Simplicity is the form of true greatness, an unconscious greatness that has become nature. This is also the philosophy of the German artist Wolfgang Laib, who uses natural materials, such as pollen, rice, milk and wax, to create masterpieces that have made him famous all over the world. His Pollen Paintings, which occupy huge exhilarating spaces, are also exhibited at New York’s MoMa. Laib’s work is not always easy to read, but the message of his work is to simply surrender to the greatness of nature and to reconnect with it through art.
“It upsets me a little when they ask me if I can explain it. But it’s pollen. How can I explain the sky or the sun to you?” This statement by Laib will open the second meeting of the series “La Scienza a Regola d’Arte”, that will see the German artist in dialogue with the medical and scientific journalist, Silvia Bencivelli.
Scientific theory looks at the world with an objective and rational eye, but there is also another way that is reflected in the sensations, perceptions and emotions produced by artistic representations. Laib’s synthetic and spiritual art proposes a return to simplicity and the deep impulses of the soul. It is a symbol of a relentless quest for the balance and harmony that should exist between nature and man’s work. Where does science fit in in this context? What role does it play? Wolfgang Laib and Silvia Bencivelli investigated, starting with their personal experiences, the points where art and science converge and the respective influences these two worlds exert on one another – two worlds that only appear to be very different.
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