Erwin Heerich

TR9-122 Schnecke, 1993

Erwin Heerich’s paper collages could be read as precursors of deconstructive spatial concepts as demonstrated in the Postmodern architecture of the 1980s and 1990s by Zaha Hadid, Günter Domenig or the early work of Frank Gehry. But unlike these, Heerich’s built architecture on Hombroich Island corresponds much more with constructively intended minimalist structures, often developed from the basic stereometric form of a cuboid. Although some of the buildings are used for showing works of art, they can equally be experienced as promenade sculptures. On Hombroich Island near Neuss, architecture and landscape form a corresponding ensemble that was created from the 1980s onwards. Tomas Riehle’s photographs – valuable documents created at the same time as the buildings – show how precisely Heerich’s work is conceived. These austere structures, despite their brick-built solidity, seem to be an integral part of the nature around them.