FACE 2026 Puts Portrait Sculpture Back Into Focus

At FACE 2026, the work does not rely on scale or spectacle to hold attention. It does something far more difficult. It slows you down and asks you to look properly.

Presented by the Society of Portrait Sculptors, this year’s exhibition brings together over one hundred works across portrait, figure, and relief. The range is wide, with artists contributing from across Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Australia, but the focus remains tight. Every piece is grounded in the human form, not as an idea, but as something observed, studied, and translated through material.

The strongest works understand restraint. Jethro Crabb’s bronze portrait of Enzo Ferrari, which takes the Sedlecka Award, holds that balance. It avoids exaggeration, instead building presence through control. There is weight in the surface, but also clarity in the expression, capturing a figure defined as much by precision as by personality.

Elsewhere, Albert Kozak approaches portraiture through translation rather than direct observation. His carved wooden work, based on Artur Grottger, strips the softness of watercolour into something more tactile. The result carries the sensitivity of the original image without attempting to replicate it.

There is a similar level of control in Charlotte Cundell’s portrait of Ayrton Senna. The piece does not lean on nostalgia. Instead, it focuses on presence, capturing a figure who continues to sit firmly within cultural memory without needing to be overstated.

Relief work holds its own space within the exhibition. Sophy Dury’s Wall of Women builds something cumulative rather than singular. Each portrait stands independently, but together they form a wider narrative shaped by influence, memory, and personal connection. It is not a fixed statement. It feels ongoing.

Younger and first time exhibitors bring a different energy without disrupting the overall tone. Adam Pys’s plaster portrait draws on the presence of Jan Himilsbach, leaning into character rather than refinement. There is a rawness to it that works because it is intentional.

Material choices also shift the conversation. Orli Ivanov’s ceramic head Oceania stands out not through scale, but through surface. It carries layers of meaning through texture and form, using material to build narrative rather than simply support it.

Some of the most direct work in the exhibition comes through personal connection. Caleb O’Brien’s portrait of his grandfather does not attempt to elevate its subject beyond recognition. It holds onto something simpler. Familiarity, presence, and the kind of character that does not need to be explained.

That is where FACE 2026 finds its strength. It does not try to redefine portrait sculpture. It reinforces why it still matters.

Set within Garrison Chapel, the exhibition remains open to the public, free of charge. No barrier to entry, no requirement to overthink it. Just work that rewards time and attention, and a reminder that the human face, in all its variation, still holds more than enough to look at.