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This document is an introduction to a special issue of the journal Arts, focusing on topical abstraction in contemporary sculpture. The essays in this issue explore how artists in the United States and Europe since the 1960s have used sculptural abstraction to address social issues without conforming to traditional figuration. The essays discuss the use of abstraction to challenge social configurations related to class, gender, and race, and highlight the political and social implications of sculptural abstraction. The document also mentions several museum exhibitions that have contributed to reevaluations of topical sculptural abstraction. The essays in this special issue aim to expand the understanding of the political, social, and cultural aspects of abstraction in sculpture by examining issues of materiality and process. The authors argue that contemporary sculptors have used materials and methods in inventive and experimental ways to engage with social, historical, environmental, and aesthetic contexts. The document also acknowledges that abstraction still faces biases and is often under-studied as a political vehicle. The essays included in this special issue examine the work of specific artists, such as Mel Edwards, Lynda Benglis, Beverly Buchanan, Senga Nengudi, Betye Saar, Barbara Chase-Riboud, Simone Leigh, and Veronica Ryan, and explore how their use of abstraction intersects with issues of race, gender, and temporality. The authors argue that these artists have leveraged the materiality of sculptural abstraction to challenge mainstream values and offer new possibilities for inhabiting the world. [Extracted from the article]