The BLICKWEIT sculpture project is not a sculpture exhibition in the conventional sense. It is the current stop on a sculpture journey that has taken me through several European countries, including Germany and Austria. My aim is to visit symbolic places between the North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts with my sculptures. Like a travel group, my sculptures move from place to place: they arrive, get out, stay for a while, have specific experiences, and then continue on. The sculptures can be seen as an imaginary red thread that invites the viewer to follow it in order to get to know the region from new, unfamiliar perspectives. At the places where the sculptures stand, this imaginary line—which exists only in the imagination and runs through the land—becomes matter, becomes sculpture, and then moves on immaterially to be present again at the next place as a tactile line of steel, as the next sculpture. In this way, a sequence of realities and imaginations emerges. One might also describe the project as a string of pearls that reveals its full impact only as a whole.

However, one could also describe the project as a resourceful journalist did, who observed that the sculptures spring up like mushrooms, populate the entire country, and are connected to one another by an invisible mycelium.

The sculptures are not formal variations; rather, they differ clearly from one another, creating a multifaceted mosaic of different places that communicate with each other. The viewer is invited to take part in this communication. It is important to me that our project addresses not only an art-interested audience, but also people who are simply curious and move through the world with open eyes. I would like to create communication between the different places, but also between the visitors.

The sculptures play an active role in perception, as they stimulate a wide range of associations and their impact is not exhausted by everyday encounters. What surprises me is how the relationship between the sculpture and the respective place takes effect. One and the same sculpture can, for example, take on a completely different meaning in an urban context than in open countryside, in nature that has grown over time. In doing so, each of these “travel sculptures” develops a kind of sculptural memory, which, in the perception of a particular sculpture at its current location, includes the fact that it previously stood somewhere else and entered into entirely different relationships. Some visitors to my sculpture projects, with whom I am still in contact today and who experienced the earlier journeys, confirm this impression.

Excerpt from a conversation between Ulrich Schneider and Robert Schad on December 7, 2024

Are they self-evident or enigmatic? At the very least, one can say of Robert Schad’s works that they make us thoughtful. Seemingly simple and clear, they nevertheless transform again and again. They are rich in contradictions, always dualistic, monumental yet also airy. They are made of steel and have the warm, shimmering tone of mahogany. Contemporary as they may be, they still show the rust of a bygone era. And when they impose themselves on us, it is easy for us to see through them.

In today’s exhibition, spread across an entire region, these immense sculptures exist in their own right and question the landscape or the building that houses them—both at their respective locations and in their historical context… Since the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region is known to possess an extraordinarily rich cultural heritage, and since we are guided by the idea that culture is an essential part of our lives and our identity, our region was able to embrace the DIX PAR DIX project—proposed by Robert Schad in collaboration with the Centre d’art mobile association—with enthusiasm. As a hyphen between territories, this exhibition paints a richly varied portrait of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, from Besançon to Bibracte, from the Buffon statue in Montbard to the Royal Saltworks in Arc-et-Senans, from the Priory of Marast to Tournus, via Lure, Ronchamp, Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, Arc-sous-Cicon and Alesia.

The exhibition is open to the public and is aimed both at the residents of our region, whom it connects with one another, and at visitors and tourists, who can discover through it a vibrant, attractive and scenically diverse area. Bourgogne-Franche-Comté is a region with a strong past and a clear-eyed view of the present.

Marie-Guite Dufay, President of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Region

When, in 2019, Upper Swabia becomes the setting for a sculpture project by Robert Schad, this can be regarded as a magnificent gift from the artist to his homeland. With more than 60 steel sculptures at over 40 sites—from Achberg in the east to Thalheim in the west, from Ulm in the north to Friedrichshafen in the south—historical, cultural and natural focal points of this special historic region, shaped by monasteries, palaces and towns and rooted in the late Middle Ages, are marked in an appealing way. The abundance of sights that Robert Schad leaves his mark on is impressive, whether it is the Celtic Heuneburg, monasteries such as Schussenried, Salem or Inzigkofen, palaces such as Wolfegg or Tettnang, or towns such as Ravensburg or Ulm.

