Richard Nonas's Minimalist Sculptures at Galerie Hubert Winter Explore Space and Place

Richard Nonas presented two sculptural works, 'swerve (of shore) to bend (of bay)' (both 2020), at Galerie Hubert Winter in Vienna from 17 January to 29 February 2020. The American artist's pieces engage with Minimalism while diverging from its traditions, focusing on transforming space into place through viewer experience. 'swerve' consists of 82 rough-hewn woodblocks arranged in a curving sequence on the floor, while 'bend' features 19 angular black-steel sculptures mounted on walls in groups of three. Nonas, who studied literature and anthropology, emphasizes myths and storytelling yet resists narrative in his work. Critics note his departure from first-wave Minimalism's reliance on ideal space, instead highlighting contradictions between spatial perception and temporal experience. The installation requires physical movement: viewers can see 'swerve' fully from a specific vantage point but cannot view all of 'bend' simultaneously due to room layout. This creates a phenomenological engagement where objects dictate bodily positioning, challenging emotional responses. Nonas's approach leaves open questions about how space becomes place beyond mere placement in a gallery. The exhibition was reviewed in the March 2020 issue of ArtReview by Max L. Feldman, who analyzed these dialectics. Nonas's work references James Joyce's 1939 'Finnegans Wake' in its title, blending literary inspiration with sculptural form.