Middelheim, 1993 / tentoonstellingsexemplaar 2020

Bernd Lohaus carved a German text into the wood: “Getragen von den holzen zur sprache … zu.” This is difficult to translate: “carried from the wood to language … to.” It may refer to the tension between gravity (carried) and the floating effect of the sculpture. But then, what is “carried from the wood to language”? That remains open to interpretation. 

This new version of the work was made 27 years after the original. This was a difficult and exceptional decision made after thorough preliminary research and many attempts at restoration. It was the only option to keep the work from being lost. 

With their tawny skin and dark color, the beams hardly stand out from their surroundings. The work looks organic and natural; even this new version is quietly decaying from the action of water. At the same time, it is rigidly geometric and carefully made by human hands. Just as this section of the park is a wilderness made by people.

Bernd Lohaus was born in Düsseldorf, Germany, but moved to Antwerp in 1966. The artist preferred wood, stone, and paper. He worked with the relationship of objects to each other, and to space. Language is an important element in several of his works. Lohaus explored the relationship between the artist, the viewer, and the artwork.