Ulrich Rückriem’s Untitled was created in 1989. In a similar vein to minimalist sculptors of the time such as Donald Judd, Rückriem works with overlying geometric shapes. However, perhaps in homage to his time as a stonemason on the Cologne Cathedral, his work tends to be a mix of raw and polished rock face. Large half-finished slabs of stone with drilled holes and sawed out slices would be a common sight on the job site.

Untitled expertly shows process art: the final artwork being less important than the process of creating the work. In Rückriem’s words, “At the time I was more interested in splitting or cutting rocks horizontally or vertically… I was interested in the cuts for their own sake”. Because of the dichotomy of this half-finished yet finished work, one gets the sense that it is stuck in limbo, and through that becomes timeless.

Because this work has such a sense of mystery – one finds themselves looking in the cracks and around the corners – photography does not give it justice. Therefore we have taken a 3D scan of this sculpture so that the online viewer can have a similar experience of the work. 

Sources:

Rückriem, Ulrich. Untitled. 1989. Granite. Western Washington University.

Donald Young Gallery. Ulrich Rückriem. 1987.

“Contemporary Art Movements”. Encyclopedia of Art. Visual Arts Cork,

http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/contemporary-art-movements.htm#introduction

Project By:

Heather Faretta, Spencer Park, Genevieve Gislason