Rolf Westphal, Sculptor

West of the Pecos
23' T by 40' W by 20' L
Houston International Airport

Untitled
20' T by 100' W
Dachstein-Mts.-Area
Nordic Ski Championships

Yok
16' tall by 90' long
Ankara, Turkey

Nez Pierce
15' T by 20' W by 35' L
Slovenia

Koiminuze
55' tall
Helsinki, Finland

	In the Land of Never Before Projected 30 feet tall Bronze or Steel Casting		Who Will Come; Who Will Depart Projected 26 feet tall Bronze or Steel Casting
PROPOSED CHAIR & OBLELISK SERIES Westphallís chair and oblelisk series (1992-1993), which he calls vignettes, are intended to force recognition and reflection upon an event or incident that may have occurred in the viewerís own life. The arrangement of the chairs depict the attitudes of the characters involved, while behind the chairs towers the obelisk. The obelisk represents the first monumental artworks of man-kind and manís first assertion of his existence beyond his own person...the leaving of his mark. Thus the obelisk marks the importance of the event, removing it as an object of retrospection from the continuous passage of time.

COMMISSIONS & STATEMENT

With more than twenty public works behind him, Rolf always welcomes the challenge of a commissioned sculpture. Working successfully in the public realm and on a large scale requires a variety of skills and talents which Rolf has repeatedly demonstrated.

The locations of Westphallís public works include the City of Tampere, Finland; Fermi Lab in Batavia, Illinois; Houston Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas; Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey; City of Vancouver, British Columbia; US Steel Corporation in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; City of Detroit, Michigan; Posnan, Poland; and Slovenia.

Scheduled for completion this summer is a privately funded heroic-scaled sculpture at a cultural center on the Yenesi River in Siberia. Westphall sees this as a unique opportunity to be the first free-world artist to be commissioned for such a major piece in the new Russia.

To conceive and design for a specific site requires a strong "SENSE OF PLACE" that Westphall has exhibited since his early works in the "seventies". He establishes an empathy with the surroundings that goes beyond the mere physical setting, and addresses the people who will interact with the sculpture everyday. He has consistently placed pieces that not only express his vision, but do so in a way consistent with their surroundings..."EMOTIVE LANDMARKS" so to speak.

The physical execution of the sculpture requires the administration of people, intimate knowledge of material, and timely coordination of the work process; and all while maintaining the artistic integrity of the piece. Mastery of these logistical aspects on the grand scale is only gained through a history of the kinds of installations which Westphall has brought about in the last twenty five years. The world has certainly been culturally enriched by his labors.

Address inquiries to Rolf Westphal at bilhenry@execpc.com
or call 414.332.2509