Two POPek Balloon Dog sculptures have opened in Leeds for Leeds Pride 2026. The display brings Whatshisname’s playful work into the city centre, with one sculpture in Victoria Quarter and the other outside John Lewis in Victoria Gate.
The installation is titled “Two milestones, One Pop of Pride” and marks 20 years of Leeds Pride and 10 years of Victoria Leeds. It will stay on view until Monday 27 July, giving visitors a fixed window to see both pieces in the same visit.
Jo Coburn, Victoria Leeds centre director, said the activation was created to celebrate the two milestones and to reflect the city’s creativity, inclusivity and vibrant cultural scene. She described Whatshisname’s work as a fit for Pride because it carries a sense of joy, individuality and self-expression.
Whatshisname said bringing the POPek balloon dogs to Leeds was an absolute thrill. He said the works first came to life a decade ago and have travelled the world over the years, and added that he cannot wait for the people of Leeds to interact with them.
Victoria Quarter and Victoria Gate
Castle Fine Art curated the exhibition, placing the sculptures in Victoria Quarter and Victoria Gate rather than in a separate gallery space. That makes the activation easy to encounter during an ordinary trip through Leeds, with the two works split across the centre so visitors can move between them.
The setup also makes the display more immediate than a standard Pride tie-in. The sculptures are the attraction itself, not a backdrop for a larger programme, and the source does not set out any fundraising or community activities attached to them.
Leeds Pride and Victoria Leeds
The city is being asked to read the installation as celebration first: of Leeds Pride, of Victoria Leeds, and of the kind of public art that invites people to stop, look and talk. The milestone framing gives the works a local reason to be there, but the experience remains simple and visible — two sculptures, two locations, one short run.
For anyone planning a visit, the practical detail is straightforward: both pieces remain on display at Victoria Leeds until Monday 27 July. After that date, the exhibition ends, and the chance to see the two POPek Balloon Dog sculptures together in Leeds closes with it.
