University of Oxford, and later completed a Postgraduate Diploma at the Royal Academy Schools in London. These years established the figurative and material concerns that continue to shape her work.
Why was Kira Freije shortlisted for the Turner Prize?
Tate shortlisted Kira Freije for the Turner Prize 2026 for Unspeak the Chorus at The Hepworth Wakefield. The jury highlighted the emotional depth of the work, its distinctive sculptural vocabulary, and the expressive way it transformed the exhibition space.
Where can I see Kira Freije’s work?
Kira Freije’s work has been shown at The Hepworth Wakefield, Modern Art Oxford, E-WERK Luckenwalde, Kestle Barton, and CAMPLE LINE, among other venues. She is represented by The Approach, London.
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