Milkstones
German artist Wolfgang Laib is well known for his sculptures known as Milkstones. These works consist of a block of marble containing very shallow depressions that are filled with milk. The combination and contrast of materials and textures make the tactility of the work quite vivid, even if you haven’t (myself included), seen these in person.
As this article by Mark Stevens points out:
Pouring milk on stone took on the sacramental air of ritual; the milk itself evoked intimacy, nurture, purity, and the beauty of first things. It was, as he said, at once “chaste and sensual,” joining milk to marble, soft to hard- the two became inseparable in these works- reflected the Eastern aspiration of harmonizing opposites.
Laib is also well known for his beautiful, and painstaking installations of yellow pollen.
- 12.07.2011 .
- Adrian Clement .
- Tags .
- Category:
- Art & Illustration
- Object:
- Conceptual art + Installation
- Designer:
- Wolfgang Laib
- Share .
- 6 comments
What type of installation would be appropriate for this art? Is the finished product simply milk poured on marble? I’m pretty open to art, but this seems ephemeralat best.
Adrian, knowing that this is your last post as an editor for Minimalissimo, I’d like to herewith publicly thank you for about a year’s worth of interesting, beautiful and often thought-provoking posts. I’ll be missing them!
Thank you, Maarten, it’s been my utmost pleasure and an absolutely amazing expierence! I’ll be missing writing for Minimalissimo!
Without a doubt a great mix of hard and soft.
This use of marble together with something soft and soothing like milk, made me think of german artist Christian Lemmerz, who too uses marble a lot, often used to illustrate seemingly soft objects, such as blankets etc.
Check him out, not necessarily the biggest minimalist of them all, but defiantly a big inspirational source, for me at least!
Thanks, Beha, I’ll look them up!
I’ve seen one of these pieces in the Art Gallery of Ontario, and it was to my understanding that another aspect of the milk is that it is pure white. By staring at the piece you are able to stare infinitely into a blank space.