3D printed concrete sculptures blend classical fragments with sci-fi forms at frieze sculpture

3D printed concrete sculptures blend classical fragments with sci-fi forms at frieze sculpture

three sculptures by matyáš chochola combine digital modeling, robotic fabrication, and handwork.

Matyáš Chochola’s artworks on show at Frieze Sculpture 2026

 

Czech artist Matyáš Chochola presents three 3D printed concrete sculptures at Frieze Sculpture 2026 in London: BRUTALIST, METEOR, and MACE II. On view in The Regent’s Park until November 1, 2026, the works combine digital modeling, robotic fabrication, and handwork, bringing together architectural fragments, classical references, science fiction, and irregular forms.

 

The sculptures are part of Virtues and Vices of Our Time: 300 Years Later, a contemporary reinterpretation of the Baroque Virtues and Vices by Matthias Bernard Braun. Created around 300 years after Braun’s original 24 sandstone figures, Chochola’s twelve-work series reinterprets their allegories through references to Antiquity, Cubism, Brutalism, mythology, science fiction, and contemporary popular culture.

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all images by Reece Straw

 

 

From Carved Stone to 3D Printed Concrete

 

Developed with Czech company Voxell, the series uses 3D concrete printing as a framework for combining robotic fabrication with manual intervention. The sculptures stand approximately three to four meters tall and weigh around one ton each.

 

The printing process uses different orientations, non-planar paths, large overhangs supported by lightweight clay aggregate, and programmed irregularities. After printing, the concrete is ground, carved, and polished, while glass, bronze, brass, and pigments are added by hand. The resulting works by artist Matyáš Chochola combine digital fabrication with physical and material interventions.

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BRUTALIST, METEOR, and MACE II at Regent’s Park

 

At Frieze Sculpture, BRUTALIST, METEOR, and MACE II form what Chochola describes as a ‘solemn triad.’ BRUTALIST combines a deconstructed classical column with Brutalism, the Memphis Group, twentieth-century architecture, and cinematic visions of the future.

 

METEOR connects classical architecture with cosmic and geological references. Inspired by Tomanowos, a meteorite discovered in Oregon and known by that name to the Chinook people, it incorporates hand-embedded glass shards into its concrete surface.

 

MACE II, a development of MACE I, draws on Brutalist architecture, fantasy, and 1980s science fiction. Its angular structure references both a monumental weapon and a futuristic technological relic. Printed in anthracite-tinted concrete, it is finished with metallic copper powder.

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Historical references meet a new public setting

 

Braun’s original sculptures were created for Kuks Hospital in eastern Bohemia, where they formed part of an architectural ensemble representing the Baroque Christian moral order. Today, the sandstone figures are protected inside the complex’s lapidarium, while concrete casts occupy their former outdoor positions.

 

Chochola’s sculptures continue this shift between original, reproduction, and reinterpretation. Installed among the trees and paths of The Regent’s Park, they bring together different materials, historical references, and visual languages within a contemporary public setting. Curated by Fatoş Üstek, Frieze Sculpture 2026 explores a ‘vibrant hybrid ecology,’ placing sculpture in relation to its surrounding landscape and audience.

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project info:

 

name: Virtues and Vices of Our Time at Frieze Sculpture 2026

artist: Matyáš Chochola | @matyaschochola

presented by: The Chemistry Gallery | @thechemistrygallery 

producer: Voxell

architectural supervision: Jiří Vítek

data processing: Tomáš Cenek [Voxell]

location: Frieze Sculpture 2026, S11 a, b, c, The Regent’s Park, London, UK

photographer: Reece Straw | @reecestraw

 

 

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