About this Event
GABRIELE RISSO: Vita Immobile
3–6 April 2026, daily 11am-7pm
Location: The Chapel, Brompton Cemetery
Presented by the Friends of Brompton Cemetery (FoBC), curated by FoBC Chapel Curator, Catherine Li
Opening reception: Friday 3 April, 4–7pm
Vita Immobile features a selection of sculptural works developed by contemporary artist Gabriele Risso, presented in the historic Chapel at Brompton Cemetery. Bringing contemporary sculpture into dialogue with one of London’s most remarkable nineteenth-century cemetery chapels, the exhibition offers a rare opportunity to experience this Grade II* listed building, which is usually only open to the public during special events.
The exhibition explores how sculpture gives presence to space and how ordinary objects, approached through observation, measurement, and making, can open onto broader questions of form, perception, and convention. The exhibition unfolds across three tables: a circular table at the centre of the Chapel with still lifes, and two side tables with scale studies for large scale works. Organised through interconnected themes, it follows the path of the artist’s study series, tracing how he returns to similar compositions as if guided by a rigorous geometric logic, while at the same time probing the truth of sculpture and space through both measurement and imagination.
Conceived in response to the historic and commemorative setting of Brompton Cemetery, the exhibition reflects on what is visible and what remains concealed, and on the way the gravestone, as both memorial and sculptural form, gives meaning to space. Through the shifting quality of stone, it traces a movement between nature and culture, object and landscape, place and monument.
A small publication will accompany the exhibition, offering further insight into Risso’s drawings, thought processes, and an interview on the development of the exhibition.
Free entry; donations welcome (£5 suggested).
Step-free access and an accessible toilet available.
For any enquiries about the exhibition, please contact [email protected]
About the artist
Gabriele Risso (1992, Genoa, Italy) is a sculptor currently living and working in London, UK. He studied Sculpture at the Ligustica Academy of Fine Arts in Genoa and the Academy of Fine Arts in Brera, Milan, before continuing his training in Paris and London. These diverse experiences have profoundly shaped his approach to sculpture.
In 2020, he was commissioned by the Salesian community to create a permanent, site-specific installation for the Museo Casa Don Bosco in Turin. Since then, he has continued to develop his practice through exhibitions across the UK. He became a member of the Royal Society of Sculptors in 2024, and in 2025 he was awarded the Marsh Award for Best in Show at the Society’s Summer Exhibition and selected as a finalist for the First Plinth Award.
www.gabrielerisso.com
About the Friends of Brompton Cemetery
The Friends of Brompton Cemetery (FoBC) is a voluntary charitable organisation (UK Registered Charity No. 1181027) established to support the preservation, restoration and public appreciation of Brompton Cemetery.
The Friends of Brompton Cemetery work to preserve this remarkable site as a model of an historic cemetery with an active role in modern society. We help restore and maintain the Cemetery’s buildings, monuments and landscape, and encourage their full use by those sympathetic to the importance, beauty, heritage and fragility of this significant Cemetery.
The Friends of Brompton Cemetery is a charity working in partnership and close cooperation with The Royal Parks. We are an independent organisation with our own strategy, structure and governance. For information on joining us as a Friend, volunteering with us, supporting our work through a donation, and our latest tours and the Chapel’s programme, please visit our website: brompton-cemetery.org.uk.
If you use social media, you can also follow us on
Facebook and Instagram: @FOBCofficial.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The Chapel, Brompton Cemetery, Fulham Road, London, United Kingdom
GBP 0.00
