6 TIMES HORIZON by Anthony Gormley at Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art 2010
Photograph: Paul Conneally 2018

‘6 TIMES’ comprises six life-size figures, positioned between the grounds of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and the sea at Leith Docks, Edinburgh. Typical of Gormley’s oeuvre, the figures are casts of the artist’s body. Each looks in a slightly different way, which is referenced to in the subtitles: ‘Horizon’, ‘Ground’, ‘Left’, ‘Right’ and ‘Sky’. The work is quiet and contemplative, drawing attention to the natural and man-made environment of the Water of Leith, which runs through the heart of Edinburgh. Gormley encourages the viewer to consider how human beings fit into the social and natural landscapes they inhabit, how they understand identity and how they engage with one another.

Text: Scottish National Gallery of Scotland