In
1994 we exhibited “Richard Serra: Weight and Measure Drawings”, a show
featuring a series of large-scale
paint-stick-on-hiromi-paper drawings by one of the most significant artists of
the past century. Though widely recognized for his monumental and minimalist steel
sculptures, for this show, Serra produced drawings that embraced the fragility
of the medium with an almost geological heft.
This
exhibition expanded the idea of how a series of drawings can reconfigure space,
and how the force of such work can trigger a reconsideration of assumed notions
of weight, mass, scale, and measure. The whole project originated from a viewing of at his installation at the Tate Gallery in London. Serra had positioned two
differently proportioned blocks of steel in a classical traverse and, when
looking down the length of it, it appeared as if one block floated above the
other, yet still retained its weight. This seemed like a drawing problem for
him, one that required work on paper and getting rid of pictoriality. Of the
result, which was a series of black blocks on a white background, Serra said “I’m
more interested in people experiencing these things than looking at them. I don’t
really care if people go away remembering how the pieces were configured. I
want them to go away with some kinesthetic equivalent of a hollow in your
stomach”.
Images:
Richard Serra, Installation View
Richard Serra, Weight and Measure IX, 1994. Paint stick
on hiromi paper, 143 ¾ inches x 80 1/8 inches
