BERNAR VENET
BERNAR VENET
C hâteau of Versailles , 2 0 11
In Nice stands one of France’s tallest public artworks, 9 lignes obliques (20 10 ). M ore than 3 0 meters tall, nine vertical steel beams penetrate the coastal city’s skyline. In A ustin, T exas, the right angle of an offi ce building is contrasted by the colossal angular red form of 19.5 ° A ngle (19 8 6 ). A t a sculpture park in New York, the singular C or-ten beam in S traigh t L ine (20 0 0 ) rises above the treeline and a steel arc appears to precariously balance on the headq uarters of D ongkuk S teel M ill C o. in downtown S eoul, S outh K orea, in 3 7.5 ° A rc (20 10 ). L ast y ear, the C or-ten form of 8 5 .8 ° A rc x 16 (20 11) fl anked the entrance to the C hâteau of Versailles and the P alace grounds housed a solo exhibition of six further sculptures. T hese works - along with several installations around the world, including in Japan, K orea, G ermany, Norway and now in New Z ealand – demonstrate the prominence of French artist Bernar Venet. T hroughout his career, Venet has made pioneering contributions to the discourse of sculptural practice and has emerged one of the most signifi cant artists of his generation. A lthough he is best known for his largescale steel sculptures with a M inimalist aesthetic, Venet’s oeuvre is more diverse than his distinctive steel works may suggest. A s a young artist Venet was associated with the conceptual art movement, y et from the late 19 6 0 s he began to reject the notion of style, favouring works that transcended traditional artistic categories. O ver time his works became particularly concerned with issues of monumentality and the relationship of contemporary works in pre-established contexts. For B ernar V enet, Venet’s second solo exhibition with G ow L angsford G allery, works from two series will be exhibited: his well-known A rcs and more recent G R IB works.
A rcs in D isord er: 3 A rcs x 5� 20 0 8 corten steel 4 10 x 4 15 x 9 0 cm (each)
G enerally speaking, Venet’s practice has been characterized by an enduring but evolutional engagement with mathematical precision and its contradictory counterpart, the uncertain. In early drawings, Venet incorporated mathematical formulae to represent rational logic and high aesthetics. T hese works explored the impersonal laws of physics and mathematics and in a sense, represent an attempt to liberate art from aesthetic rules. H is A rc series are eloq uent examples of his works with overt mathematical associations. 218 .5 ° A rc x 14 (20 0 8 ) and 79.5 ° A rc x 8 (20 10 ) both included in this exhibition, appear on the one hand fl uid, as if based on penned gestures of the artist, but are grounded in a rigid stringency via their association to science and mathematics, which is confi rmed by the works’ titles. In contrast, Venet’s Ind eterm inate L ines series with their organic and seemingly gestural sculptural forms, seemingly oppose the calculable and rational logic of the early paintings and A rcs. T he Ind eterm inate L ines themselves are challenging to defi ne – moving around them their lines appear to contract and elongate, winding in, on and around themselves, thus deducing a fi nite sold form is diffi cult. T hey off er no obvious metaphorical reading and do not appear to refer to anything outside of themselves. T he G R IB works, fi ve of which are shown here, can be understood to continue the dialogue between the mathematical and the gestural. C reated from torch-cut steel, these wall-mounted works are like lively sketches, and an extension of the original wooden Ind eterm inate L ines that were display ed as reliefs between 19 7 9 and 19 8 3 . T he G R IB series confront the viewer with the fact of sheer matter - the spontaneity of the drawings countered by their monumental physicality.
G R IB 20 11 torch-cut, waxed steel 23 6 (h) x 150 x 3 .5 cm (bv11sr22)
R ight: G R IB ,20 11 torch-cut, waxed steel 250 (h) x 28 4 x 3 .5 cm (bv11sr16 )
G R IB 20 11 torch-cut, waxed steel 23 8 (h) x 4 10 x 3 .5 cm (bv11sr18 )
G R IB 20 11 torch-cut, waxed steel 225 (h) x 215 x 3 .5 cm (bv11sr17)
G R IB 20 11 torch-cut, waxed steel 24 0 (h) x 25 7 x 3 .5 cm (bv11sr19 )
221.5� A rc x 12 20 0 8 corten steel H : 26 0 diameter: 4 5 0 cm 126 cm
E xhibited at: Blickachsen 8 , installation at C ampus R iedberg of Frankfurt G oethe-U niversity, Frankfurt, G ermany, 20 10 P hoto by C hristian S cheff el, C ourtesy
218 .5째 A rc x 14 20 0 8 corten steel 15 6 x 19 5 x 126 cm
9 S traight Lines 20 0 8 corten steel 70 0 cm tall Bv0 8 s4 7
E xhibited at: Blickachsen 8 , installation at C ampus W estend of Frankfurt G oetheU niversity, Frankfurt, G ermany, 20 10 P hoto by Julia S chwager C ourtesy G alerie S cheff el, G ermany & artist
79.5째 A rc x 8 20 10 corten steel 220 (h) x 9 8 x 9 8 cm (bv10 s9 )
BE R NA R VE NE T E xhibition: 23 M arch – 14 A pril 20 12 G ow L angsford G allery, L orne S t
A rcs in D isord er: 3 A rcs x 5 ” (20 0 8 ), 9 S traigh t L ines (20 0 8 ) and 221.5 ” A rc x 12 (20 0 8 ) will be shown in outdoor locations around A uckland later in 20 12.
A bove: Venet works en route to New Z ealand from France inside cover: Bernar Venet with G R IB works, image: Bernar Venet archives, NY