Z-Cube by Georg Malin
For two decades, Georg Malin's primary theme has been cubes. These cubes, adorned with letters, emerge from small, polished bronze pieces.
These letters can be as large as five metres tall, but they still paraphrase the cube. In observing the Z-Cube, one establishes that the shaft of the letter connecting the upper and lower crossbar actually runs in the 'wrong' direction: instead of joining the upper right to the lower left, it connects the upper left with the lower right, meaning the Z ist depicted in its mirror image. However, if one then looks though the sculpture to the opposite side of the cube, the letter Z is visible in its correct form. As such, the front side of the cube shows the back side of the letter. The letter itself is written on the interior of the cube, with the symbol only becoming clear when standing in the centre of the cube.
Georg Malin, 1926, Mauren, Liechtenstein
Malin studied history, art history and philosophy in Zurich and Fribourg, before going on to train as a sculptor in Zurich. He has also worked as a freelance artist and scientist since 1955. From 1968 to 1995 he was curator of the Liechtenstein National Art Collection. Design solutions from Brancusi, Moore and Arp play an influential role in the archetypically clear, organic language of his work. The preference for fundamental geometric forms manifests iteself in his 1980s work with the visual qualities of the cube. The objects, always encompassing the theme of becoming and passing, comprise large sculptures in stone and steel, polished bronze heads, floral forms and steles. Drawings and watercolors were also produced to accompany this sculpture.
1997, chrome-plated nickel steel
Location: next to the post office in Vaduz
Property of the Liechtenstein National Art Collection