Square peg, round hole. NO!
Delaine Le Bas
Artist Delaine Le Bas (b. 1965, Worthing) lives and works in Worthing, West Sussex. In Spring 2026, the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, presented Un-Fair-Ground, a solo exhibition of Delaine Le Bas. In 2024, she was nominated for the Turner Prize, which was presented at the Tate Britain, London. She was nominated for her exhibition at Succession, Vienna, Incipit Vita Nova. In July 2026, she will have her first exhibition with Maureen Paley, Leap.
Here Begins The New Life/A New Life Is Beginning (2023). Further solo exhibitions include +Fabricating My Own Myth – Red Threads & Silver Needles, Newcastle Contemporary Art, Newcastle, UK (2025), Delainia: 17071965 Unfolding, Tramway, Glasgow, Scotland (2024); House of Le Bas, Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK (2023); and St Sara Kali George, Worthing Museum and Art Gallery, Worthing, UK (2021).
She was one of sixteen artists who formed Paradise Lost at the First Roma Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, 2007. In 2015, she created the ongoing installation and performance work Romani Embassy. Her works were shown in Prague Biennale in 2005 & 2007, the Venice Biennale in 2007, 2017, and 2023, the Gwangju Biennale in 2012, Critical Contemplations at Tate Modern in 2017, and the ANTI Athens Biennale in 2018
The scenography, sculptural furniture, figures and performative elements of Delaine Le Bas’ installation works are supported by furniture designer and maker of objects, Lincoln Cato. Delaine is represented by Maureen Paley.
Square peg, round hole. NO! materialises a familiar metaphor—one Le Bas says captures how she feels navigating a system from which she is often excluded. The “square ball” is both a linguistic paradox and an unruly, unpredictable playing companion. It invites players to reflect on the experiences of the Romani Sinti community and other marginalised peoples. At the same time, it levels the playing field, forcing skilled golfers to embrace uncertainty and adapt their strategies.