The Oberschwaben Society for History and Culture aims to research and preserve the distinct character of Upper Swabia, which at the beginning of the 19th century was divided among several states as part of the Napoleonic political reorganisation, in historical and cultural terms. It welcomes Robert Schad’s artistic initiative, which provides a special impetus for perceiving and appreciating Upper Swabian landscape and culture, and is therefore very pleased to be among the supporters of this new sculpture project by the artist. It wishes the exhibition, scattered across the entire Upper Swabian region, many visitors and attentive observers of Upper Swabia’s diverse beauty.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Zotz, Chairman of the Oberschwaben Society for History and Culture

With “Deux Villes”, Robert Schad explored, in a multifaceted way, the potential of art—in his specific case, Concrete Sculpture—in public space, and in two different countries at that: Germany and France. At 21 locations in Metz and 18 locations in Saarlouis, he made sculptural interventions that responded to the respective conditions. Sometimes heavy car traffic surged up to the delicate sculptures that, as if probing, conquered the space; at other times they stood in quieter spots in pedestrian zones. If here they entered into dialogue with historic monuments, there they blended so naturally into green spaces as if they had grown there of their own accord.

In some positions, they asserted themselves so confidently solely by virtue of their size that they required no protection; in others, those responsible seemed to deem it necessary to underscore and safeguard their character and status as works of art through notices and markings. In this article, I take Robert Schad’s “Deux Villes” action as an occasion for reflections on the role and perception of art in public space in general, using exemplary cases from the past some 50 years in Germany, elsewhere in Europe and in the USA. It goes without saying that this “à propos” cannot possibly cover the enormous breadth of the topic.

If it succeeds at least in indicating what extreme reactions and controversial discussions contemporary art can provoke as soon as it leaves the sheltered space of museums and galleries—empathetic approval, even human affection, as well as furious rejection—then this essay has achieved its aim.

Excerpt from Roland Mönig, “À Propos Robert Schad: Art in Public Space Between Acceptance and Conflict”

Most recently in Bremen, in the context of a substantial municipal cooperation under the guiding motto “Robert Schad. Bremen vierkant”—which connected several venues in an accessible yet elegant way. Alongside a fascinating exhibition at the Gerhard-Marcks-Haus, accompanying additions to the show could be seen over the course of 2020 in Gröpelingen and St. Magnus—more precisely, in Knoops Park. Predominantly in the form of multi-ton sculptures, but also as drawings, designs and sketches, they continued and intensified the dialogue sought by Schad between art and architecture, urban space and nature, with different accents. Those involved in the formidable programme of events included, among others, the Gröpelingen initiative Kultur Vor Ort e. V., the Kränholm Foundation, and the sculptors’ workshop of Bremen Prison, which the association “Mauern öffnen e. V.” uses for the resocialisation of prisoners. The Bremen Dance Film Institute was also represented with a remarkable contribution that confronted the visual artist’s works with moving and affecting performances by former Bremen dance greats such as Gerhard Bohner, Urs Dietrich and Susanne Linke.

In a manner of speaking, with supple joints, the Schad spectacle “Bremen vierkant” achieved, with elegant inclusion of public space, a fourfold feat of artistry that is second to none: the intimate welding together of the fine arts, the linking of heterogeneous venues, the connecting of districts, and finally the networking of committed actors. What has emerged from this in terms of seams, lines and viewpoints serves as an encouraging lesson-like weave of cultural cooperation for Bremen (and beyond). The distinctive exhibition project opened up for the public a path to sculpture that is both accessible and multi-perspectival, with commendably low thresholds, exemplary inclusive qualities and high appeal. All of this, mind you, in times of a pandemic that at times allowed no other formats than viewing artworks in public space.

