A crucial aspect to the appreciation of an artwork is the location in which it is placed and this is especially true for sculpture. Rivieren is keenly aware of this and is very particular where he thinks his sculpture should be viewed. Very often he will have his sculpture photographed in the desert, in a garden, alongside water or even in an interior; and in doing so an immediate context for his work is created. By placing his sculptures in different spatial contexts he evokes the greater sense of space that encompasses us all. What better settings are there to reveal the wonder of this unimaginable dimension of space? And, what better way to conceive of it than through art?

Rivieren uses line and the curve in particular to journey through this great space, making use of geometric and organic routes of expressive discovery on this voyage. Where one sculpture's organic growth of line unfolds and expands gracefully into space, whilst delicately embracing its interior, another will confidently delineate these spaces with assertive geometry. This diverse use of line is never static and appears to be in a relentless state of perpetual motion with varied tempos of speed. Whilst one sculpture will evolve fluid like, meandering its way through space unfurling elegantly, the line of another will swiftly streak through space demarcating it like a jet stream in the sky. This is a conscious pursuit of Rivieren as he says:

“It seems to be like an infinite path...”

For some sculptures Rivieren will deliberately sever the line to leave a gap that at first could appear to break this continuity of motion. In fact this introduction of real space into the line only serves to strengthen its sense of movement. By incorporating real space into the line a point of conceptual activation is created that allows the viewer to engage and complete the process of motion, like electricity jumping across space, from one point to another.

Rivieren pays particular attention to the surface of his sculpture, mostly producing a semi-reflective surface that absorbs and transforms all surrounding light and colour. This understated surface achieves several objectives that reinforce the inherent form of the work and its material integrity whilst allowing an interaction with its surrounding space, by reflecting an indefinite abstraction. This generates a constant surface transformation that augments the activity of his sculpture's line and its sense of continuous motion through space.

Rivieren's sculptures sit like the models of a physicist that attempt to define, through their poetic equations, the awe-inspiring space of existence. Drawing us into their intimate reflections through their lyrical harmony and then transporting us to those vast expanses of infinite contemplation.

Terry Dowse