Richard Serra’s arresting metal sculptures have always had a way of sucking all the oxygen out of the room. And that’s a good thing. His current New York City show – held at both Gagosian locations downtown – continue the artists’ use of oversized forged and rusted steel to create powerful, Pharaonic forms.
The most visceral piece, sited at the gallery’s 21st location, is NJ-1, 2015, a walk-through installation made up for enormous 4-metre rusted sheets of weatherproof steel. Echoing his many earlier experiential works, the piece is comprised of two semi-attached oblongs, reminiscent of an industrial tanker or ship run aground (familiar Serra motifs). As the visitor walks through the cathedral-like space there’s a definite sensation of dislocation; of exploring a forbidden relic of a massive scale. The artist is constantly forcing you to renegotiate your relationship with the artwork.
Gagosian’s 24th Street location is home to Above Below Betwixt Between, Every Which Way, Silence (for John Cage), Through: three solid steel slab works as well as a drawing. The luminous white gallery at 24th street is anchored by Silence (for John Cage), a minimalist masterwork featuring an 80-ton forged steel slab, which, laid-down horizontally, dominates the space. Primitive and raw, it has an almost overwhelming physical presence.
The other pieces in this series continue the same effect, applying the slabs in various configurations to explore the artist’s ideas about weight, balance and space. Every Which Way is another standout: the work features 16 foot-thick slabs set on a rectangular grid of three heights. Strolling between, one feels as if they are in a kind of funereal procession. The effect is a fitting rejoinder to the other works and NJ-1, 2015’s powerful material presence.
Gagosian’s 24th Street location is home to Above Below Betwixt Between, Every Which Way, Silence (for John Cage), Through, three solid steel slab works as well as a drawing. Pictured: Silence (for John Cage), 2015
Through, 2015
The most visceral piece, sited at the gallery’s 21st location is NJ-1, 2015, pictured
INFORMATION
'Richard Serra: Above Below Betwixt Between, Every Which Way, Silence (For John Cage), Through' and 'NJ-1' are both on view until 29 July. For more details, visit the gallery's website
Photography: Christian Mascaro, courtesy of the artist and Gagosian Gallery
ADDRESS
Gagosian Gallery
522 West 21 Street and 555 West 24 Street
New York, New York
-
A refined Indian country residence reimagines the farmhouseSet among Karnataka’s rolling fields and forest, House by the Grove by Taliesyn Design & Architecture combines modern materials with an open approach to the elements
-
New speakers for every space, from all-in-one systems to high-end towersExperience the highs and lows of your favourite audio in crisp detail with this selection of seven new speakers, large and small
-
Around London in sybaritic silence with the majestic all-electric Lunaz Phantom VClassic electrifier Lunaz has turned its skilled hands to the Rolls-Royce Phantom V. We sample the ultimate in zero-emission luxury on the streets of London
-
Ed Ruscha’s foray into chocolate is sweet, smart and very AmericanArt and chocolate combine deliciously in ‘Made in California’, a project from the artist with andSons Chocolatiers
-
Inside the work of photographer Seydou Keïta, who captured portraits across West Africa‘Seydou Keïta: A Tactile Lens’, an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, New York, celebrates the 20th-century photographer
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekFrom sumo wrestling to Singaporean fare, medieval manuscripts to magnetic exhibitions, the Wallpaper* team have traversed the length and breadth of culture in the capital this week
-
María Berrío creates fantastical worlds from Japanese-paper collages in New YorkNew York-based Colombian artist María Berrío explores a love of folklore and myth in delicate and colourful works on paper
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekAs we approach Frieze, our editors have been trawling the capital's galleries. Elsewhere: a 'Wineglass' marathon, a must-see film, and a visit to a science museum
-
June Leaf’s New York survey captures a life in motionJune Leaf made art in many forms for over seven decades, with an unstoppable energy and fierce appetite leading her to rationalise life in her own terms.
-
Jamel Shabazz’s photographs are a love letter to Prospect ParkIn a new book, ‘Prospect Park: Photographs of a Brooklyn Oasis, 1980 to 2025’, Jamel Shabazz discovers a warmer side of human nature
-
The Hammer Museum in Los Angeles launches the seventh iteration of its highly anticipated artist biennialOne of the gallery's flagship exhibitions, Made in LA showcases the breadth and depth of the city's contemporary art scene