Excerpt from the Mayor’s greeting by Dr Andreas Bovenschulte, President of the Senate and Senator for Culture

The project presented here—the artist calls it “Percurso Lusitano”—is the continuation of his previously realised sculpture project in Brittany, where more than 50 sculptures were installed in public space last year. There, the relationship to nature, to the rural landscape or the sea, as well as to the historical heritage, was formative. Since Robert Schad has had this long-standing connection to our country, it does not surprise us that he was very eager to gain new experiences with his sculptures in Portugal in an expanded context.

I called him a factory worker. After all, only someone who is not afraid to “lend a hand” would think of realising a project like this Percurso Lusitano without any curatorial support and, above all, without producers in the background. We know of his strong connection to the entire country (he has travelled through it on many occasions, including as a guide on cultural tours); we know that, through his residence in Portugal, where he lives for several months each year, he has gained experience in dealing with the inhabitants; we know the prestige that came with the design of the Cruz Alta of Fátima, that impressive and magnificent depiction of Christ on the cross, erected in 2007 and approximately thirty-five metres high; yet what we cannot imagine is how it was possible for him to overcome the corridors and mountains of bureaucracy, to persuade public and private bodies, in order to organise the installation of such a labour-intensive undertaking.

Worthy of at least one Don Quixote. Traversing Portugal from north to south, the Percurso Lusitano is a unique feat of strength. Never before has a domestic artist dared a comparable initiative. Only a tireless factory worker, only a diligent “worker of aesthetics,” can accomplish something like this. When one considers how his forms contrast with the primeval forms of the beautiful landscape of Alto Minho, in Valença and Vila Nova de Cerveira; when one considers the dialogue they enter into with medieval, Gothic, and Renaissance monuments, as in Sanfins in Friestas or in Évora Monte; when one becomes aware that the sculptures have a different effect depending on whether they have been “drawn” into the landscape or into urban space—then we must conclude that they indeed represent different dialects of a common language. Adapted to the most diverse conditions, the works bend the ever-resonant spatial syntax of their contextualized existence.

Excerpt from Miguel von Hafe Pérez, “Territory and Meaning, or How Art Maps Life”

As part of “BLICKACHSEN 10”, Robert Schad presents ten large-scale sculptures in front of the Poelzig Building in Frankfurt in 2015.

It is the continuation of an exhibition series that has been organised every two years for around four months (late May to early October) since 1997 under the auspices of Galerie Scheffel and, since 2013, under the direction of Stiftung Blickachsen GmbH, and has since developed into the most important presentation of international contemporary sculpture in the Federal Republic of Germany.

The building, constructed between 1928 and 1931, was the headquarters of IG Farben. After the end of the war, the American military administration moved in. Since 2001, the building has housed part of Goethe University.

Schad’s sculptures respond with a dancer’s lightness to the severity of the sober, monumental architecture, which provides the stage for an unusual sculptural spectacle. The anthropomorphic-constructive steel giants touch the ground at only a few points and, despite weighing tons, appear to float in front of the building. Constructed from solid square steel segments, they evoke plants that, driven by an inner force, have grown into space, and despite their constructed rigidity convey movement that seems to pause at the moment of viewing.

In recent years, the site has repeatedly served as an exhibition venue for sculptures, including by Bernar Venet (2011) and Jaume Plensa (2012).

In early summer 2013, steep serpentines led me up to Castel Pergine, perched high above the Valsugana – a place full of history and stories, stark and rocky. Doubts arose about the feasibility of an exhibition of mostly large-format steel sculptures, some of which I intended to create specifically for this location. How were these objects, some weighing tons, supposed to climb this mountain and take their place? The Castel does not offer sculpture sites in the traditional sense; instead, it demands to be conquered and ascended. Sculptures must first be transported here to create their own, distinctive place. I met the owners, Theo Schneider and his wife Verena Neff, in 2013 at the Sculpture Biennale in Racconigi near Turin. They invited me to visit Castel Pergine to let my thoughts wander and explore the possibility of presenting my large-format, ton-heavy sculptures.

