Blütenstaub von Kiefern

Blütenstaub von Kiefern (1993) consists of pollen from a Scots pine. Laib installs the work by using a sieve to scatter an extremely thin, even layer of pollen across the floor, thereby creating his usual ‘canvas’ for this type of work. This attention to the floor as a site of meaning may be related to experiences from the artist’s youth. Laib travelled with his parents to India and Islamic countries, where he was deeply impressed by mosques – relatively empty halls with no unnecessary elements, and with a strong sense of space and floor – qualities he rarely saw in European art.

This monochrome work is rectangular in shape, but with no clean edges. The lightweight pollen tends to drift apart a bit at the edges, making the field seem to vibrate and nearly lift away from the floor. In nature, pollen drifts through the air without being seen, while here it is visible as a pure and granular material. Laib emphasises that these materials possess an energy and power that he could never create himself. The vivid colour of the pollen makes the work a celebration of natural vitality.

Each year, the artist dedicates himself to the laborious process of collecting this pollen in the area around his home in Southern Germany. He works according to the seasons and stores each species’ pollen – mostly hazelnut, dandelion, buttercup and pine – separately due to differences in colour and texture. Once the exhibition has ended, the dust-like material is carefully sieved and stored in glass jars to await reuse. No matter how often he repeats the process, ‘It is something you have never seen before, a reality that you cannot believe is actually real.’

For Laib, pollen refers to the origin and creation of life, the source of plant life. The work invites silence, concentration and contemplation.