Sculpture Park in Düsseldorf-Lohausen Undergoes Art Search
Lantz Sculpture Park Exhibition Transforms Düsseldorf's Landscape
The Lantz Sculpture Park in Düsseldorf, Germany, is currently hosting an exhibition titled "Borrowed Scenery" until September 7. This unique display, curated by Stephanie Seidel, features works by Mimosa Echard, Dara Friedman, Benjamin Hirte, Allison Katz, and Nancy Lupo, among others.
Located in the 14-hectare public garden on Lohauser Dorfstraße, the Lantz Sculpture Park offers visitors a chance to immerse themselves in a multidimensional engagement with landscape art, history, and memory. The exhibition extends the traditional Japanese garden concept of Shakkei, emphasising the integration of surrounding landscapes and historical layers into the spatial and narrative experience of the park.
One of the standout pieces is "The Ambassadors" by American artist Nancy Lupo. Two wooden benches with cast iron feet, slightly smaller than normal and slightly crooked, serve as art in this installation. Inspired by similar benches seen by Lupo on a trip to Tbilisi, Georgia, these distorted benches distort perspective, referencing a famous painting by Hans Holbein the Younger.
Another notable work is "Skirts for Trees" by Allison Katz, which features trellises, figures, ornaments, fluttering creatures, and a hand with a heart on the fabrics wrapped around 11 young trees near the playground.
Meanwhile, Mimosa Echard's "Lady's Glove" is a giant chain with a silver heart pendant hanging in the park, encouraging visitors to walk back and forth on its barely visible lines across the meadow for a "time-based physical experience".
The Belgian artist Edith Dekyndt's work is on display in the Malkasten foyer, featuring a dye called "Green of Schweinfurt", a poisonous dye used in the 19th century. A "snake sun" with mowed paths designed by Dara Friedman from Miami can be found by walking from the chapel back along the main path. The center of the "snake sun" is marked with a few reddish stripes made of brick dust.
At the back of the Lantz Sculpture Park, there is a lonely work called "Speaker of the House" by sculptor Benjamin Hirte. This marble block with a wavy surface and drill holes is intended to reference and tell the story of the old sculptures and empty pedestals present in the park.
The Lantz Sculpture Park and Malkasten Park form a historical and spatial axis across the city, according to the curator. A small and cramped map at the entrance of the Lantz Sculpture Park awakens a sense of treasure hunt.
For those interested in learning more about the historical and material contexts within the sculpture park, a botanical guided walk through the sculptures and plant life is scheduled for August 17. The exhibition and sculpture installation "Borrowed Scenery" at the Lantz’scher Skulpturenpark in Düsseldorf is free for public access, and family tours and curator tours are scheduled for July 20 and July 27, respectively.
Further information about the Lantz Sculpture Park can be found at www.kunstkommission-duesseldorf.de/.
References:
- The Art Newspaper
- Monopol Magazine
- Artforum
- Hyperallergic
- Art Review
In the midst of the Lantz Sculpture Park's "Borrowed Scenery" exhibition, one can find Allison Katz's installation titled "Skirts for Trees," which adds a whimsical touch to the home-and-garden setting, featuring trellises, fabrics, and fluttering creatures adorning 11 young trees. Meanwhile, another home-and-garden element transformed into art can be seen in Nancy Lupo's "The Ambassadors," where distorted wooden benches in the park reference a famous painting and distort perspective.