Fantastic perspectives and views of the surrounding mountain landscape, but also spots in more hidden places like the curtain wall and the castle dungeon, provoked me; my imagination bubbled, concepts tumbled over each other, only to be discarded again because the difficult access to my chosen locations repeatedly questioned the feasibility of an exhibition as I envisioned it. However, Theo, the sculpture fanatic, managed to dispel my concerns. “We’ll make it happen,” he said repeatedly, and so my trust and certainty grew that he was willing to move mountains for our project. With heavy transport equipment, a 50m crane, and helping hands, the seemingly impossible was achieved.

Pergine is a special place: its rugged beauty and starkness are the ideal home for my “temporary steel inhabitants.” It is precisely here that the apparent lightness of forms, some weighing tons, becomes particularly palpable. Some sculptures seem to want to lift off, to fly into the vast mountain landscape. They appear to pause in motion at the moment of observation, only to continue their dance into this expansive landscape the next moment. Others seem like steel guardians, waiting in this harsh world for something we cannot define. Still others hide in the moat and the castle dungeon. A variety of diverse visual experiences emerged, a sculptural choreography, a theater of steel actors on the castle stage high above the Valsugana. Sculptures inhabit a castle temporarily. Time seems suspended in this timeless world, where only the change of day and night, the change of weather, seem to determine the inner rhythm of the place. The noise of the city is far away. At Castel Pergine, one is closer to the sky.

I am curious to see how the temporary steel inhabitants will change the view of the castle, whether they are able to create places in this landscape and in the shadow of the stone castle colossus that leave a lasting impression, that one carries in one’s thoughts, that address secrets as they have never arisen before, whether they are able to engage with the history of the place on an equal footing and enter into a dialogue. In autumn, it will become clear what my steel inhabitants have moved in the minds of those who encountered them. In any case, they will inscribe themselves into the memory of this wonderful place.

Robert Schad, Larians in April 2015

Rejoice! In 2016 we welcome guests whose names sound strange in the heart of Brittany: Goberd, Bornis, Zmorg… Yet Robert Schad’s monumental works fit into our landscape and our cultural heritage. They integrate into their surroundings in a self-evident way and enter into a rich visual relationship with them. The abstract sculptures of the German artist, which have become “figures in motion”, address everyone whose path they cross. One forgets the heavy, massive steel bars, because, like an alchemist, Robert Schad has transformed them into many graceful, rust-brown forms that draw viewers into an almost floating dance.

Thanks to their simple and highly graphic form, with a wonderfully consistent formal language, the artist invites all of us, without distinction, to encounter them. Chemins du patrimoine en Finistère, an institution founded 10 years ago at the initiative of the département, joined forces with the Arts à la pointe festival, Bon-Repos Abbey and the Maison Penanault to present visitors with an extraordinary ensemble of works. From Cap Sizun to the Bay of Morlaix, via the heart of western Brittany to the north coast—and even beyond the département’s borders—this collective exhibition of works by a renowned German artist demonstrates the great potential of cooperation.

This shared endeavour enabled Robert Schad to establish a fruitful dialogue with all these places rich in history or poetry. The Conseil départemental supports the inhabitants of Finistère throughout their lives and devotes particular attention to those who face difficulties in life. It is thus an institution for which solidarity with people and territories is important, so that everyone can live as well as possible in their own environment. Our body seeks the same cohesion between people and places as the artist: we all know how important it is to live with our time.

Excerpt from Nathalie Sarrabezolles, President of the Conseil départemental du Finistère, Chair of the Supervisory Board

ZMORG, literally landed from a great height in front of the entrance portal to Landshut’s historic city center, the significant Gothic hall church of Heilig Geist. VARULL, sprawled on the forecourt of the Residence, arguably the first secular Renaissance building north of the Alps. SUBIRAT, unfolding as a monumental endless line in the park of Landshut’s Mühleninsel, one of the city’s early industrial centers. These and the other “ensemble members” of the international Robert Schad Company. Dance IV. Sculpture Steel City, all monumental works by the sculptor Robert Schad, born in 1953, are guests for a year in the heart of the old Bavarian residential city, which has been shaped by masterpieces of sculpture since its early beginnings.

