A sculpture described by the artist as a “painting you can walk in”, which was only exhibited once almost half a century ago on the tip of Manhattan island, has reappeared on a north Wales beach.
Rather than having a backdrop of skyscrapers as it did in 1978, Rosemarie Castoro’s Trap a Zoid has been set up on a beach in Llandudno in front of the Great Orme, a headland perhaps best known for its wild goats which headed into the town during the first lockdown.
The sculpture, an asymmetrical field of logs, was the star of the show when it was first created on a sandy landfill site on what is now Battery Park City as part of an Art on the Beach exhibition.
Castoro, a central figure in New York’s minimalist and conceptual art scene, who died in 2015, used 200 logs from the city’s parks department and for just over a month the artwork provided enjoyment and intrigue.
Despite its success, the piece has never been seen again, until now, when it is being re-staged as part of a retrospective of the artist’s work – called Carving Space – at the Mostyn gallery in Llandudno.
For this iteration, reclaimed trunks from a local timber co-operative have been used and put into place using Castoro’s plans and drawings.
Castoro never completely explained what the piece meant, but in a journal once described it as “an obstacle course for a dancer”.
Clare Harding, the director of Mostyn, said: “It’s absolutely beautiful. It’s on West Shore Beach, the quieter of the town beaches, and backs on to the Great Orme so there is this incredible rock formation in the distance. It’s very different to New York, but it’s a very striking site. It’s not been seen since 1978 but there were lots of artwork and notes. Rosemarie was meticulous and generous with what she left.”
Harding said the pieces of waste timber had come from Welsh forests and had been put into place by hand this week, the process overseen by Castoro’s husband, Werner Pichler.
He said it was emotional to see it come together. He met Castoro in 1983 and never saw the original. “I’ve been looking for a possibility to show some of Rosemarie’s outdoor work. I’m so grateful to have the chance to recreate it here.”
Pichler said the way to orientate it in relation to the headland – and the Irish Sea – had been a matter of debate. “But we think what we have come up with is spectacular and exciting.”
Because of insurance issues, the piece has to be fenced in, but will be opened up at certain times so visitors can walk around it, as Castoro hoped. “People will give it their own meaning,” Pichler said.
Visitors will have to be quick – it will be in place only until 5 March after which it will vanish once again.
