Wachsraum

Far from the entrance to De Pont, you’ll find Wachsraum, a space built entirely from slabs of beeswax. An opening in the wall leads to a narrow corridor that, after a few steps, turns sharply to the right, whisking the visitor away from the main hall. At the end, a larger slab of wax seals off the space – like a door behind which something else is hidden.

The room is lit only by a small bare bulb. Its soft light creates a warm golden glow that is reminiscent of the backgrounds of medieval paintings. Laib is fascinated by such references to timelessness and continuity in art: ‘Art can have these kinds of connections that span many centuries.’ That timelessness is echoed in the irregular construction of the slabs, which elicits associations with the architecture of ancient cultures in Egypt and Mesopotamia.

Wachsraum provides both a physical and sensory experience. The narrow passageway forces the viewer onward, while the honey-coloured walls seem to glow in the light. The heavy material appears to become nearly translucent – or, as Laib put it, ‘The material becomes almost immaterial.’ Yet it is the scent of the pure beeswax that makes the strongest impression: Wachsraum is an artwork you have to smell for yourself. For the artist, this natural material is closely related to pollen, a symbol of life and transience.

Laib created multiple beeswax rooms for museums around the world. The earliest versions were small, arising from experiments with the fragile material. In order to work on the interior of the space, the artist had to stick his head inside – an overwhelming experience. This sparked a desire to create a room in which the entire body could be enveloped in beeswax: ‘It is as though you are entering a cave that leads to another world.’