Wolfgang Laib: Crossing the River

Laib's tranquil installations celebrate simplicity and transience

The oeuvre of the German installation artist Wolfgang Laib (born 1950) expresses a deep-seated belief in formal and conceptual simplicity, as informed by his formative life experiences in India and the teachings of the ancient Taoist philosopher Lao Tzu. Laib creates sculptures that connect the past and present, working with perishable organic materials (pollen, milk, wood and rice) as well as durable ones (granite, marble and...