‘Natural rounded boulders, big and heavy enough to be ‘immovable’ and just “placed” on the ground’ – Richard Long

BY ART MATTERS 天目里美术馆 commissioned British artist Richard Long to create a site-specific installation, Boulder Line, placed on the lawn square of the OōEli campus. During two years of preparation, the artist personally visited Hangzhou twice, selecting 30 water-washed boulders locally in Zhejiang and placing them on the lawn diagonally, based on his perception of the space and atmosphere. Boulder Line will be shown permanently on the lawn square of OōEli and, as time passes, this work will gradually merge with the plants and even the buildings and people within the campus.

Richard Long is a prominent figure in the British Land Art movement, the only artist nominated four times for the Turner Prize. ‘Walking’ is at the heart of Richard Long’s practice. Since the 1960s, he has been walking in the wild and cities all around the world, using natural materials available locally and leaving simple traces of geometric shapes in nature. His minimalistic practice prompts a conversation between human activity and nature, and viewers can observe a serene and ancient power in his work.