Richard Long: Full Moon

Have you ever seen the moon glowing in the sky and wished you could scoop out a slice of it with your hand? We’re lovers of that ever-mysterious orb. Nothing is more romantic to us than watching a full harvest moon rise above the horizon, glimmering with secrets.

Richard Long’s Full Moon, part of his 17th show at Sperone Westwater, brings our daydreams to life. You’ll want to stand beneath it and moonbathe for a while. It’s painted in terracotta slip by the artist with his fingers in sumptuous strokes that have the rhythmic energy of ecstatic dance.

In addition to Full Moon, you’ll find Flint Walk, a long rectangular bed of grey, glassy stones covered in a limey-white arranged like it's a firewalk. It’s a breathtaking reminder that to be truly present, we must go one step at a time.

Richard Long (born in 1945 in Bristol, England, where he still lives today) is a walker. Since the 1960s, he has found inspiration on wilderness hikes; breathing in fresh air, basking in the sun, moon, and stars, and making art from rocks, mud, and water along the way. With every piece he creates, his work reminds us that we are not spectators of the earth’s cycles, but part of them.