Wolfgang Laib in 'Legacy' - Season 7 - 'Art in the Twenty-First Century' | Art21

Art21 proudly presents an artist segment, featuring Wolfgang Laib, from the "Legacy" episode in the seventh season of the "Art in the Twenty-First Century" series.

"Legacy" premiered in November 2014 on PBS.

Inspired by the teachings of Laotzi, by the modern artist Brancusi, and by formative experiences with his family in Germany and India, Wolfgang Laib’s sculptures seem to connect the past and present, the ephemeral and eternal. His attention to human scale, duration of time, and his choice of materials give his works the power to transport us to unexpected realms of memory, sensory pleasure, and contemplation.

Learn more about the artist at:

TRANSLATIONS

CREDITS | Series Created By: Susan Dowling & Susan Sollins. Executive Producer & Curator: Susan Sollins. Series Producer: Eve Moros Ortega. Associate Curator: Wesley Miller. Director of Production: Nick Ravich. Field Producer: Ian Forster. Editor: Lizzie Donahue. Director of Photography: Jarred Alterman, Rafael Salazar, Miguel Sanchez-Martin, Ian Serfontein, & Joel Shapiro. Additional Photography: Mark Falstad, David Howe, Rafael de la Uz, & Ava Wiland. Sound: Tom Bergin, Richard Gin, Heidi Hesse, Agnès Jammal, Mauricio Rodriguez, Rob Shire, Paul Stadden, & Merce Williams. Assistant Camera: Garrett Burns, Alejandro Munoz, & Irwin Seow.

Art Direction & Design: Open, New York. Online Editor: Don Wyllie. Composer: Peter Foley. Voiceover Artist: Jace Alexander, Dale Soules, & Joe Urla. Sound Mix: Cory Melious. Sound Edit: Matt Snedecor. Graphics Animation: CRUX Design. Artwork Animation: Stephanie Andreou. Assistant Editor: Carla Naranjo, Danny Rivera, Leana Siochi, Elizabeth J. Theis, & Bahron Thomas.

Artworks Courtesy of: Tania Bruguera; Abraham Cruzvillegas; Wolfgang Laib; Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris; kurimanzutto, Mexico City; & Sperone Westwater Gallery, New York. Archival Footage & Photography: Bunker, New York; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; & Tate Media, London.

Special Thanks: The Art21 Board of Trustees; María de los Angeles Fuentes; Alejandra Carrillo; Ilse Cornelis; Deborah Cristiano; Annette Eliëns; Lucile Fay; Annie Fletcher; Framerunner; Neshi Galindo; Charlotte Du Genestoux; Dominique Harrison; Heard City; Amelia Hinojosa; Immigrant Movement International; Meredith Kessler; Carolyn Laib; Silvia Juliana Mantilla Ortiz; Cristian Manzutto; Aliza Nisenbaum; Paulina Pardo; Pat Casteel Transcripts; The Phillips Collection; Queens Museum; Raices Group; Prerana Reddy; Alvaro F. Rodas; Patrick Rowe; David Strauss; Van Abbemuseum; Walker Art Center.

Additional Art21 Staff: Cristiana Baik, Nicole J. Caruth, KC Forcier, Joe Fusaro, Jessica Hamlin, Jonathan Munar, Alexis Patterson, Heather Reyes, Diane Vivona, & Nechama Winston.
Public Relations: CaraMar Publicity. Station Relations: De Shields Associates, Inc. Legal Counsel: Albert Gottesman.

In Memoriam: Susan Sollins, visionary creator of Art21 and "Art in the Twenty-First Century."

Major underwriting for Season 7 of Art in the Twenty-First Century is provided by National Endowment for the Arts, PBS, Agnes Gund, Bloomberg, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, The Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, The Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation, Toby Devan Lewis, and Sikkema Jenkins & Co.

#WolfgangLaib #Legacy #Art21

[annpoulsen]

These subtle, refined, compelling works are astounding to experience...I loved hearing the artist talk about them....thank you.

[CheshireCesare]

I was able to see an exhibit of Mr. Laib in Dallas, Texas many years ago. There is a beautiful, organic simplicity in his work. You just feel at peace amongst it.

[peterfromwaggawagga]

What a wonderful video. I would love to see a follow-up where that guy talking to Wolfgang about the boats goes to his house and chats to him there. His enthusiasm is infectious.

[aztro.]

that pollen has such a beautiful shade of yellow-green

[movementsNYC]

Interesting. I saw a preview of this years ago and never found the complete interview till now. I hope the rice was given to the poor. It would be sad to have it thrown out.

[tramseyer]

I don't understand the milkstones.

[willowduckling]

Let me introduce Wolfgang Laib: bees biggest friend and enemy

[Addi]

I honestly find he’s work very interesting can be interpreted in many ways good art makes you feel but great art makes you think

[lobstermash]

A mass of rice poured out on the floor has the primary meaning of contempt for others' hunger and contempt for the gifts of earth. The rice is defiled by being poured where people walk. It could have been placed on a dais. The wax room was a frivolous use of the work of tens of thousands of bees. I find this work decadent.

[JungleJoeVN]

What a waste of animal resources. Bees and cows need their milk and honey and wax.