☰

Site-specific art

274 articles

Site-specific art is a form of artistic creation designed for a particular location, taking into account the space’s unique characteristics. This genre emerged in the 1960s with the rise of installation art and land art. Artists like Robert Smithson, with his “Spiral Jetty,” and Christo and Jeanne-Claude, known for wrapping buildings and landscapes, pioneered this approach. Site-specific works often integrate with their environment, whether natural or urban, and can encompass various mediums including sculpture, performance, and multimedia installations.

Notable examples include Richard Serra’s “Tilted Arc” and Olafur Eliasson’s “The Weather Project” at Tate Modern. Site-specific art challenges traditional notions of portable, commodifiable artworks, often emphasizing experience over object. It can be permanent, like Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial, or temporary, such as Ai Weiwei’s installations.

Benjamin Vautier’s gigantic Wall of Words at the Fondation du doute

Installations   3 min read
The Wall of Words by French artist Benjamin Vautier (b. 1935) is one of the most visited attractions in Blois, France. Ben was commissioned to develop the wall, which consists of paintings/writings that he has been creating since the 1960s. The artworks have been applied to 313 enameled plaques that have then been placed on [...]

Benjamin Vautier’s gigantic Wall of Words at the Fondation du doute Read

La Pyramide in Abidjan by Rinaldo Olivieri – Iconic & Neglected

Architecture, Brutalist architecture   5 min read
La Pyramide is a high-rise building, one of the most recognized, located in Ivory Coast’s largest city Abidjan. The 15-story high rise was designed by architect Rinaldo Olivieri and was constructed for five years between 1968 and 1973. The building was created in the shape of a pyramid, hence the name La Pyramide. When it [...]

La Pyramide in Abidjan by Rinaldo Olivieri – Iconic & Neglected Read

Banksy - Forgive Us Our Trespassing, 2011, acrylic, spray paint and marker pens on wooden panel, in four parts, 655 x 421 cm (257⅞ x 165¾ in) feat

Banksy’s monumental stained glass window – Forgive us our trespassing

Graffiti, Paintings, Stained glass windows, Street Art   4 min read
Banksy’s Stained-Glass painting was commissioned by the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, California. The artwork shows a painted old stained glass window with the glass panes of the window covered with graffiti. At the front, we can see a young boy in street clothes kneeling and praying in front of a paintbrush and [...]

Banksy’s monumental stained glass window – Forgive us our trespassing Read

Stephan Balkenhol - Sphaera, 2007, steel, plastic, bronze and gold leaf, 8,8-meter height, 5-meter diameter, 3,5 tonnes, installation view, Kapitelplatz, Salzburg, Austria feat

Stephan Balkenhol’s massive, golden sculpture in Salzburg – Sphaera

Statues   4 min read
The sculpture Sphaera by Stephan Balkenhol was installed as part of the Art Project Salzburg in the 2007 Salzburg Festival and is based on various medieval mysteries. Construction & design The artwork, situated outside of the Salzburg cathedral on the Kapitelplatz, is easily recognizable from afar thanks to its golden sheen that reflects light from [...]

Stephan Balkenhol’s massive, golden sculpture in Salzburg – Sphaera Read

David Černý - Head of Franz Kafka, 2014, 40 layers of polished stainless steel, motors, electronics, 10.6 meters tall, 39 tonnes, installation view, Prague, Czech Republic feat

Franz Kafka’s giant rotating head – A statue in Prague by David Černý

Statues   4 min read
One of the most outstanding attractions in Prague is the piece of Franz Kafka, an outdoor sculpture that is more of a technical wonder. The work of art is part of the Quadrio shopping and office complex on Národní třída, created by controversial artist David Černý who had on several occasions along his career used [...]

Franz Kafka’s giant rotating head – A statue in Prague by David Černý Read

Nataraja-Shiva-2004-bronze-2-meters-installation-view-CERN-Meyrin-Switzerland feat

Why is there a statue of Shiva the Destroyer at CERN? Your questions answered

Sculptures, Statues   9 min read
If you have been keeping up with the happenings of the CERN, the world’s most advanced scientific research facility, you might have noticed the statue of Shiva the Destroyer. Shiva, the cosmic dancer, symbolizes the natural flow of divine energy. He takes part in Rudra Tandava – a dance representing destruction and rebirth- to reshape [...]

Why is there a statue of Shiva the Destroyer at CERN? Your questions answered Read

Florian-Yuriev-Tarilka-The-Flying-Saucer-Ukrainian-Institute-of-Scientific-Technical-and-Economic-Information-Kiev-Ukraine-feat

Kiev’s UFO – A modernist masterpiece

Architecture, Modernist Architecture   7 min read
Deservedly nicknamed the “Kiev flying saucer” or “Kiev UFO,” the Kiev Institute of Information is an authentic work of modernist architecture that stole the limelight during the Soviet era. This awe-inspiring, alien-like piece of Soviet architecture has again come to the spotlight because it is being threatened by the mushrooming of modern shopping malls. Let’s [...]

