Dirk Reinartz
Serra. Afangar
When one arrives in Iceland by air, the island of Videy, near the port of Reykjavik, can briefly be seen: the ragged volcanic cliffs along its coastline and the man-high vertical basalt steles that loom up out of the water. This natural sculpture inspired American artist Richard Serra to erect his own installation on the island. He called it AFANGAR, a poetic Icelandic word that means “Stations, stops. Interim stops. Pausing and looking: both backward and forward. Looking at the whole picture.”
Serra erected 18 hexagonal basalt pillars, each three to four meters high with a diameter of 75 centimeters. In the process, he made an exceptional number of sketches: landscape observations, notes taken in the quarry, and detailed drawings of the stone pillars on their way from the quarry, being moved into place, and their final erection.
Dirk Reinartz photographed the finished sculpture. His black & white photos, which are arranged in the book in a composed sequence alongside Serra’s drawings, compellingly convey the bizarre reality of this installation.
Press text – Steidl Verlag, Göttingen
each Silvergelatine-Print, 17 x 25 cm (24 x 30 cm)
Serra erected 18 hexagonal basalt pillars, each three to four meters high with a diameter of 75 centimeters. In the process, he made an exceptional number of sketches: landscape observations, notes taken in the quarry, and detailed drawings of the stone pillars on their way from the quarry, being moved into place, and their final erection.
Dirk Reinartz photographed the finished sculpture. His black & white photos, which are arranged in the book in a composed sequence alongside Serra’s drawings, compellingly convey the bizarre reality of this installation.
Press text – Steidl Verlag, Göttingen
each Silvergelatine-Print, 17 x 25 cm (24 x 30 cm)
