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Wolf Gowin works in monumental art, mostly public art projects, since 1988. He searches always for a connection between art and the locality; may it be the local history, the particularity of the vicinity, the social relations of the people to the locality, or the specifics of the landscape. The art should become part of the locale.
The effects of synergy resulting from working with professionals of other occupations are the basis for success, and are always stimulating both intellectually as well as creatively. For Wolf Gowin, working on large projects became more and more invigorating rather than the work in the studio.
On May 16, 2002, an art action started in the Tiergarten (large park in the middle of the city) of Berlin. Two 20 year old sculptures of mine were released and they were placed in the public park Tiergarten. Since both sculptures were man-sized studio works, a natural deterioration process was expected. A view of the pieces on location is shown below.
May 22: It is beyond belief how times have changed. President Bush arrived around 8:30 p.m. in Berlin. In former times, American presidents received a hearty welcome by the people lining the streets of Berlin. Those times are gone. The entire area of governmental buildings was closed off. The streets were completely empty. The route from the airport was secured by police. No greeting, no welcome. The convoy drove at high speed through empty streets.
May 23: In preparation of the 20-hour-long visit of President Bush, the entire park had been cleaned, the lawns manicured, and my two sculptures were removed and destroyed. They presented a security risk. The situation revealed the real reason: The park was used as a deployment zone for the police. It was the largest deployment of police in the history of Berlin.
Result of the art action: An event of relief and freedom did not develop into a natural process, instead it became an event of restriction and hysteria. A symptom of societal failure.
The most important part of a large project is the management of the project itself and at the same time the management of the daily work. These two parts should never be parted from each other.
Management consists not only of the project and its progress, it means leading and motivating the personnel, and consistent problem solving for the entire duration of the project. Wolf Gowin’s experiences are a guarantee that once a project has started it will be finished successfully. Team work and the openness to professionals of other occupations is Wolf's way to success.