Invisible Dragon (Int. Strain) (2025) by Douglas Rieger is a striking sculptural work that juxtaposes industrial strength with organic fluidity. The piece features a robust steel base, providing a solid foundation for the large sculptural form resting atop it. This upper structure, with its undulating contours and evocative physicality, suggests a dynamic interplay between tension and release.

This sculpture functions as a tool, embodying a process-driven approach rather than one dictated by a preconceived idea or opinion. For the artist, the form comes first, leading the way, while meaning and ideas emerge in response. Unlike traditional methods where an idea precedes the object, here, the act of making generates thought.

While rooted in drawing, the final work diverges significantly from its initial sketches. The connection between the two develops organically during the sculpting process, shaped by trial, error, and the essential role of the artist’s direct engagement with the material. Flawed logic and mistakes become integral elements of the work’s evolution.

This sculpture is both personal and open-ended—it holds traces of an encounter with decaying industrial equipment near the artist’s childhood home, a past relationship, and places that once sparked excitement. It exists as an abstracted form, a vessel for projection and interpretation, allowing both artist and viewer to find meaning within it.

Like fire or music, sculpture resists full capture. A photograph can never fully convey its presence; movement is lost, shape shifts, and experience changes. It harbors a secret, one that can only be uncovered through direct engagement—by being in its presence.

Douglas Rieger (b. 1984, Pittsburgh PA) lives and works in New York, NY. He received his MFA from Yale in 2016 and BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2008. Rieger’s work has been exhibited at Capsule Shanghai (Shanghai, China), Helena Anrather Gallery (New York, NY), Thierry Goldberg Gallery (New York, NY), 67 Ludlow Gallery (New York, NY), New Discretions (New york, NY) and Fahrenheit (Madrid, Spain). His works has been featured in Bomb Magazine, Art in America, Artforum, Artsy, The New Yorker and FAD Magazine.

道格拉斯·莱杰（Douglas Rieger）的雕塑作品《不可见之龙》巧妙地结合工业力量与有机流动性，于反差中探索张力与平衡。作品的坚固钢铁基座为其上方的雕塑形态提供了稳定的支撑，而雕塑结构起伏的轮廓和充满表现力的物理感充分展现了张驰之间的微妙平衡。

这件雕塑更像是一个创作工具，体现了一种以过程而非先入为主的构思或理念为核心主导的创作过程。对艺术家来说，形体是创作的起点，它取决了创作的方向，而意义和概念则随着创作过程的推进逐渐显现。与传统的“先有构思，后有作品”的创作方式不同，在这件作品中，创作本身激发了灵感的产生。

尽管《不可见之龙》的创作起点源自绘画，但最终的雕塑形态与最初的草图有着显著的不同。这种联系在雕刻过程中逐渐自然形成，经过了多次尝试与调整，莱杰与材料的互动成为了作品发展的核心。那些逻辑上的偏差和错误，反而成为了这件作品不可或缺的一部分。

这件雕塑既有莱杰的个人色彩，又充满了开放性——它承载了艺术家童年时光中，位于家附近的一台逐渐被废弃的工业设备的记忆；一段过往的关系，以及曾经触发兴奋感受的地点。这件雕塑以抽象的形式呈现，成为了一个可以投射与解读的载体，让艺术家和观众在其中发现各自的意义。

就如同火焰或音乐，雕塑难以被完全捕捉。一张照片永远无法完全传达其主体存在的状态和感觉；主体的动态消失，形状发生变化，因此给予观众的体验也不同。照片中驻留徘徊着一个只有通过与其主体直接互动并置身于它的存在中才能真正被揭示的秘密。

道格拉斯·莱杰1984年出生于美国匹兹堡，目前生活工作于纽约。他于2008年获弗吉尼亚联邦大学艺术学士学位，2016年获耶鲁大学雕塑专业艺术硕士学位。莱杰的作品曾在胶囊上海（中国上海）、Helena Anrather 画廊（美国纽约）、Thierry Goldberg画廊（美国纽约）、67 Ludlow画廊（美国纽约）、New Discretions（美国纽约）和Fahrenheit（西班牙马德里）展出，并受到《Bomb Magazine》《Art in America》《艺术论坛》《Artsy》《纽约客》和《FAD Magazine》等媒体报道。