Gigantic sculptures
Large, larger, the largest - it seems that gigantomania has taken over the global art scene! Both artists and their customers, overwhelmed by relentless ambitions start to resemble sprinters struggling for new and new records. Heathrow airport in London has commissioned the British sculptor Richard Wilson to create a grandiose sculpture 70 meters in length and weighing 77 tons. It promises to be "the longest permanent sculpture in Europe" and is planned to be unveiled in 2014 on the occasion of Heathrow Terminal 2 reopening after reconstruction.
At the same time, the largest sculpture in the world is in the process of creation in Abu Dhabi. The idea of a gigantic, pyramid-shaped installation named Mastaba was conceived 30 years ago by the Bulgarian-born American artist Christo and his wife Jeanne-Claude who died in 2009, but due to various reasons its implemented is taking place only now. The Mastaba will be 150 meters tall and will be made of 410 000 multi-colored oil barrels with the estimated construction cost of £ 212 millions. The new installation promises to be a little higher than the famous Great Egyptian pyramid, but its completion time is still unknown.
If you happen to visit Oberhausen in Germany until December 30, 2013, you will have a chance to check on the actual scope of Christo's works. His installation Big Air Package is on view inside the historic Gasometer. This world's largest indoor sculpture is compared to a light-filled cathedral. Its total weight is 5300 kg and it is made of 20.350 m² of polyester fabric and 4.500 meters of rope. 90 meters high, with a diameter of 50 meters it is the largest inflatable envelope ever created without a supporting framework.
Another alluring tourists' "flypaper" of this summer is placed on the forth plinth of London's Trafalgar Square. A huge 4.7 meter high ultramarine blue rooster is conjured up by the German artist Katharina Fritsch. Its official opening will take place on July 25 and the cock will continue to adorn the park for entire 18 months. Fritsch's creation is to replace a Bronze Boy on a Rocking Horse by the Danish artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset. Katharina Fritsch is one of the today's leading and internationally recognized German artists. She represented Germany at the 46th Venice Biennale and her works are featured in many prestigious museums around the world with MoMa, New York and KunstNordrhein Westfalen, Dusseldorf among them. The Blue Rooster, created in the framework of the Fourth Plinth program that is carried out under the auspices the Mayor of London and the Arts Council of England, has stirred up protests long before its official unveiling. Some people argue that it's inappropriate to place a rooster, the national symbol of France, in the Trafalgar Square, which was built in honor of the British victory in the Battle of Trafalgar and the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Venice, in its turn, has just managed to rid itself of one controversial piece of art, which was causing public protests, but has obtained yet another one instead. A provocative white sculpture Boy with a Frog by Charles Ray (commissioned by French collector Francois Pinault and exhibited at his contemporary art venue Punta della Dogana) now in the framework of Venice Biennale is being replaced by another object of heated discussions - a gigantic sculpture Breath (2012) by British artist Marc Quinn. It is a replica of Alison Lapper Pregnant, a 3.55 meters tall marble sculpture weighting 15 tons which adorned the fourth plinth in London's Trafalgar Square from 2005 to 2007. The 11 meters tall inflatable artwork is now on show for the artist retrospective and is sited at the San Giorgio Maggiore, facing St. Mark's square, just outside the San Giorgio Maggiore church. Described by Quinn himself as "a monument to the resilience of the human spirit", the gigantic installation portrays the disabled artist Alison Lapper eight months pregnant. Although criticized by the Catholic Church for its inappropriate placement, it was one of the most photographed artworks of the Venice Biennale. The sculpture constantly changes its color depending on daylight, turning from bluish, to grayish to lilac-hued.
Marc Quinn's exhibition in Venice is available until September 29 and consists of more than 50 works.
In Paris, showcased at the very entrance to the Louvre museum under the I.M.Pei's initially controversial but now iconic glass pyramid is a monumental sculpture of the young French conceptual artist Loris Gréaud (to be viewed until January 2014). It offers a somewhat ghostly allusion to the museum's ancient masterpieces and triggering a string of bizarre associations and sensations. The 10 meters tall aluminum sculpture is covered by a cloak, as if just about to reveal itself to public eyes. Moreover, it's purposefully placed on the very edge of the plinth, suggesting that the slightest vibration might cause it to tumble down right onto the crowd of inquisitive onlookers. "They are supposed to be terrified and I know how they feel," says the artist. Following Tony Cragg and Wim Delvoye, Loris Gréaud is the third artist to create a major artwork specifically for Louvre Museum.
The Madison Square Park in New York also serves as a venue for a gigantic installation - a creation of American artist Orly Genger, entitled "Red, Yellow and Blue". It is hand-crocheted from a lobster-fishing rope, equating to 20 times the length of Manhattan across its diagonal. Its show in New York will run until September 8, following to which it will travel to Boston to be displayed at the deCordova sculpture park and museum; www.madisonsquarepark.org.
Until September 22, an International Summer Sculpture Route, ArtZuid (www.artzuid.nl) can be visited in Amsterdam. In the framework of this annual event sculptures are placed throughout the city (Minervalaan, Zuides, Vondelpark, Museumplein), featuring a total number 70 installations by 61 artists from over 20 counties across the world with Ai Weiwei, Tony Cragg and Richard Long among the others. Also four sculptures created by American artist John Chamberlain are to be displayed in Amsterdam, one of them in the grounds of the newly re-opened Rijksmuseum.
And one more treat for the lovers of classical values - an exhibition of 12 sculptures by the legendary 20th century British artist Henry Moore will open series of annual international sculpture displays that will be held in the Rijksmuseum's gardens over the next 5 years. This new 14.500 m² "open air museum" stretches out in front of the museums 19th century façade. Henry Moore is often referred to as the greatest creators of form of the 20th century. He is renowned for his monumental bronze sculptures that are located around the world in parks and public buildings. One of the qualities mentioned most often with regards of Moore is his ability to achieve seamless interaction of his sculptures and the surrounding landscape. The exhibition at Rijksmuseum will be available until September 29.
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