In the 20th century, the sculptor Fritz Koenig, born in 1924, stands as one of the great protagonists of German sculpture, representing this grand Landshut tradition. The “Skulpturenmuseum im Hofberg” was dedicated to it in 1998. The underground halls of this art gallery are deeply embedded in the Isar slope and preserve Koenig’s work and art collections. Under the programmatic title “Skulpturenmuseum vor Ort” (Sculpture Museum on Site), the fruitful Landshut tradition of sculpture in public space is now being revived and reinterpreted in all prominent squares of the city center. It would be wonderful if these steel, temporary “inhabitants” of Landshut were integrated into our daily lives and became part of our urban society.

Excerpt from Stefanje Weinmayr, former Director of the KOENIGmuseum Landshut

Encounters

Sculptures integrate into everyday urban life, create new perspectives on the familiar, pose questions to urban space and the people who encounter them:
ELLERD, HAN, KENDER, POKENT, SMANYU, SUBIRAT, SYRIMM, VARUHL and ZMORG.

Made from steel bars welded together with a constant cross-section of 100 mm edge length, they seem to have grown in place, writing different lines eruptively and tentatively into urban space, their light appearance making all physical weight forgotten.

Following a mysterious choreography, they ‘dance’ through urban space. Their movement seems to pause at the moment of viewing—time seems suspended.

They form a route that viewers can follow to explore the city in a new way. They are islands of reflection on one’s own physicality and physical condition, inviting diverse associations.

The four monumental sculptures in the park of the Heidelberg Orthopedic Clinic – Subirat (2011), VARULL (2011), KENDER (2011), and ZMORG (2007) – were originally conceived for the forecourt of Altshausen Castle, the residence of the ducal family of Württemberg, and were first exhibited there, with the exception of ZMORG.

The titles, as always with Schad, are onomatopoeic inventions that allow for diverse associations. Against the backdrop of the gables, portals, pilasters, and towers of the Baroque castle complex, the steel sculptures developed a completely different effect than they currently do in the park of the Heidelberg University Orthopedic Clinic. While in the South German small town the constructive aspect came to the fore, the abstract linear forms gain an anthropomorphic dimension in connection with the medical center for people with degenerative diseases of the musculoskeletal system. This ambiguity is quite intentional on Robert Schad’s part. The formal properties of his sculptures, depending on the context, open up different visual insights and conceptual connections. His sculptures, formally developed from the line, intertwine with the surrounding space, thereby setting in motion manifold energies – expressively extending (ZMORG), constructively latticed crosswise (KENDER), quietly resting on the ground (SUBIRAT), or seemingly stretching in the wind (VARULL).

Excerpt from the catalog, Dr. Bettina Ruhrberg, Director of the Mönchehaus Museum Goslar

The Altshausen municipal administration, under the tenure of Mayor Kurt König, initiated a series of sculpture projects in 2009 with the exhibition of Dutch artist Henk Vish, which was continued by Robert Schad in 2011. This exhibition by Schad was his first of its kind and marked the beginning of a European tour for his large-format works. The setting for the Altshausen sculpture projects was and remains the market square, which unfolds like a stage in front of the castle of the ducal family of Württemberg. The changing sculpture projects offer an overview of the work of international and national sculptors.

With the exhibition “ALL Four / Dance_1,” Schad presented his monumental outdoor works for the first time, created specifically for this location without a commission. They appear like dancers who, following Schad’s choreography, unfold their play on the urban space in the community center. Different in form, but made from a massive steel line of constant material cross-section of 100 mm, they ‘draw’ human sensibilities into space. What is tons heavy seems to want to lift off – the steel constructions convey movement that appears to pause at the moment of observation.

Jupp Eisele, Curator and former Art Teacher of Robert Schad at the Neues Gymnasium Ravensburg