Abstufungen / Graduations

Ansgar Nierhoff’s sculptures seem provocatively simple at first glance, as they are typically made up of a few geometric elements that are seemingly randomly arranged. This two-part sculpture in Mülheim also requires closer observation within the context of the surrounding landscape and buildings. It is made up of two long steel plates with steps along the bottom. The plates are positioned in such a way that the gently sloping landscape has clear role in shaping the sculpture.
One of the steel elements is positioned on an incline, forming a rising diagonal line that offsets the nearby hospital building. Located further away from the hospital, the second element creates a horizontal line that extends perfectly parallel to the building.
The sculptural elements are installed without any sort of base and are connected directly to the lawn, allowing the terrain and building structures to emerge around them more clearly. The level horizontal lines that define the building as a cultural space are counteracted by the asymmetry of the diagonal element. At the same time, the horizontal element seems to geometrically map out the park’s otherwise organically shaped natural spaces.

Further reading:
Public Art Ruhr. Die Metropole Ruhr und die Kunst im öffentlichen Raum. Eds. Walter Smerling and Ferdinand Ulrich on behalf of the RuhrKunstMuseen, Cologne 2012, ISBN 978-3-8632-134-0, pp. 132–133.