Carl Andre 10th Iron Square, 100x100 cm, 2008

Carl Andre 11th Iron Square, 110x110 cm, 2008

The most magnificent aspect of this exhibition is space. Carl Andre's "7-12th Iron Square" solo exhibition runs from January 26 to March 1 at the Yvon Lambert Gallery. Born in 1935, Carl Andre is one of the most representative artists of American Minimal Art. Since 1966, he has presented series and repetitive phenomena, directly using materials without carving. The artist wrote: "If I have to cut materials, it is better to use them directly to cut space." In the same year, he participated in the "Basic Structures" group exhibition with artists such as Dan Flavin, Sol LeWitt, Donald Judd, and Robert Morris, first presenting parallel sculptural works titled "Railing," consisting of 137 standardized fireproof bricks placed parallel to each other, perfectly aligned horizontally on the ground. This sculpture broke traditional norms through linear and planar forms. Subsequent works depended on the rhythm of time and space within the overall exhibition venue; no point is more important than space itself. Volume occupied the core of sculpture and became a screen, allowing viewers to cross around and move among the works.

Carl Andre often uses standardized industrial materials to re-expand traditional compositional concepts. His creative core lies in horizontal construction, viewing "sculpture as extended space," exploring exhibition space consciousness, and aligning with the audience's reality transformation. He considers the periodic classification of these elements like "a type of palette," equating them to sculpture: "These tones are painting... copper is fundamentally different from aluminum; it is red and green." The artist stated: "I submit to the attributes of the materials; they reflect some types of my character... I prefer depending on the attributes of my materials..." In the 1970s, Carl Andre focused on the relationships between movement, proportion, location, space, and materials. His works no longer established an internal volume but reduced it to its minimum, preserving sculpture within the charter of objects. Most notably were standardized rectangular wooden columns combined to construct various forms. He said: "He achieves the most perfect effect with maximum effort."

In the 1980s, Carl Andre continued to depend on material attributes, establishing work positions based on location and space. He stated: "I realize that my installation is simpler than what I can achieve; considering a material and providing a location is more important than what I can obtain," emphasizing "those things lie in their elements, not in their relationships." In this solo exhibition, Carl Andre once again demonstrates systematic placement of square copper sheets, ranging from 7x7 (70 cm square) to 12x12 (120 cm square), arranged parallel in the four corners of two exhibition spaces of different sizes. The works present the exhibition space incomparably, making space the most magnificent manifestation of this show.