To Build a Square in the Rhineland

Lawrence Weiner has been considered one of the most important American conceptual artists ever since he published his “Declaration of Intent” in 1968, which reads as follows:

1. The artist may construct the piece.
2. The piece may be fabricated.
3. The piece need not be built.

Accordingly, Weiner’s work features words, i.e. written messages, above all else. Its materialization is secondary and often left up to the recipient.

The Museum Ludwig organized an exhibition of the Weiner’s works in 1995 and he was awarded with the Wolfgang Hahn Prize in the same year. His public work To Build a Square in the Rhineland consists of written messages in English and German, which were cast on iron plates in front of and behind the cathedral, as well as along Venloer Straße at the Stadtgarten.

Further reading:
Lawrence Weiner. To build a square in the Rhineland. Ein Quadrat im Rheinland bauen. Ein Viereck anlegen im Rheinland. With an Epilog by Reiner Speck. Mit einem Nachwort von Reiner Speck. Deutsch von Doris Graf. Durs Grünbein. Joachim Sartorius. Cologne, Verlag der Buchhandlung König, 1995.

Reference: http://m.skulpturenfuehrer.de/de/skulpturenfuehrer-koeln/ort/to-build-a-square-in-the-rhine