Last days of Áfangar by Richard Serra

The final day of the exhibition Áfangar by Richard Serra (b.1939) is Sunday 20 September. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the installation of the environmental artwork Áfangar on Viðey Island off Reykjavík. The exhibition includes drawings of Áfangar made by Serra in 1990, and works of graphic art from 1991. The works are not conceived as diagrams or illustrations of the environmental work: in them the artist seeks to “distil” the work “into another language,” as Serra puts it. “The experience of building the sculpture acted as a catalyst that led to separate activities like etching and drawing.” Hence the pieces are works of art in their own right, which the observer can appreciate on their own terms.

Richard Serra (b. 1939) is one of the most renowned artists of today, and many leading museums have hosted exhibitions of his work. He is known especially for his steel sculptures made for cities and museums around the world.