Joel Shapiro has built his sculptures out of wood, wire, and cast bronze, relying on space and the position and proximity of the viewer to play with perception. These seemingly simple works are constructed out of multicolored painted blocks arranged into abstract shapes or, in the case of his 2011 exhibition at the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, Germany, wooden components, from large planes to narrow planks, separately suspended by wires attached to walls, floor, and ceiling. The scale of Shapiro’s installations is always significant, making the architectural spaces in which they are exhibited an important part of their impact.