Wolfgang Laib's 'Frieze of Life' Exhibition at Sean Kelly Gallery Features Pollen and Ash Installations

From October 29 to December 5, 2009, Wolfgang Laib presented 'Frieze of Life' at Sean Kelly Gallery in New York City, marking the first time in 23 years that one of his pollen installations appeared in the city. The exhibition included 'Pollen from Hazelnut' (2002-05), a luminous yellow field created from hand-gathered hazelnut pollen over several years, emphasizing nature's beauty and a ritualistic, sacramental process of collection. Another key work, 'Frieze of Life', consisted of 400 hand-thrown clay pots containing ashes collected from temples near Laib's studio in India, arranged high on a wooden frame to evoke themes of death and reincarnation in Hindu tradition. A third piece, 'Rice Meals' (1988), featured 12 brass cones holding rice that spills onto the floor, bridging the themes of life's beginnings and endings. Laib's art incorporates common materials like pollen, ash, rice, milk, stone, and wax, with spiritual undertones drawn from Indian religions and Christian mysticism, while also asserting a political dimension by suggesting cultural artifacts can influence societal change over time. The show's three installations collectively explore origins, process, and mortality, highlighting Laib's unique position as an artist with religious sensibilities in a secular art world.