Kiev’s UFO – A modernist masterpiece Read

Fumiko-Hori-Utopia-2014-45-x-55-meter-ceramic-relief-installation-view-International-Lobby-on-1st-Floor-of-Terminal-Building-Fukushima-Airport-Japan-feat

At age 95, Fumiko Hori created this mural for the Fukushima Airport

Ceramics, Murals   4 min read
Fumiko Hori supervised the installation of the mural herself, quite an impressive feat for a woman aged 95 at the time. The giant relief wall was based on Hori’s original painting at the CREARE Atami-Yugawara Studio. The relief carving at the airport helps to create an illusion of depth on an otherwise shallow surface. The [...]

At age 95, Fumiko Hori created this mural for the Fukushima Airport Read

Olympic Flame mosaic at the end of the central hall in the metro station Olimpiiska, Kyiv, Ukraine feat

Olimpiiska – One of Kyiv’s most intriguing metro stations

Architecture, Installations, Mosaics   4 min read
The Olimpiiska Station, located in Kyiv, Ukraine, stands in the same spot as the former Ploshchad Lev Tolstoy station and serves as a prime example for Soviet-era art. This period was marked by strict censorship and ideological control, with art expected to align with state interests and promote communist ideology. It is a part of [...]

Olimpiiska – One of Kyiv’s most intriguing metro stations Read

African Renaissance Monument, 2010, bronze, 49 meter (161 feet), Ouakam suburb, Dakar, Senegal feat

The African Renaissance Monument – Africa’s most controversial statue

Sculptures, Statues   12 min read
This 49 meters tall bronze statue is located on top of the Collines des Mamelles – one of the twin hills – in the Senegalese capital Dakar. It overlooks the Atlantic Ocean just outside the city in the Ouakam neighborhood. The African Renaissance Monument was designed by renowned Senegalese architect Pierre Goudiaby Atepa following a [...]

The African Renaissance Monument – Africa’s most controversial statue Read

Studio Gang - Hive, 2017, 2,700 wound paper tubes, installation view, National Building Museum feat

Jeanne Gang’s massive Hive at the National Building Museum

Installations, Sound installations   4 min read
“Hive” refers to an installation featured during the annual Summer Block Party series hosted by the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. It featured an excess of 2500 meshing paper tubes that formed a set of 3 intersected, domed acoustic chambers. Inside the acoustic chambers, visitors could interact with the drum-like tubes and chimes situated [...]

Jeanne Gang’s massive Hive at the National Building Museum Read

Agnes F. Northrop - Hartwell Memorial Window, 1917, leaded glass, 798.7 x 554.7 x 42.5 cm, installation view, The Art Institute of Chicago feat

The Hartwell Memorial Window by Agnes Northrop – Dazzling & Monumental

Stained glass windows   6 min read
It has been over a century since Mary Hartwell commissioned Agnes F. Northrop to design the Hartwell memorial window to honor Frederick Hartwell, her husband. The artwork was given to the Community Church of Providence, Rhode Island. It was kept in the church sanctuary until 2018 when a unanimous decision by the congregation saw it [...]

The Hartwell Memorial Window by Agnes Northrop – Dazzling & Monumental Read

Lin Yilin - Safely Maneuvering across Lin He Road, 1995, performance, Guangzhou, China feat

Lin Yilin’s performance – Safely Maneuvering Across Lin He Road

Performances, Video art   4 min read
Lin Yilin needs no introductions in the world of performance art. As one of the most well-known Chinese artists, Yilin has made a name for himself for his contemporary interventions and performance pieces that often criticize China’s extreme urbanization, modernization, commercial globalization, as well as its geopolitical conflicts. Lin was born in Guangzhou, China, and [...]

Lin Yilin’s performance – Safely Maneuvering Across Lin He Road Read

Doris Salcedo’s Shibboleth – A giant crack in Tate Modern

Installations   6 min read
Shibboleth was an installation piece designed and completed by celebrated Colombian artist Doris Salcedo at the Turbine Hall of the Tate Modern Museum in London. Before Salcedo created the installation itself, she created digital renderings on real photos of the Turbine Hall floor. The artist then printed the rendering before presenting them to the board [...]

Doris Salcedo’s Shibboleth – A giant crack in Tate Modern Read

Katsuhiro Otomo - Kinka Doji Riding the Waves Accompanied by Fujin and Raijin, 2015, ceramic relief, 8.7 x 2.8 meter, installation view, Sendai Airport, Japan feat

Katsuhiro Otomo’s mural at the Sendai Airport – Riding the Waves

Ceramics   4 min read
Katsuhiro Otomo, the creator of Akira, the 1988 Japanese animated cyberpunk action film, is one of the most well-known manga artists, animators, screenwriters, and film directors in the world. Though he is best known for his manga series and film adaptations, Otomo crossed over into the sculpture world when he was asked to design a [...]

Katsuhiro Otomo’s mural at the Sendai Airport – Riding the Waves Read