Richard Serra

Richard Serra (1938—2024) used these words to describe the processes involved in creating his often large-scale sculptures. Instead of relying solely on artistic manual labor, he embraced a complex, energy-intensive, and collaborative process akin to heavy industry. This industrial collaboration led to the emergence of unique works of art, and the interaction with industrial working methods often resulted in the creation of new works: work comes out of work. 

Dirk Reinartz (1947—2004) has photographed the creation and construction of Serra's sculptures for many years. The resulting images go beyond mere documentation to develop their own artistic quality. Reinartz's subtly graded black-and-white photography captures the special atmosphere in the rolling mill, the forge, and during industrial processing, without superficial effects. He captures both the production of the individual sculpture elements and the finished and installed works in impressive photographs, with equal parts restraint and mastery. The exhibition is a project of the Situation Kunst Foundation in Bochum. To accompany the presentation, Museum Wiesbaden is showing a room of sculptural works and large-format paintstick drawings by Richard Serra.