Richard Serra's London exhibition explores sculptural form and existential cartography

A two-part exhibition at Gagosian in London in 2015 featured Richard Serra's monumental steel sculptures, including works like Ramble (2014), Backdoor Pipeline (2010), Dead Load (2014), and London Cross (2014). The show highlighted Serra's phenomenological approach, with installations that transformed gallery spaces into environments demanding viewer engagement. Ramble consists of 24 slabs of rolled steel arranged in a maze-like layout, while Backdoor Pipeline forms a curved archway. Dead Load presents two weathered steel slabs, one atop the other, evoking visual associations with sarcophagi or altars. London Cross bisects a room with two steel walls forming an X shape, creating an existential map. Serra, then 75, was noted for an autumnal quality in his work, blending industrial material with pictorial elements. The exhibition underscored his roots in 1960s Minimalism, emphasizing sculptural integrity over allusion. A large paintstick drawing, Double Rift #2 (2011), displayed in Gagosian's second space, showcased bodily pressure in its creation. The show inverted public and private space dynamics, contrasting with Serra's public sculptures, such as one famously defaced by David Hammons in New York in 1981.