Douglas White, Black Palm, 2026. Frieze Sculpture 2026. Presented by Leila Heller Gallery. Photo by Linda Nylind.
New York, NY – Leila Heller Gallery is delighted to announce the installation Black Palm by Douglas White at Frieze Sculpture in The Regent’s Park, London.
Black Palm is a monumental outdoor sculpture by Douglas White, rising approximately seven metres and constructed from reclaimed tyre rubber and steel. Installed within The Regent’s Park, the work transforms the familiar image of the palm tree into a meditation on movement, ecology, and the manufactured nature of urban landscapes. Composed of layered fragments of recycled tire rubber, the sculpture carries the physical traces of travel, erosion, and industrial use, turning discarded materials into a dynamic form. Rather than imitating the surrounding vegetation, Black Palm exists in dialogue with the park’s carefully maintained environment, drawing attention to the systems of “cultivation,” labor, and global exchange that shape contemporary public space. White’s use of reclaimed materials underscores themes of sustainability and environmental change, while elevating forgotten industrial remnants into something monumental and that feels alive. Exposed to shifting light, weather, and seasonal conditions, the sculpture continues to evolve over time, absorbing the atmosphere of its surroundings as part of its ongoing presence.