Because the resulting work is dated 1990, I forget that the invitation by the National Gallery of Iceland to make a permanent public sculpture came in 1988, while Richard Serra was still in the throes of suing the US Government over the removal of Tilted Arc.
Anyway, I’ve been three times over the years to see Afangar, the series of nine pairs of basalt columns around the edge of Viðey Island in the harbor of Reyjkavik, and it works every time. Like the giant steel plates Serra installed in Qatar, the tops of the 18 columns are the same elevation around the edge, subtly marking the changes in topography.
And even though there are hundreds of them, somehow it’s been easier to see the sculpture in Iceland than to see the various prints Serra made of them. Of the five series and three prints, my favorites, in theory, are the tiniest ones, the Videy Afangar series, made on a series of deepcut, 4×6-in. copperplates. I say in theory because I think I’ve only ever seen the entire set of ten prints once, and never for sale, and have just spotted loosies online since, but never in person.
But the contrast between the scale of the image and its size, and the general monumentality of Serra, is really nice. They feel like they were taken straight from his sketchbooks.
If you ever get a chance to see Afangar in person, definitely do it, and if you ever have tips on seeing some related prints, definitely hmu.
All the Icelandic prints Serra made with Gemini in 1991 [nga.gov]
Richard Serra Icelandic prints, biggies only, at MoMA in 1991 [moma.org]