For immediate release
Ursula von Rydingsvard: ERRATUS
Opening reception: Thursday, March 18, 6-8 pm
In her sixth solo exhibition at Galerie Lelong, Ursula von Rydingsvard will present three new
monumental works that exemplify the artist as a sculptor in full command of her craft, further developing
the vocabulary that she has so thoroughly honed: abstract, architectural forms composed of accretions
of wood. Each of the three works—Droga, Unraveling, and Blackened Word—is tightly composed
around a structured center and unfurls into a more complex, expansive configuration. ERRATUS,
“wandering” or “roaming” in Latin—will open to the public on March 18 from 6 to 8 pm, and the artist will
be present.
One of von Rydingsvard’s recurrent themes is the juxtaposition of organic and structural forms,
transforming massive undertakings of carving and building with dense materials into elegant figures
expressive of movement and gesture. Roughly cut pieces of cedar are joined and form an intricate,
sensual surface. von Rydingsvard’s figures often allude to everyday objects found in the home, such as
a bowl, bonnet, or staircase—simple, universal pieces that are deeply imbued with humanity.
For ERRATUS, von Rydingsvard has created three epic works in cedar, each remarkable in its vast
scale and vision. Droga rises up from the floor, unfolding into rhythmic waves. Under von
Rydingsvard’s hand, the cedar feels fluid, like fabric. In Blackened Word, slight tracings serve as the
foundation for a nearly seven-foot tall freestanding structure—the tentative handwriting of an elderly
woman was laid on the floor, from which von Rydingsvard built upward to create a towering, undulating
wall. The third work in the exhibition, Unraveling, is an elaborate, overwhelming wall “drawing” in cedar.
The largest and most complex among von Rydingsvard’s works hung on the wall, Unraveling features
cup-like shapes that protrude and extend downward, forming a giant’s drapery. In ERRATUS, von
Rydingsvard displays her natural agility in drawing the intimacy, grace, and emotion out of the most
primal of elements.
Concurrent with ERRATUS is the installation of a new work at Storm King Art Center in Mountainville,
New York, commissioned for the sculpture park’s 50th anniversary in April. Also opening in April is the
new addition to the North Carolina Museum of Art, at which another outdoor commission by von
Rydingsvard, entitled Ogromna, will be unveiled. In 2011, the Sculpture Center, New York, will present
a major retrospective of von Rydingsvard’s work. The exhibition will later travel to the deCordova
Museum and Sculpture Park, Lincoln, Massachusetts; in 2008, the deCordova presented von
Rydingsvard with its renowned Rappaport Prize. von Rydingsvard’s works can be seen in over 30
public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New
York; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; High Museum of Art, Atlanta; Walker Art Center,
Minneapolis; Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase, New York; and Kemper Museum of Contemporary
Art, Kansas City.
Hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 10am–6pm
Contact: Hannah Adkins, 212-315-0470 or [email protected]
Forthcoming exhibition: Andy Goldsworthy, May-June
For more information on the work of Ursula von Rydingsvard, please visit www.ursulavonrydingsvard.net
