Serra: Sculpture (and Nerves) of Steel

While I could never be a macho, heavy metal sculptor, I enjoyed this article on Richard Serra’s retrospective by Randy Kennedy. I enjoyed the subtle comparisons of sculptors to painters, which started with a story about Jasper Johns. Both artists, however, are very interested in all aspects of the process of making art. A quote from Serra: “If you’re going to watch the process, watch it all the time, because it’s always bespeaking something that’s of interest,” he said. “And I don’t think that’s Duchampian. I think that’s more Eastern. That’s more Suzuki.” I think this is about paying attention to the process. Serra’s interest lies in the engineering of his works and in the process of their placement by a professional team of riggers, as well as, the formal placement of angled planes in space. I relate to Serra’s use of space and how he manipulates the journey through his pieces. The negative space and the cavernous passage are as important as his heavy, rusty metal material. Watch the multimedia audio show about placing the sculptures. Here, he speaks of why the process is so important to him.