The installation of Zero pioneer Heinz Mack’s Light Stele in Bocholt was only made possible through unconventional means. There were six artworks planned as part of the Kunst im öffentlichen Raum initiative, each dedicated to the basic elements, with the Light Stele representing light and air. Not all of the planned artworks were completed. The…

The heavenly pillar is an ancient mythological concept that can be found across different cultures. It typically supports the heavens or takes the form of the tree of life, an axis around which the celestial bodies rotate. Heinz Mack’s Columne pro Caelo evokes such interpretations of the universe. The sculpture is a granite pillar with…

One of Heinz Mack’s largest light stelae is prominently located between Kaiser-Friedrich-Halle and the park in Mönchengladbach, which is also the city where the artist lives and works. The narrow structure has a square perimeter and is roughly as tall as the surrounding trees, with its shining tip pointing up above them into the sky.…

ZERO co-founder Heinz Mack’s Water Sculpture is a tall metal column that is lined on both sides with metal lamellae. These plates are horizontal at the bottom and then gradually tilted upwards by one degree each, so that they are facing each other at a 45° angle at the top the column. Although constructed entirely…

This early work by Heinz Mack was created in 1954 after he finished his studies, and even before the founding of the Zero artist group. Mack repeatedly returns to the basic form of the stepped stele throughout his oeuvre, making this sculpture a particularly good starting point for understanding his work. The plant-based origin of…

The central theme in Heinz Mack’s oeuvre is light and he commonly explores its immateriality, changeability, and ability to determine form. Due to its shape and polished stainless steel surface, this stele captures the light, breaks it up, and reflects it at different angles. Ending in two points at the top, the zigzag form looks…

Heinz Mack stresses the importance of light and the surrounding natural space when it comes to his sculptures: “They are objects of the light, instruments of the light, and an expression of its energy. In this way, my new works, which are made of granite or marble, resist the light and defend the shadows.” This…