CONCRETE ART concrete site specific sculpture
by Lucien den Arend

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concrete art - or art concret (in French) and konkrete Kunst (in German ) can be found in numerous museums of contemporary art around the world - but concrete art also exists as site specific sculpture in the public domain. The character of the sculptor's works actually designates it as concrete site specific sculpture. The work of the sculptor Lucien den Arend has been installed in many cities, mainly in Europe. This web will take you to the various municipalities that own his public sculptures and site specific work. His works range from free standing sculptures to landscape projects and bridges.

for next click the pictures or the cities links

For more sculptures visit the complete works of Lucien den Arend where one can see most of his works made over a period of almost forty years. He has site specific sculptures in over fifty cities, mostly in Europe. His landscape sculptures have been realized mainly in Holland. When asked about his 'green-art' Lucien den Arend writes about his own work:

"In my sculpture I use many materials. When I make objects with which I solve form problems for myself, I use materials like wood, metal or anything else which is best suits the idea I have. Many of these works have indeed been realized on a large scale - using materials like steel, concrete, bronze or stone.

Green-art: The importance of the relationship between art and nature is as important as the relationship between art and geometry, for instance. Geometry, as well as nature, is what we are part of. I try to put no limitations on what material I use or on my inspiration. Each individual viewer has his or her preferences and tastes. A work of art will appeal to one and be revoking to another person. Usually most people will remain indifferent anyway (I don't work for them). But nature has its drawing power and interests us to some extent in one way or another. I have experienced that most people are more receptive to art when it involves growing natural materials - and I have also experienced that when people ask what I am making, when working with natural materials, they remain interested up to the point I tell them it's art. That is where the discussion starts. So when I feel like it....

When I get the chance I like to make environments (environmental sculpture is the term I coined in the sixties of the 20th century). A few environmental works were made without using living materials - like a design for a patio in a Police station in Rotterdam: http://www.denarend.com/works/site_specific_and_public_sculpture/cities/rotterdam/groot-ijsselmonde/index.htm. Here I did use the element of flowing water and natural stones, but no growing materials.

Whenever possible I like to use indigenous plants which I select because of their form and the situation in which people usually encounter them - so for instance pollarded willows in an urban setting have been taken out of their context (being on or around farms); in this way I want to use their evocative aspects (see http://www.denarend.com/works/site_specific_and_public_sculpture/cities/terneuzen/02.htm). With pollarded willows it is also the form which can be contained - I want to limit the area over which I have control). One, up to now, never realized project is the clearing (http://www.denarend.com/works/site_specific_and_public_sculpture/cities/groningen/index.htm) in a new forest in the Dutch town of Groningen. On this internet page I have more text about this particular project.

One example of my not using indigenous plants is a new section of the city of Ede in The Netherlands (http://www.denarend.com/works/site_specific_and_public_sculpture/cities/ede/index.htm). Here I felt the need to introduce an experience which was totally unconventional, trees from the Everglades growing in a Dutch basin, and intersecting a 262 foot red concrete wall."

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