Richard Serra exhibition, London
Richard Serra is among that rare breed of artist whose work captures the minds and hearts of jaded critics and the imaginations of lazy four-year-olds in equal measure. His mammoth steel creations, as much feats of industry as art, at once beg and defy rigid explanation.
Click here to see more from Richard Serra's London show
How do they not fall, for instance – not a trivial concern considering that nothing is bolted down or fixed. And as you walk between the torqued, tilting, twenty-five-foot high plates, an anxious pleasure, you appreciate the beauty beyond the aesthetics: Serra’s supreme grasp of his material’s dynamics, a perfectly choreographed interplay between volume, weight and mass.
In his first London show since 1992, the artist presents three new large-scale sculptures together with a series of painted geometric steel plates ('Forged Drawings') at Gagosian’s Britannia Street gallery, and new works on paper at the Davies Street branch.
No matter how many times you encounter his work, discovering one of these steel monsters tucked away in an austere gallery space always feels a little like uncovering something alien and secret. The new sculptural pieces – two giant torqued toruses (‘TTI London’), a 9m-wide wall section (‘Fernando Pessoa’) and one dauntingly impressive, undulating, labyrinthine creation aptly titled ‘Open Ended’ – reveal Serra at his inspired best. A long overdue London visit by one of our favourite living artists.
ADDRESS
Gagosian Gallery
(Sculpture) 6-24 Britannia Street
London WC1X 9JD
(Drawing) 17-19 Davies Street
London W1K 3DE
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Harriet Lloyd-Smith was the Arts Editor of Wallpaper*, responsible for the art pages across digital and print, including profiles, exhibition reviews, and contemporary art collaborations. She started at Wallpaper* in 2017 and has written for leading contemporary art publications, auction houses and arts charities, and lectured on review writing and art journalism. When she’s not writing about art, she’s making her own.
-
This office interior by Faye Toogood is a communal space that encourages collaboration
The new Hato Studio London offices by Faye Toogood encourage IRL collaboration through a tactile environment
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Toyota bz4X SUV is the marque’s first pure electric vehicle
The Toyota bz4X is our first chance to explore how the long-standing masters of mass automobile production make an EV
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Ash Tree House offers a contextual approach to a north London site
Ash Tree House by Edgley Design is a modern family home in a north London conservation area's backyard site
By Ellie Stathaki Published