André Volten

Twelve spheres and hemispheres by André Volten (*1925 Andijk, NL; †2002 Amsterdam, NL) nestle in the greenery of the EPO's public grounds. The sculptor uses the urban backdrop as a key element in his work. Having started out in the traditional medium of painting and engaging early with abstraction and in particular constructivism, Volten became interested in harmonious surface modelling based on mathematical and geometrical principles and its application in a three-dimensional setting. He is fascinated by iron and steel, especially COR-TEN steel, as a material for large-scale sculptures. Unlike pop artist Claes Oldenburg (*1929 Stockholm, SE), who, in 1977, in reference to Münster's history, turned the city's metropolitan area into an enormous pool table as part of an installation entitled "Giant Pool Balls", Volten's work is an architectural sculpture composed of multiple components in which the sphere is seen as a basic geometric shape and positioned according to strict constructivist principles. The individual components take on a special significance on the grounds of the EPO with vegetation interrupting lines of sight between the spheres. To appreciate its integrity, the sculpture needs to be explored on foot and demands interaction with the beholder.