RICHARD SERRA AND THE GENESIS OF SITE-SPECIFIC SCULPTURE

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the origin of the concept of site-specifity, which has become one of the determining elements of sculpture since the second half of the 20th century and is considered as a fundamental issue in the context of Richard Serra's sculptures. In the research, it is revealed that there is a relationship between some constructivist sculptures that follow the path opened by Picassos' Guitar sculpture and the historical development of site-specific art. In this context, it has been tried to express that Constructivist sculpture, which is often associated with the Guitar sculpture, especially Vladimir Tatlin's Corner Counter-Reliefs, played an important role in the emergence of site-specific art, unlike the widespread view in art history and criticism that site-specific art began with the minimalism movement. The issue of site-specificity, which gains weight in Richard Serra's art, where we clearly observe the influence of Constructivism, is discussed in the context of Jacques Derrida's concepts of deconstruction, ergon and parergon. In general, this study sheds light on the historical development of site-specific art and the importance of this development in Serra's sculptures. In order to achieve this, a new perspective on site-specific sculpture is presented by grounding the origin of the concept of site-specificity in the art of sculpture within the framework of the corner space.