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WORKS ON PAEER ULRICH RUCKRIEM
lnverleith House, Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, Sat 9 Jun-Sun 29 Jul; Sleeper, Edinburgh, Mon 11 Jun-Fri 27 Jul
lrich Rijckriem is a key figure in 20th century sculpture. The stonemason-turned-sculptor is known for monumental geometric stone forms that mark the seismic shift in sculptural practice. They home in on the elemental tenets of mass, volume and the materials chosen. Like Richard Serra’s splashes of lead, R0ckriem’s works are post-minimalist exercises, foregrounding an artistic process that is more interaction and
Works on paper by Ulrich Ruckriem
monumental split stone works,’ says curator Paul Bradley. ‘He still makes that kind of work, but he’s also interested in more conceptual areas, the ways of splitting and delineating space. These are works on paper, but RUckriem looks at them as variations of how you can break up the volume of a stone. They’re basically the roots of his thinking, and he’s done 106 variations, but has never shown them all together before. lnverleith House is a very interesting space, because you have a classical building with a contemporary attitude, and it seems to lend itself to minimal or conceptual art. When Ulrich came to visit, he immediately knew that this was what he wanted to
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alteration than sculpture in the classical figurative do.’
sense. Rather than imposing artistic vision on the stone, Rilckriem focuses on surfaces and
dimensions.
Running alongside this weighty contribution to Process Art is Riickriem’s constant engagement with the environment in which his work is to be seen. That environment sets the parameters of his work and provides a key to the viewers’ understanding of it.
At lnverleith House, however, Riickriem’s trademark monolithic stone works are absent. Instead, he is presenting a series of works on paper, and at Sleeper, wall drawings; both rendered in graphite.
‘Ruckriem has always been associated with these
GROUP SHOW
HAIR ON ONE SIDE IS SWEPT BACK
Transmission Gallery, Glasgow, until Sat 16 Jun .0
Miriam Cahn’s higgledy-piggledy array of paintings
The works at Sleeper also see RUckriem paring down his past sculptural exercises to a conceptual
tete-a-téte with the space, but here he also engages
Hair On One Side ls Swept Back is something of a stramash. Four artists. with nothing more in common than haying had their work squeezed into the TransmiSSion's space. iostle for attention like spinsters lumping desperately for the bouquet at a wedding.
Miriam Cahn's higgledy-piggledy array of paintings. which might iust have managed to be imposmg it given room to breathe. are probably meant to be darkly luminescent. enigmatic works. Here. though. they are only iust worth a second glance. The repetitive reworkings of indistinct figures dwell on the not partiCuIarly exciting clash of gloom and brilliance engendered by the murky colour palette Cahn employs. each an unnecessary extra verSion of the failure it is hung next to.
Lawrence Figgis. at least has the good grace to point out that his abOrtiye. half-formed SCulptural detritus is a Quick diversion from the real task at hand. his fOrthcoming
directly with the environment in which the works are seen. ‘The wall drawings are a different matter,’ says Bradley. ‘There you have graphite applied directly to the walls, and the works are directly related to the proportions of the given wall.’
The exhibitions at lnverleith House and Sleeper are then, both a chance to engage on a direct level with the conceptual basis behind Ruckriem’s sculptural body of work, and a new strand in the artist’s oeuvre as a whole. (Jack Mottram)
degree show. That doesn't quite excuse the forgettable flimsmess of Heritage. which consists of some torn and re—sewn corduroy trousers. half a tiainer and some other bits and bobs. Not as flimsy. though. as Mary Chong's Summer. which is some straw spread around the edges of the gallery floor.
The lacklustre showing from these first three at least works to one person's advantage: in the midst of all this. Michael Malle's work stands Out a mile. His collages of magaZine detritus are either bright. spiralling assemblies of ransom note Cut-out letters. that seem to be an attempt to impose a calm sense of order on the indigestible everyday blitz of media images. or skewed. cheerfully sinister takes on stock picture-postcard scenes. Best of all is his untitled pre- school card collage—cum-sculpture. iuxtaposmg a wonky City skyline with tulips as tall as the tower blocks. With Suggestions of clouds pinned to the wall above. iJack Mottrami
Artbeat
News from the world of art
GLASGOW‘S TRAMWAY TOOK the Grand Prix award at the Scottish Design and Architecture Awards for the recent refurbishment carried out by 200 Architects. Other winners included Stuart Gilmour of Tank, named as ‘Designer of the Year‘ and creative content initiators 55degrees won the multimedia category.
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KENNY HUNTER lS PROVING to be public artist of the moment. The Edinburgh-born sculptor behind the contemporary image of Christ, Man Walks Among Us, was chosen from a shortlist to produce a public art work in Glasgow. Hunter's Citizen Firefighter (pictured), commissioned by Strathclyde Fire Brigade to celebrate the Fire Service, was made possible by a £15,000 award from Glasgow City Council as well as funds from some of 113 fire stations. The sculpture which will be installed on the corner of Gordon Street and Hope Street, outside Central Station, will be unveiled on Sunday 17 June.
FOLLC YANG lllE COMPt l- i ION of a 5:23". tic itl pie\.'eiitioii scheme. designed to protect the Qty of Perth iron: the devastating floods of 1993. the Scottish Enterpise. Perth 8 Klll’()85§ COuiiCIl and Perthsliiie ’JUkilll, iii? Trust are innatng aitim‘; to inmate a public art work for iii‘: new look Tay Street. Iiiitial subii.i:.'.:4'i‘3 fix 3-D artworks for up to '11:: la]; Street iocations Should be completed by MOlttlay if; .J:i.,z For further infoiiiiation contact the Perthsliire Pubr, Art lrust. E'- mail: mkapkcgovuk or call Maureen Kay en 01/38 47:3119.
i“ - , . Kenny Hunter’s Citizen Firefighter
12‘. Jun 2031 THE LIST 89